| | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Rich Mendez
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Mayor Eric Adams finally revealed Randy Mastro as his pick for the city's top lawyer. | Richard Drew/AP | NEW YORK MINUTE: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board will convene this morning — one month after formally putting the congestion pricing toll plan on hold. The meeting comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul is still weighing alternative ways of raising cash to pay for $16.5 billion in projects meant to bolster the mass transit system’s woeful infrastructure. More below on how some upstate lawmakers are starting to worry about the impact of the pause. ‘WHO BETTER?’ Randy Mastro has been uncharacteristically quiet for the past three months. But now that Mayor Eric Adams has finally nominated him to be the city’s top lawyer, POLITICO reports, the famous bulldog litigator, who once served as a deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani, is finally speaking publicly. Mastro has a rough path to confirmation by the City Council, but in a Tuesday phone call with Playbook, he made the case that members shouldn’t get caught up in his controversial client list — former Republican Gov. Chris Christie during his Bridgegate scandal, oil giant Chevron and Amazon, among others — and should instead consider his personal beliefs and pro bono work. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. On having Giuliani on his resume: “I was the ranking Democrat in that administration. We were pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-immigration and pro-gun control, and I’m very proud of that record. I took on organized crime at the Fulton Fish Market and in the private carting industry for which I received La Cosa Nostra death threats. We stood our ground and we won. I’m very proud of that.” On his client list: “I had high profile, sometimes controversial cases in private practice. It’s what people in private practice do with our law firms’ clients. They give zealous and ethical advocacy and get the best results possible for the firms’ clients. I’ve had cases against the city. I’ve had cases with the city. Who better than a former deputy mayor to know when the city doesn’t get it right? Now, I’ll be there to help make sure the city gets it right, and the success that I have had in private practice is what I will now be doing for the city, including the City Council, on their priorities when they are in court.” On his plans for the office: “I look forward to putting more of the 800-lawyer department’s resources into affirmative litigation. So we bring more cases, and join more cases about civil rights, constitutional rights, social justice, workers’ rights, tenants’ rights, consumer protection, environmental protection and public safety. Going after guns, gang violence, illegal smoke shops. We can do it. I think when the full City Council realizes who I am, what I’ve stood for and what I’ve done in my career, it embodies my personal beliefs. It embodies my views and how I’ve used the law in my pro bono service. I think that they will hopefully be more understanding.” On whether the city should give legal representation in Adams aide Tim Pearson’s four sexual harassment lawsuits: “I’m not in a position to comment on any pending case with the Law Department. I know that I will have to review many, many matters if I’m fortunate enough to become corporation counsel. I’m going to approach the position with honesty, integrity and an emphasis on the city as a whole. Representing the entire city, including the City Council.” — Jeff Coltin HAPPY WEDNESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from Walmart: Walmart provides career opportunities for veterans transitioning to civilian life after serving in the military. Since 2013, Walmart has hired over 430,000 veterans. That’s more people than those serving in the U.S. Navy today. Every day, thousands of veterans are building careers at Walmart. Explore Walmart’s commitment to helping veterans grow their careers and live better. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Appearing as a guest on CNN News Central, then making a cannabis announcement with Adams. WHERE’S ERIC? Making a cannabis- and public safety-related announcement with Hochul, then appearing live on “The Beat 139” podcast. Later he'll host an older adult town hall and deliver remarks at PCON’s annual event where he's set to receive an award. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I thought his announcement was to go to assist the first woman of color to be the president of the United States, not take the second man of color from being the mayor of the city of New York. I think we need to be focused on one mission.” — Adams, previewing a line of attack against Comptroller Brad Lander after his formal announcement that he would be running for mayor against Adams.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Left-leaning leaders like state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani want more than symbolic gestures from Kamala Harris when it comes to the war in Gaza. