| | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman | | Presented by |  | | | With Timmy Facciola
|  Ten days after his chief counsel resigned in dramatic fashion, Mayor Eric Adams still hasn’t found a replacement. | Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office | Ten days after his chief counsel resigned in dramatic fashion, Mayor Eric Adams still hasn’t found a replacement. And his Law Department has been without a permanent leader for two months. “If anybody should have a lawyer, it’s Eric Adams, given the plethora of investigations around him,” said Sal Albanese, an attorney, former City Council member and observer of City Hall. “He should definitely be talking to a trusted counselor a number of times during the day as he’s dealing with all this turmoil.” “They’re indispensable, and the sooner he appoints them the better,” agreed Norman Siegel, a lawyer and Adams’ longtime friend. Our understanding of that turmoil expanded Monday night, as The New York Times reported that federal investigators have recently demanded information from City Hall about interactions with five more countries beyond Turkey: Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan. But Adams is expected to hold his weekly off-topic press conference again today without a top lawyer to parry off pesky questions, as both former Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg and former Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix have done for him previous Tuesdays. Now both of them have resigned, in part because of Adams’ loyalty to embattled aide Tim Pearson. Add Siegel to the chorus of Adams advisers who think Pearson should go. “I grew up in the streets of Brooklyn. I was taught to be loyal,” he said. “But there isn’t blind loyalty. And loyalty is meant to go two ways.” Adams isn’t entirely lawyerless. City Hall said there’s “a deep bench” in the chief counsel’s office and they “are continuing to do great work at a high level.” He also has an outside legal team working with his campaign and has lawyers serving in other government roles, like Chief of Staff Camile Joseph and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. But asked Monday by Playbook if she ever gives the mayor legal advice, Wright said no. “That’s the chief counsel’s thing.” And there is no chief counsel. Meanwhile, the mayor and the City Council are still in a stalemate over filling the corporation counsel job, after the Randy Mastro affair. The City Charter says the mayor “shall make all reasonable efforts” to fill a vacancy within 120 days — which would be Sunday. “The council stands ready” to work with the mayor on a “unifying candidate,” a spokesperson said. Mayoral spokesperson Fabien Levy said City Hall is “hoping to find another highly qualified candidate,” promising a nominee “soon.” — Jeff Coltin IT’S TUESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | A message from Alibaba: New York businesses like Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm and Diane von Furstenberg are among thousands of American brands selling to over one billion consumers in China on Alibaba's online marketplace. They’re generating big sales and it’s having a positive impact on New York’s economy. In 2022, sales of U.S. products on Alibaba supported $1.5 billion in wages for New York workers and 18,400 local jobs. Explore Alibaba’s local impact. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In Rockland County with no public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? Holding an in-person media availability at City Hall, attending a Partnership for New York City business leaders town hall, and speaking at the Africa-America Institute’s 40th Annual Awards Gala. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I was crowned the Conga Covid Queen because I had a small Christmas party. … Meanwhile, Dr. Varma himself was out with his privileged friends ignoring the draconian rules he forced us to live under.” — New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino at a rally after former city Covid adviser Jay Varma was caught bragging about his sexual escapades.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | 
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito gave jobs to his lover and his fiancé’s daughter, the Times reports. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | NASSAU GOP’S LATEST TEST: It was the Nassau County Republican Party — with its notoriously long reach — that boosted Rep. Anthony D’Esposito into office in 2022. And it is the Nassau GOP that now stands steadfastly by D’Esposito after the New York Times brought to light how the vulnerable Republican had an affair and put his lover on his payroll in what may be a flouting of House ethics rules. D’Esposito, no stranger to the local patronage mill, also employed his fiancée’s daughter, the Times reported. On Monday, Nassau GOP chair Joe Cairo defended D’Esposito by slamming the news media, taking a page out of former President Donald Trump’s playbook. “Nassau residents are too smart to fall for the New York Times’ politically motivated and baseless mud-slinging, which has been heaped in the direction of a respected Member of Congress,” Cairo said. The Times cited four people with knowledge of the situation to confirm its reporting. And D’Esposito’s response did not include a denial of the affair or the hirings. The House member’s potential ethical transgressions are only the latest test for the Nassau GOP, a political machine storied for its ability to get