At least one supporter of the proposed Avenir casino in Hell’s Kitchen offered people $300 and a catered lunch to testify at Monday night’s public hearing. She is the daughter of a social media influencer who has been previously paid to promote Silverstein Properties and its Avenir project on his joint couple accounts, amNewYork has learned.
Jolie Nelsen, who spoke at the hearing as “Jolie,” invited about 10 people in a group message to appear before the Community Advisory Committee, promising payment in exchange for two-minute statements backing the $7 billion development planned for West 41st Street and 11th Avenue. Screenshots of the group message were provided to amNewYork on the condition of anonymity from a source.
It is not yet confirmed how many of those invited followed through with the offer.
“Everyone, I have a business proposition,” the text reads. “There is a hearing on Sept 8 (Monday) about the location of the NYC casino. If you come and give a 2-minute speech about why it should be on 42 and 12 or whatever, you will get paid $300 and get free, nice catered lunch.”
Nelsen’s father, Jon Nelsen, and his partner Ebony Mackey, also testified on Monday in favor of the project without disclosing their ongoing collaboration with Silverstein Properties, the developer behind the casino bid.
The couple runs joint Instagram and TikTok accounts with more than 600,000 combined followers and has recently started a 10-part video series showcasing the Silverstein apartment building they live in. They also run a lifestyle jewelry brand, PlayHardLookDope, which was founded in 2017.
“Our favorite tour guides,” Silverstein Properties’ official account commented on episode two of the series. The developer is tagged in both videos, but they are not explicitly flagged as paid promotion.
Two weeks ago, before the first public hearing, in the third episode of their “Why We Live Here” series, the couple appeared in a joint post with Silverstein’s chief marketing officer, Dara McQuillan, at the proposed Avenir site, inviting followers to speak in favor of the project at the public hearing.
In response to questions from amNewYork, a spokesperson for The Avenir confirmed that Jon and Ebony were compensated for social media content promoting Silverstein buildings and the Avenir proposal. But the spokesperson denied that they or anyone else were paid to testify at Monday’s hearing.
“We did not pay anyone to testify at any hearing,” the spokesperson said. “We did provide dinner to anyone who attended — supporter, opponent, or random guest.”
The spokesperson also denied that Jolie Nelsen had been approached by the developer to recruit others with cash offers, saying: “No, absolutely not.”
According to The Avenir, “none” of the other people who testified in favor of their bid were asked to give positive statements in exchange for money.
Jon and Ebony denied any involvement with the alleged cash-for-testimony scheme, saying they did not pay anyone to testify, “and we did not offer to pay anyone to testify.”
“We work with Silverstein to do promotions, marketing, and community organizing on The Avenir and Silver Towers, where we live,” the couple told amNewYork. “We did not offer Jolie, my daughter, or anyone else any compensation to testify during the CAC hearings.”
The final public hearing before the CAC makes its final determination of the Avenir bid at the end of the month, saw about 75% of speakers back the proposal. However, the number of non-locals, employees, and union participants distorts the result somewhat. Among neighborhood residents, the sentiment on the Avenir was essentially split.
Jolie Nelsen did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story.
Accusations of ‘incentivized’ influence
During the hearing, Jolie Nelsen praised the project as a way to enliven a neighborhood she described as desolate.
“The streets are empty at night, the nearest subway stop is a 15-minute walk away, and most of the restaurants are several avenues away. This disconnect emphasizes all the dangerous parts of living in a city, which makes me feel unsafe walking alone at night,” she said.
“This project is perfect for this neighborhood, and this neighborhood is perfect for this project,” Jolie Nelsen added. “The area is off the West Side Highway, near the hubs of Port Authority and Penn Station, and not already extraordinarily congested like Times Square.”
During her two-minute testimony, Ebony Mackey, who fully identified herself and disclosed that she lives at a Silverstein property, criticized “dramatic” longtime residents who oppose the plan, particularly those living in Manhattan Plaza – an affordable housing complex with a growing older population.
“This is not Oklahoma. This is New York City,” she said. “People who have been living here since 1970 and oppose anything that has to do with innovation, because they want to continue living their cushy lives on Section Eight. Well, things do not always remain the same. Things grow and they become better.”
Jon Nelsen, who only identified himself as Jon, went further, suggesting residents of Manhattan Plaza were being coached by the rival casino bid in Times Square.
“Why is Manhattan Plaza’s opposition to this casino hotel in such a dramatic way? Are they incentivized?” he asked, holding up a Caesars Palace mailer.
During Monday night’s hearing, several Manhattan Plaza residents warned that ambulance response times are a big concern and that a casino would only worsen congestion around the Lincoln Tunnel.
Nelson argued that residents were trying to sabotage the Avenir bid because the Times Square proposal had pledged donations to an ambulance program to improve response times.
“It’s almost like they were told what to say,” he added.
None of the three disclosed their family connection during spaced-out testimony or their history of producing favorable content about Silverstein Properties. Federal guidelines require influencers to clearly label paid partnerships, though the couple’s posts have not included such disclaimers.
