Dev Awasthi, until Tuesday the Real Estate Board of New York’s vice president for New York City legislative affairs, has resigned after being filmed tearing down campaign signs for NY-12 candidate Jack Schlossberg on primary day. The clip appears to show him yanking signs off a streetlight and tossing them into a trash can near Third Avenue and East 32nd Street, a move that drew swift scrutiny from REBNY leadership and raced around social media.
Video Shows Street Corner Sign Sweep Near Third Avenue
The video posted to X by Politico reporter Jason Beeferman shows Awasthi unhooking Schlossberg signs from a lamppost and dropping them into a trash can while speaking with a person wearing an Alex Bores shirt. Recorded on Tuesday, the short clip spread quickly and helped trigger REBNY’s rapid internal response. One moment it was a quiet corner of Midtown, the next it was Exhibit A in an election day headache for a major real estate trade group.
REBNY Cuts Ties After Clip Circulates
In an emailed statement to The Real Deal, REBNY Senior Vice President and General Counsel Carl Hum said, "These actions are completely inappropriate and this behavior does not meet the standards we expect from our employees." The organization confirmed that the person captured in the video "is no longer employed by REBNY." The message was clear, even if the statement was short, REBNY wanted daylight between the group and the incident.
Awasthi’s Role And Political Footprint
Awasthi had served as REBNY’s vice president of New York City legislative affairs since late 2024 and worked on high-profile zoning and enforcement issues, according to City & State. Before joining the trade group he held roles in city government, including as a City Council deputy chief of staff, which made him a familiar face in Albany and City Hall policy circles. In other words, this was not a political novice getting caught up in street-level campaign jitters.
Why It Hits The NY-12 Race Where It Hurts
Schlossberg, a Kennedy family scion running in the NY-12 primary, has put a Housing Fairness Plan at the center of his campaign, a platform that puts him at odds with many real estate interests, as reported by The Real Deal. The video surfaced on a high-stakes election day, turning one Midtown trash can into a symbol that could sharpen questions about how closely industry groups and campaigns orbit each other in local races.
Campaign Cash And Paper Trail Check
A review of Federal Election Commission records for "THE REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK, INC. FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE" shows no independent expenditures this cycle in support of or in opposition to NY-12 candidates so far, according to filings on the FEC website. The committee’s 2025–2026 reports show routine receipts and disbursements but no direct spending reported for the Manhattan contest as of Tuesday.
For now, the episode stands as a burst of raw street footage with immediate job consequences and lingering political questions. On a crowded primary day already packed with drama, one short clip managed to reshape the conversation about how industry insiders mix advocacy, allegiances and sidewalk-level campaigning in New York City.
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