Council members have pricey digs

From NY1:

City Councilman Larry Seabrook is moving on up in the office world. He opened a second district office last year and also has a space in Co-op City.

Between the two offices, the Bronx councilmember earmarked $68,000 on rent in the last year, more than any of his colleagues.

He spent more than both Council Speaker Christine Quinn, whose office is in pricey Chelsea, and Councilman Dan Garodnick, whose space is in Midtown.

A spokesperson for Seabrook said the two spaces, which are just two miles from one another, serve two separate constituencies.

Seabrook was charged with fraud in 2010 in part because he allegedly misused public funds. He had allegedly been subletting space in his old district office to local nonprofit groups while he profited.

Seabrook wasn't the only councilmember expanding last year. Others were making pricey renovations, and some were moving to larger spaces.

Queens Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz spent more than $8,000 on an office expansion.

Brooklyn Councilwoman Diana Reyna moved to a larger space in Williamsburg, where rent was nearly $5,000 a month, one of the highest of any councilmember.