New York Post

Bx. pol’s sea-feud funders

- Yoav Gonen

A Bronx politician running for City Council went to bat for the owners of a restaurant facing community backlash after a vicious bar brawl — and got campaign donations from the owners 10 days later, records show.

Assemblyma­n Mark Gjonaj (D-Bronx), who spoke on behalf of Seafood City on City Island in late February after dozens of chair-wielding patrons brawled, took in $500 each from coowners Daniel Pirraglia and Bernardino Esposito on March 7.

The fight was caught on video and prompted one candidate for the District 13 council seat, Marjorie Velazquez, to call for a review of the liquor license and another, John Doyle, to seek security changes.

Gjonaj, whose Assembly district doesn’t include City Island, credited the owners for closing the bar early.

He told The Post that the donations were unrelated.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States