Socialist lawmaker Emily Gallagher took $2k in donations for sick cat, regardless of $110K wage

Metro

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By Rich Calder and Matthew Sedacca

Socialist Brooklyn Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher shamelessly broke out the tin cup to cowl emergency surgical procedure for her ailing cat  —  regardless of raking in a six-figure, taxpayer-funded wage. 

Gallagher, 39, got here up with what she thought was a purr-fect plan after studying in October 2021 her beloved cat Roland desperately wanted emergency surgical procedure to repair a bladder blockage, organising a GoFundMe web page to cowl what she claimed was a cat-astrophic vet invoice of $3,797.  

“I don’t [sic] have this money and neither does my partner,” wrote the far-left pol on the crowdfunding web page. “We applied for vet credit but were approved only for 1400 [dollars]. Please help us!”

At the time, Gallagher earned $110,000 per yr as a state lawmaker, and her wage has ballooned to $142,000.

Donations from 52 people totaling $2,471 poured in like litter right into a field, together with money from state Sen. Julia Salazar, a fellow Brooklyn Democratic Socialist; political operative Miranda Augustine, who later scored a job as Gallagher’s district director; and North Brooklyn anti-car advocate Kevin LaCherra, in accordance with the web page.

Eight nameless donors chipped in a complete of $175.

The subsequent day, Gallagher crowed on social media that Roland’s surgical procedure was a hit.

“Roland Barthes is out of surgery & stable. We will be picking him up tonight,” she wrote. “I want to mention that I was initially charged $3,797 and told it had to be paid upfront. I couldn’t. So I had to negotiate for hours and beg friends & family.”

However, the common healthcare supporter additionally revealed she negotiated the value down to only $1,000 — whereas being “forced” to take a high-interest mortgage to cowl the prices. 

She failed to clarify the place the remainder of the donations went.

David Grandeau, the state’s former high lobbying regulator, warned that Gallagher might face potential penalties for violation of the general public officer’s legislation. 

“You can’t use your state position to benefit yourself,” he stated. 

The marketing campaign resurfaced on-line this week on X, previously often known as Twitter, with many clawing the lawmaker over the donation drive.

“Grifters gotta grift,” one user snarked.

Others hissed after studying from a Post reporter that Gallagher did not doc any of the donations as outdoors earnings in obligatory state monetary disclosure kinds.

“The amounts are small, but [the donors] have an opportunity to crassly say, ‘I was there when your cat was sick,’” stated Cam Macdonald, an adjunct fellow for the federal government watchdog group Empire Center for Public Policy.

“The public has a right to know who’s gaining favor with their elected officials.” 

Assemblyman Chris Tague (R-Schoharie), who famous he and his spouse recurrently cowl vet payments for dogs and cats she rescues, was appalled that his fellow lawmaker managed to quietly fundraise the money with out disclosing the items to the state’s ethics committee. 

“The loophole that allows a sitting state legislator to accept personal donations for their cat belongs in a litter box,” Tague stated. 

Former Assemblyman Joe Lentol (D-Brooklyn), whom Gallagher upset within the 2020 election, agreed that his onetime rival ought to’ve reported the additional revenue in obligatory disclosure filings with the state Commission on Ethics ethics.

Lentol — a feline fan whose employees as soon as saved a stray kitten that bought misplaced of their workplace wall — recalled coming underneath hearth roughly twenty years in the past as a result of he used marketing campaign funds to cowl the cost of burying a beloved workplace cat named Princess.

However, he reported the funerary payments in his marketing campaign filings.

“The difference is this was an office cat, and she actually did work for me,” Lentol stated. “She made people feel very comfortable when they came to the office if they had never visited an assemblyman before and helped break the ice.”

Some questioned whether or not an individual who’s unable to deal with their very own cat’s medical bills is even match for elected workplace.

“If you’re electing someone that can’t figure out how to pay for their cat’s surgery, shame on them,” fumed Grandeau. 

“This person obviously is not capable of managing our tax dollars if they can’t manage their own household funds.” 

Gallagher didn’t reply to a number of requests for remark.