Around 70 West Siders packed into Hartley House Tuesday night, with another 30 watching online for a Hell’s Kitchen candidate forum in the race to replace Erik Bottcher — and one issue quickly cut through the usual campaign lines: the $2 billion public financing deal at the Western Rail Yards. On that, at least, there was no daylight.
The four candidates on the ballot to replace Erik Bottcher as local councilmember for Hell’s Kitchen at the forum on Tuesday evening at Harley House. Photo: Phil O’Brien
All four candidates — Leslie Boghosian Murphy, Lindsey Boylan, Layla Law-Gisiko and Carl Wilson — signaled they would push for a review of the PILOT-backed financing structure approved in the final weeks of the Adams administration, and made clear they would bring pressure on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to revisit the deal.
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Catie Savage & Phil O’Brien often report as a team for W42ST, combining Hell’s Kitchen knowledge with journalism experience. Catie, a neighborhood resident since 2005, is W42ST’s Deputy Editor and a longtime community advocate — founder of Litter Legion, co-chair of the HK49-54 Block Alliance, and a member of Manhattan Community Board 4. Phil is W42ST’s Publisher & Editor, a former international photojournalist (he photographed Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Princess Diana) and the founder of EMPICS, once Getty Images’ major European sports photo competitor. Phil has lived in New York since 2012 and founded W42ST in 2014. Together, they cover stories where local lived experience and accountability reporting meet.