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images | LEFTIES PRESSURE HARRIS: Pro-Palestinian Democrats who denounced President Joe Biden for his support of Israel amid the war in Gaza hope for leverage on the issue on Vice President Kamala Harris. The presumptive Democratic nominee for president has sought to strike a compromising tone. And while Republicans have accused her of embracing antisemitic protesters, progressives urge her to challenge Israel, POLITICO reports. Left-leaning leaders in New York indicate they’ll keep up the pressure, citing an opportunity for Harris to chart a course different from Biden. “We must not forget that it was not just a bad debate that made so many of us terrified about President Biden’s ability to win reelection,” State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, told Playbook. “It was the fact that his decision to facilitate and fund the genocide had been alienating core parts of the Democratic Party’s base for months.” Harris did not preside over Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress last week, but progressives said they want substance in addition to symbolism. “There was no mention of or criticism of Netanyahu that came from her. Instead, there was a bloated focus on the defacing of statues,” Council member Shahana Hanif told Playbook of chaos near Union Station in Washington. The Working Families Party endorsed Harris with its New York co-directors, Ana María Archila and Jasmine Gripper, hoping she would turn “the page on the United States’ disastrous support for the human rights abuses in Gaza.” The vice president thus far is aiming for the middle ground. “Let’s get the deal done so we can get a cease-fire to end the war,” Harris told reporters last week. “Let’s bring the hostages home. And let’s provide much-needed relief to the Palestinian people.” — Emily Ngo
| | | | Millions of retiring Americans rely on Social Security benefits, but the program is running at a deficit and Congress has struggled to find a solution for years. Join POLITICO on August 7 to explore what can be done to save the program. What other steps can Congress take to ensure its future? And how could Social Security impact the affordability and housing crisis facing aging New Yorkers? REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Mayor Adams is facing resistance from his usual allies on his "City of Yes" plan. | Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office | ‘CITY OF YES’ POLITICS: Adams needs the City Council for his sweeping proposal to spur housing construction across the city. The only problem: His usual allies in the body are some of the plan’s biggest critics, POLITICO reports. The zoning amendment — which would complete Adams’ three-part ‘City of Yes’ agenda — has sparked the fiercest pushback in the very parts of the city where voters generally align with his centrist brand of politics. And the council members who represent these low-slung outer borough neighborhoods are already wary of the proposal. “It is so outrageous that they’re doing this, as you can see I’m livid,” said conservative Democrat Bob Holden, who represents more suburban parts of Queens. Holden and other members of the council’s bipartisan Common Sense Caucus have stood with Adams when he’s faced opposition from progressives on public safety. But in this case, Adams will have to lean on progressive members who are alienated from his administration. — Janaki Chadha More from the city: — Adams again defends top adviser Tim Pearson after a fourth lawsuit accused the retired NYPD inspector of sexual misconduct and retaliation. (POLITICO) — City Council Member Susan Zhuang bit a cop — and her supporters love her for it. (Hell Gate) — Con Sofrito, a controversial Bronx club popular with politicians, is facing immediate eviction after a judge ruled this week that a party it threw violated a court order. (Daily News)
| | | | A message from Walmart:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  With Gov. Kathy Hochul's blessing, a decade-long policy could lead to the closure of even more state prisons. | Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul | LOCKED UP: New York could move to close more state prisons in the coming months after announcing plans to shut down two facilities in Sullivan and Washington counties. The closures are part of a decade-long policy that has the endorsement of Hochul, who on Tuesday called the effort a “right-sizing” of the prison system as the number of people incarcerated has been cut in half over the last 10 years. Hochul did not appear convinced that the closures, as claimed by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, were driven by a shortfall in staff. “The prison population has gone down 50 percent,” she said during an unrelated news conference. “From a government policy perspective, it makes sense.” Hochul also once again touted her long-standing effort to expand the ranks of the State Police — a policy she has said runs counter to Republican claims Democrats want to defund law enforcement. But GOP state lawmakers remain wary of prison closures. A state budget provision allows three more prisons to be closed this year. “I’m concerned this is like building a sand castle at low tide,” Republican Sen. George Borrello said of the prison closures. “Eventually we’re going to start having to put more people in prison again. How much more violence can we take? Closing these prisons now is irresponsible.” — Nick Reisman THE UPSTATE TOLL: Thousands of upstate jobs are at stake with congestion pricing up in the air and a Rochester lawmaker wants a solution fast. “The level of uncertainty is quite alarming,” Democratic state Sen. Jeremy Cooney told Playbook. Cooney, the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, is worried about the hundreds of jobs at manufacturers in communities like Hornell and Plattsburgh where train cars for the New York City Subway, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road are manufactured. Hochul in June withdrew her support for the congestion pricing toll program that would have instituted a $15 toll for drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street. Money from the tolls would have been used to leverage $15 billion in municipal bonds to help the Metropolitan Transportation Authority pay for infrastructure upgrades for the region’s transit system. And that’s created a problem for the upstate towns that rely on MTA contracts. In tiny Hornell alone, manufacturing firm Alstom employs 600 people. “The MTA recognizes that those jobs should stay in New York state,” Cooney told Playbook in an interview. “Now because of this congestion pricing pause, all of those contracts aren’t being issued.” The governor announced the pause over concerns the surcharge would be too steep for working people. And she wants the proposed projects for the MTA to still go forward with alternative revenue sources, which have not been identified. Hochul’s decision is expected to draw legal challenges, including from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. Cooney said he is “agnostic” when it comes to an alternative revenue plan (proposals for bonds and a payroll mobility tax increase fell flat with state lawmakers in the final hours of the session). But he wants a plan before the year ends. “I don’t think we can wait until the budget is passed in April 2025. We need to get contracts moving by this winter,” he said. “I don’t want to wait for the State of the State.” