In January, the time when the Real Estate Board of New York hosts its annual gala, Commercial Observer decided that just because the banquet was canceled due to COVID-19 didn’t mean that REBNY was irrelevent. On the contrary, with the industry on its back, the real estate community needed a fierce advocate more than ever.

That’s because one can don the rosiest tint of glasses, but it still won’t change the fact that New York has a very big hole to climb out of.