Massey enlists CushWake quant to manage campaign funds

Paul Massey has enlisted another familiar face from the real estate industry to help him win City Hall.

The Cushman and Wakefield executive brought on Michael Wlody, who previously managed the finance arm of the brokerage’s investment sales group, as treasurer for his campaign’s fundraising committee.

Earlier in his career, Wlody had been the CFO at Massey Knakal, which Cushman acquired at the tail end of 2014. He left CushWake earlier this year.

The growing campaign also hired as a consultant Washington, D.C. lawyer Kenneth Gross, who leads the political law practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. In New York, Gross is probably best known as Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s former campaign finance lawyer.

A representative for Massey’s campaign couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

After months of speculating about a run for mayor in 2017, the Republican businessman announced in early August that he was making it official. David Amsterdam, the former vice president of leasing for SL Green Realty, left his job at the real estate investment trust to spearhead Massey’s campaign.

Massey has already shut down a fundraising committee he launched earlier this year after a scandal erupted around Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Campaign for One New York.

Massey’s campaign opened a bank account in July that had a balance of $0 by the time he filed his paperwork with the New York City Campaign Finance Board in August. The next filing deadline for the election cycle is Jan. 17.

The candidate plans to abstain from using the city’s campaign matching-program – which matches every $1 raised through small contributions with $6 of public funds – and has said he intends to raise “boatloads” of money.

Massey may not be the only real estate figure in the race. Developer Don Peebles, a Democrat who’s no fan of de Blasio, has toyed with the idea of running as well.