STRINGER’S STRONGHOLD: A former mayoral candidate who represented Manhattan before winning citywide office made his case Thursday night against Adams in a district that votes in big numbers. Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller who has begun exploring a mayoral run, returned to his old haunts for a meeting of the West Side Democrats. There, he floated his candidacy and blasted Adams’ record on housing, the migrant crisis and budget cuts. “What's happened over the last couple of years is we stopped thinking big. We stopped thinking that we had possibilities,” Stringer said. “With a wink and a nod, we are becoming a minimalist government. In other words, we do the bare minimum.” “Once I’m the mayor, I’m going to make sure we have seven-day libraries,” he added, siding with New Yorkers who have protested Adams’ budget cuts. Stringer also criticized Adams’ response to the migrant crisis. “How dare this administration blame the ills of bad budgeting on the most vulnerable people on Earth, people fleeing their country with their children, they have nowhere to go, they fear persecution, they come to us,” Stringer said. The New York Democratic fixture ran with progressive support in 2021, before his campaign crumbled after he was accused of decades-old sexual misconduct — an allegation he vehemently denies. His remarks Thursday night hint at what he deems winnable issues for an Adams challenger — namely the mayor’s handling of nearly 200,000 migrants over the past two years. “We embrace them on a Monday. We hate them on Tuesday. We blame them for the destruction of the city on Wednesday. And on Thursday, we don't know what to do. So we blame Biden and the state Legislature and the governor and the City Council, but the mayor does not step up with strategies to deal with this issue,” Stringer said. An Adams campaign spokesperson declined to comment. Despite Adams’ lagging poll numbers, Stringer has an uphill battle: the mayor has raised nearly $3 million. Stringer told Playbook he’s been fundraising at house parties throughout the city and said “it’s going well,” but declined to give precise numbers. “This race is going better than the last race,” Stringer said during the speech. “There seems to be buyer’s remorse.” Stringer began his political career as a Democratic district leader on the Upper West Side of Manhattan — an area with one of the highest consistent voter turnouts in the city. Speaking to the crowd of about 50, Stringer said, “It’s really great to be home with all of you, and I’m really emotional because this is family.” — Irie Sentner REPRESENTATION QUESTION: No decision can be made on whether city attorneys will represent Adams aide Tim Pearson in his sexual harassment case until Pearson, the city and others are served, a City Hall spokesperson told Playbook. The city’s corporation counsel, using taxpayer dollars, will defend Adams in a separate lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted a police bureau colleague in 1993. Sylvia Hinds-Radix and the city Law Department have discretion over which city employees they represent and they can’t yet make a determination on Pearson. On Thursday, days after the detailed complaint against Adams was filed, a retired NYPD sergeant accused Pearson, one of the mayor’s most trusted confidants, of unwanted sexual advances and retaliation when she spurned him in 2022 and 2023. Pearson’s co-defendants are the city of New York, the Economic Development Corporation and NYPD brass Jeffrey Maddrey and Joseph Profeta. An NYPD spokesperson said the department doesn’t comment on pending litigation. An Adams spokesperson said the city is reviewing the complaint, defended Pearson’s record of service and said the accuser had not cooperated in a City Hall probe of her allegations. — Emily Ngo More from the city: — Two years into his term, New York’s enigmatic mayor is confronting several crises. (The Atlantic) — Frank Carone, Adams’ former chief of staff, rescinded his lobbying registration earlier this month, though others in his firm have lobbied Adams and Hochul officials. (Daily News) — No landlords have yet been fined for renting out space to unlicensed weed shops under a law that took effect nearly eight months ago. (Daily News)
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