boots on the ground and get Republicans elected. In both 2020 and 2022, the local party endorsed and promoted George Santos, who was later expelled from Congress for a bevy of fraud-related offenses. (It denounced him after the Times reported he was not who he purported to be.) And in February, the Nassau GOP lost a crucial special election to Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi after putting up Mazi Pilip as its candidate. Pilip was at the time an enrolled Democrat (as Playbook reported) who shied away from the press on the trail. Suozzi proved his broad appeal earlier Monday by announcing the endorsements of the Nassau County and Glen Cove PBAs, Playbook reported. D’Esposito, like Cairo, knocked the Times. “The latest political tabloid garbage being peddled by The New York Times is nothing more than a slimy, partisan ‘hit piece’ designed to distract Long Islanders from Democrats’ failing record on border security, the economy, and foreign policy,” he said. In his statement, Cairo touted D’Esposito as a champion of “lower taxes and safer communities,” criticizing his Democratic challenger, Laura Gillen, as representing the opposite. Gillen, who is the former Hempstead Town supervisor, and the DCCC declined to comment on the Times exposé, a signal that they believe the story speaks for itself. — Emily Ngo
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Comptroller Brad Lander’s office loves a dashboard, and this one features data from more than a dozen agencies. | Courtesy of the Office of the New York City Comptroller | LANDER-ING PAGE: Violent crime is up 37 percent year to date, and the Department of Buildings issued 38 percent fewer certificates of occupancy this year than last year. Public data like that should now be easier to access and track, as Comptroller Brad Lander launches a new government performance dashboard on the office’s website today. It also happens to be a handy tool for somebody running against the mayor — a tool full of red indicators, marking “worsening” services. To be fair, his office’s interest in data predates Lander’s mayoral run, with dashboards on climate stats, jails and asset allocation. — Jeff Coltin BIBLE STUDY: Two Sundays ago, the mayor said from church pulpits that he was “in my Job moment,” apparently comparing the whirlwind of federal probes roiling his administration to the suffering faced by the pious biblical figure Job, whose faith in God never wavered. On Monday night, he returned to another Bible passage, appearing — as he has in the past — to liken himself to Jesus. “This is a Matthew 21 and 12 moment. Jesus walked in the temple and saw them doing wrong in his temple. He didn’t sit at the table and participate. He turned the table over,” Adams said at a town hall-style community conversation in the Bronx. “I went to City Hall to turn the table over.” Earlier that night, he also said without further elaboration that “when you fight on behalf of New York, things happen.” — Emily Ngo SUPER NEWS: The superintendent for Staten Island public schools — who was once linked to discriminatory comments about white principals — was removed from her position. “Dr. Marion Wilson will be transitioning to a central team to serve New York City Public Schools. We thank her for her many years of service to Staten Island and her contributions to District 31,” Danika Rux, the Department of Education’s deputy chancellor of school leadership, said in a staff-wide email Monday, referring to the DOE’s main offices. Rux did not provide a reason for the transfer. DOE spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said the agency does not comment on personnel decisions. Wilson, who was reappointed in 2022, was embroiled in an unusual controversy. Last year, the city probed screenshots of texts attributed to Wilson pledging to remove white principals. Wilson, who is Black, denied doing so, and the DOE called them “fake.” She filed a complaint with the NYPD, and borough community groups rallied in support of her. Roderick Palton will serve as acting superintendent. — Madina Touré More from the city: — Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan submitted his resignation, citing personal reasons as the impetus for his departure. (POLITICO Pro) — Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol had been signaling his potential departure to outsiders as well. (POLITICO Pro) — City investigators are looking into whether the city Sheriff’s Office is improperly seizing cash from the unlicensed pot shops they’ve raided. (Daily News) — A company once owned by Deputy Mayor Philip Banks has been greenlighted by the Adams administration to qualify for no-bid security contracts at the city’s burgeoning network of migrant shelters. (THE CITY)
