When allies of the mayor began to set up the Campaign for One New York, after de Blasio's
election in 2013, they followed a model established by Gov. Andrew Cuomo — even hiring the
same well - established
election lawyer, Laurence Laufer, who had helped set up a similar nonprofit to support Cuomo's agenda three years earlier.
Niou spent $ 26,000 during the 32 - day special pre-
election filing period — including to pay for the services of longtime Democratic Party operative Chung Seto, a top aide to former city Comptroller John Liu, and to
election lawyer Martin Connor, a former state senator who used to represent the
same downtown neighborhoods that encompass the 65th Assembly District.