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who was in Albany on Tuesday with Hochul and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, told Playbook there was “no update” on the money hunt for the MTA Hochul has been adept at finding cash in the state budget’s couch cushions. Her office announced Tuesday it would draw $54 million from an $85 million pot of money to help pay for an extension of the Second Avenue subway line. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — The Republican-led challenge to New York’s absentee voting expansion is hitting the state’s highest court. (State of Politics) — Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins is launching her own PAC to help Democratic candidates. (City & State) — Newly resigned Assemblymember Kenny Burgos is expected to lead the newly combined CHIP and RSA landlord supergroup. (The Real Deal)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Rep. Mike Lawler recently accepted more than $3,000 from Hunt Companies’ senior chair Woody Hunt, according to FEC records. | Rod Lamkey Jr. for POLITICO | THE MONEY CHASE: Rep. Mike Lawler’s campaign recently accepted thousands of dollars from the chairman of a top U.S. military private housing provider that has been sued multiple times by military families for mold and other safety issues and faced fraud allegations from the U.S. government. Hunt Companies’ senior chairman Woody Hunt gave Lawler $3,300 last month in addition to a March contribution of the same amount, according to FEC records. Hunt also gave $3,300 to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last August. This cycle, he has donated to dozens of Republicans and a number of Democrats around the country, but his five- to six-figure donations have all gone to Republican or conservative groups. Hunt Companies was sued by nine Texas military families in recent years who alleged that Hunt hadn’t addressed recurring issues in their houses like mold, water leaks, ant infestations and other problems. In 2021, the company was sued by military families living in Hawaii for not warning residents that jet fuel had contaminated their Navy-provided water supply. In 2018, 11 military families in Mississippi also sued the company for not addressing mold problems and for “fraud, conspiring to conceal dangerous conditions, breach of contract and gross negligence,” but that case was dismissed. The next year, Hunt Companies settled a fraud lawsuit with the Department of Justice for half a million dollars after allegedly submitting false information to the U.S. Air Force for more than five years to receive higher performance payments from the U.S. government. (It did not admit fault in the settlement.) A spokesperson for Lawler didn’t respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Jeffries declined to comment. “Hunt Military Communities is committed to providing affordable and well-maintained housing to active military members and their families,” Hunt Companies spokesperson Carolyn Baker said in a statement. “Our senior chairman Woody Hunt has a history of bi-partisan donations and engagement.” — Daniel Lippman More from the delegation: — MoveOn is formally backing Laura Gillen, Josh Riley and John Mannion in three competitive House races. (NY1) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is teeing up a child tax credit vote as a parting summer gift to vulnerable Democrats. (Axios) — Rep. Tom Suozzi looks to build bipartisan support to secure the border, fix the broken asylum system and modernize immigration law. (Newsday)
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Learn more about Walmart’s commitment to those who serve. | | | | | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — NYC school suspensions are up after falling under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio. (Chalkbeat) — Rep. Ritchie Torres wants to make it easier for bodega owners to install security equipment. (NY1) — New York is moving to protect 505 acres of land along the Appalachian Trail. (Times Union)
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRI | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman SPOTTED on Tuesday night at a party hosted by Cristina Alesci at former Waverly Inn chef John DeLucie’s The Paris Cafe to celebrate Andrea Williams’ new job as chief communications officer of Robin Hood: Abby Phillip, Rosanna Scotto, Joe Evangelisti, Julie Hyman, Stu Loeser, Wesley McDade, Jen Lowney, Suzanne Fleming, Richard NeJame, Lananh Nguyen, Maddie Mills, Peter McDermott, Reto Gregori, Margaret Josephs, Lewis Canfield, Andrew Glassford, Edmundo Gonzalez, Lydia Moynihan, Abby Collins, Barby Segal, Jonathan Doorley, Dawn Davis, Dee Poku and Robert Brace. MEDIAWATCH: Former Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) will be a political analyst for Scripps News. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sean Eldridge of Stand Up America … Deputy Manhattan BP Aya Keefe … Lander Chief of Staff Rachel Goodman …Sascha Owen … Matthew Ballard of Burson … Sam Frizell … Elena Becatoros … Chelsie Gosk Doherty … Danielle Meister … (WAS TUESDAY): Rebecca M. Kutler … Lev Leviev ... Howard Endelman ... Rich Cohen ... Avishay Artsy ... Samuel Eshaghoff Missed Tuesday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here. | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