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  Gov. Kathy Hochul is pouring $800 million into efforts meant to curtail the flow of illegal guns into the state and cut down on violent crime. | Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul | CRIME DISCONNECT: Shootings in New York statewide are down. The number of illegal firearms seized by law enforcement stands at more than 10,000 over the last year. But those statistics have not put a dent in how voters feel about public safety in the state. It’s a disconnect Gov. Kathy Hochul has grappled with over the last year, as her administration pours $800 million into efforts meant to curtail the flow of illegal guns into the state and cut down on violent crime. “I reject the notion that this has to be our destiny,” Hochul said Friday at a gathering sponsored by the Clinton Global Initiative. “There are policies out there that are working. Otherwise, how do we cut shootings down 47 percent?” New Yorkers are yet to feel safer, according to polling this summer — a metric that could matter when they head to the polls in the coming weeks. A Siena College poll conducted in June found a plurality of voters statewide — 48 percent — believe they have less opportunity to be safe from crime than people 50 years ago did. A separate poll found 49 percent of voters believe crime over the last year has gotten worse. Crime has been a potent issue in state elections, presenting a problem for Democrats as they try to retake the House this year. New York is home to a half-dozen swing seats that could determine control of the narrowly divided chamber. Hochul on Monday sought to turn up the heat on Congress to act by approving a federal version of the so-called “red flag” law, which she successfully expanded. The law is meant to take guns away from people deemed by court order to be too dangerous. “This should be a national policy passed by Congress,” she said. — Nick Reisman POLITICAL PING PONG: Democratic state Sen. James Skoufis’ first ad of the 2024 election highlights a little-known bit of trivia about the Hudson Valley lawmaker. He’s a junior Olympic gold medalist in table tennis, and he puts those skills to use in the 30-second spot. (WATCH ON X) More from Albany: — The Harris campaign has tapped a Hochul adviser to help with Jewish outreach in Pennsylvania. (Jewish Insider) — And the chief of staff to Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan is heading to work for Harris in North Carolina. (Times Union) — Hochul has been named a “climate superhero,” but some advocates have doubts. (City & State)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | |  “My work is about people, not politics,” Gillibrand says in a new ad. | AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File | GILLIBR-AD: U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is running a not-very-competitive reelection race against a retired police detective — so in her first TV ad, she’s highlighting her own work on public safety. It’s a message seemingly meant to sway swing voters, noting she’s worked with both parties to fund “more border patrol agents” and “more tech to crack down on the fentanyl cartels.” “My work is about people, not politics,” she says in closing. She’s spending more than a million dollars running the ad on broadcast, cable and digital in New York City and its suburbs, hoping to best Hochul’s all-too-close margin in the last gubernatorial race. Gillibrand has out-raised Republican Mike Sapriacone 18 times over and is focused on helping Democrats in House races. — Jeff Coltin PAC IT IN: The GOP-allied super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund is pumping an additional $3.5 million into the New York City media market for fall TV ad reservations. The infusion of cash could benefit as many as five battleground Republican House candidates as the GOP defends seats on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley. With this new ad buy, CLF’s total spending in New York this cycle will now hit $32.5 million statewide. — Nick Reisman
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | —Despite dropping his presidential bid, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to restore his name on the New York ballot in the general election. (Spectrum News)
| | A message from Alibaba: New York businesses like Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm are among the thousands of American brands with access to over one billion global consumers on Alibaba’s online marketplace — generating $66 billion in sales in one year alone.
Seeking to expand their 43-year-old family business internationally, Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm turned to Alibaba’s online marketplace. “Our partnership with Alibaba will enable us to create more job opportunities in the Adirondack region while also sharing the natural beauty of the Adirondacks with people worldwide through our clean fragrance products,” said Yen Maine, CEO.
The result: American brands selling on Alibaba’s online marketplace are having a positive impact back home. In New York, sales on Alibaba added $2.3B to the state GDP and supported 18,400 full-time jobs in one year.
Explore how Alibaba is strengthening New York’s economy. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MEDIAWATCH — Mike Steinberger, a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, is writing a book on Palantir CEO Alexander Karp and the company. The book, titled “The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir, and the Rise of the Surveillance State,” will be published next year by Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Steinberger did a story on Karp for the Times Magazine in 2020 and decided that there was a book on the subject, given the AI revolution, Palantir’s role in the Ukraine war and Karp’s outspoken comments on antisemitism after Oct. 7. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NYC Council Member Diana Ayala .. SKDK’s Mike Morey … former NYC Council Member Robert Cornegy … WSJ’s Katy Stech Ferek … CNN’s Nicky Robertson … FTI Consulting’s Will Allison and Adam Rice … Mike Kamber … Curt Viebranz … Alexandra Jaffe … (WAS MONDAY): Joshua Foer ... Marc Lasry Missed Monday’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 | | | | |
