Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller, has provoked anger in East New York after comments allegedly misrepresenting the actions of a valued Black and Veteran-owned restaurant, claiming it “wasted $750,000 in taxpayer funds” through Department of Education–sanctioned catering contracts. Fusion East, the restaurant involved, now faces threats and reputational distress, despite a track record of serving healthy, affordable meals to over 100 public schools, including many in economically challenged areas.
A Search for Support Met with Public Shaming
The restaurant’s owner, Andrew Walcott, recounts how he approached Lander’s office for assistance in recovering nearly $20,000 in overdue DOE invoices. Rather than receiving help, he was sent back to the DOE, only to later see his financial concerns included in a public Comptroller statement that painted him as responsible for waste.
“It’s troubling when an elected official who claims to uplift MWBE contractors and our communities, singles out a respected local MWBE business and exaggerates claims of waste, misrepresenting a company with a solid record of service to various NYC departments,” Council Member Chris Banks stated in a release featured on NYC Newswire. “Fusion East provided countless nutritious meals to school communities and responders, at rates well below the thresholds set by Directive 6. The Comptroller’s remarks expose an ignorance of our community’s food customs and have contributed to at least one direct threat. This is grossly irresponsible from an official in his position.”
Banks further noted the comments appeared “to carry racial undertones.”
Chris Banks Nikki Lucas and Randy Peers at Press Conference – photo credit: NYC Newswire
Political Strategy Suspected
Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas, District 60’s representative, described Lander’s message as “disgraceful,” saying it unleashed a racist backlash targeting Fusion East—a Black-owned business that’s fed over 100 local schools healthy, reasonably priced meals. “This appears calculated to break down Fusion East, a key restaurant in my district,” Lucas said.
Lucas continued, “Local businesses like Fusion East deserve support, not to be painted as villains. They create jobs and serve our community daily. Lander’s claim that Fusion East collected $750,000 from a single school is untrue, misleading, and undermines the MWBE initiative he supposedly supports… Truth is, Brad Lander continues to gain from the distress faced by Black people.”
She hinted at a political motive to use the incident against Mayor Adams on “Mayoral oversight,” without accounting for the consequences to businesses in her community. “To attack a district business is to attack the district itself,” Lucas remarked.
Repeat Criticism from Lucas
This is the second instance recently where Lucas has publicly rebuked the Comptroller. Previously, she called out his comments on Errol Louis’s NY1 show suggesting Mayor Adams might be on the Epstein list; although Lander later called it a joke, Lucas argued the implications were far from humorous. She emphasized the Fusion East affair is a different matter, directly resulting in threats to a minority-owned business in her district—an outcome clearly not a joke.
Wider Context: Contracting Inequality
Despite New York City’s $115 billion budget, Black-owned firms land under 2% of city contracts. For Lucas and other officials, this raises concerns when a thriving minority business is publicly disparaged.
“Fusion East perfectly embodies the minority and Veteran-owned firms the city should champion, not critique,” emphasized Randy Peers, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, “Their history with the DOE and investments in Brownsville and East New York speak for themselves. They didn’t deserve the detrimental publicity undermining their positive work.”
Earning Success Through Hard Work
Walcott insisted his business’s growth resulted from dedication, not luck. “I work tirelessly across the boroughs, sometimes delivering meals on my own—it’s disheartening to face criticism for that drive. Isn’t expansion the goal of business? I’ve never relied on favors—it’s my effort that brought us here,” he said.
Walcott said Lander subsequently left a voicemail expressing regret for the backlash and threats, stating his comments were aimed at the Mayor’s office, not Fusion East. Yet, Walcott noted, there was no direct apology for the initial accusations—”It’s contradictory trying to have it both ways.”
Insisting on an Apology
Lucas demands a clear apology to Fusion East, its leadership, and East New York at large. “This business is a district landmark,” she asserted. “To attack Fusion East is to attack East New York.”
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