For Brooklyn Democrats, it’s still about who you know.
On Thursday, the Brooklyn Young Democrats — an official arm of the borough party — endorsed Doug Schneider for City Council in the 39th district.
The president of the Young Dems, Christina Das, works for Schneider’s wife, who hired Das for a city-paid gig two months before the endorsement.
Observers say the support gives Schneider a significant advantage in the Democratic primary on June 22 and access to canvassers and volunteers from the group.
Das, 28, a CUNY law graduate, is currently working in a selective fellowship program at the city’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings — a body overseen by Schneider’s wife, Joni Kletter.
“I think it’s a shame that when you have such incredibly strong progressive candidates in that race that a local club would choose to recreate the same old machine politics that I thought we were trying to move past,” one newly elected Brooklyn Democrat told The Post.
Former Democratic City Councilman Sal Albanese said, “It raises issues in terms of nepotism and patronage. One of the untold stories of the de Blasio administration is they have ensconced a lot of folks in these agencies that are patronage posts.”
OATH manages hearings relating to city violations. Kletter also serves Hizzoner as director of the Mayor’s Office of Appointments.
Das was hired in October 2020 for a renewable four-month fellowship with a salary of 19,971.90. She beat out eight other candidates for the position, a rep for the agency said.
Kletter denied any conflict.
“I have had no conversations with Ms. Das about the 39th district council race other than making it clear to her that that she could have no involvement in the BYD endorsement process for that race,” she told The Post.
Schneider said he was “livid” at any suggestion of impropriety. Das declined comment.
Das landed the fellowship just two months before her organization bestowed its coveted endorsement on her boss’ husband. He was previously endorsed by the group for a Democratic district leader position back in March, the same month Das became president.
Since that time, the connections between the city’s power couple and Das have only deepened.
The Young Dems’ previous president is John Wasserman — who previously served as Schneider’s campaign manager during the district leader race and continues in that role in his City Council campaign, a tipster said. Wasserman is dating Das and was reported to be living with her earlier this year. His Facebook banner image shows the happy couple visiting a horse rescue reserve in New Mexico.
“Suggestions of impropriety are ridiculous, unfounded, and an obvious attempt to divide progressives against each other at a moment when we are accomplishing so much together,” Brooklyn Young Democrats communications director, Abe Silberstein, told The Post.