Jumaane Williams is teaming up with an Adams challenger on gun violence

Sep 18, 2024

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Zellnor Myrie stands next to Jumaane Wiliams as he speaks at a lectern with a group of people behind them.

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (left) and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams appear together at a press conference today to promote anti-gun violence legislation. | Jason Beeferman/POLITICO

MYRIE AND JUMAANE TEAM UP: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams showed public support for state Sen. Zellnor Myrie’s action on gun violence as Myrie campaigns to replace Mayor Eric Adams.

The far-left Democrat joined Myrie in the senator’s Brooklyn district Wednesday morning to promote two gun-safety bills. At the same time Williams blasted Adams as FBI probes engulfed his administration.

“The way he's handling it is making everything much, much worse,” Williams said of the mayor.

While Williams has not endorsed anyone in the mayor’s race, his presence at Myrie’s Brooklyn announcement marked a powerful showing of support from one of the city’s top elected officials.

The public advocate spoke positively of Myrie’s work to curb gun violence by pushing for state and local legislation on the issue.

He told POLITICO he is focused on winning his own primary before endorsing anyone in the race for mayor.

“I haven't really delved into the 2025 election,” he said. “I've been trying to make sure my joint is alright. But I am very concerned about this city right now.”

Williams’ support is often coveted: He is a relatively popular citywide official with ties to vote-rich sections of Brooklyn and the progressive political movement.

Though he and the centrist Adams often disagree on substance, Williams at times showed an affinity for the mayor.

Wednesday’s press conference with Myrie comes as Adams confronts a sprawling crisis.

In the past two weeks, federal agents have raided the homes or taken the phones of at least five top City Hall officials. Two FDNY fire chiefs have been arrested, and two top administration officials — the police commissioner and lead attorney — have resigned.

Since then, at least two City Council members and three state legislators have called on the mayor to resign, though the quintet had already been fiercely critical of Adams since he took office.

As public advocate, Williams would be first in line to take over as mayor if Adams left his post.

Both Williams and Myrie did not call for Adams to step down. Williams said he wants to see Adams place his top officials on leave until the facts of the investigation are known.

“I think that’s a decision for the mayor to make,” Myrie said when asked if the mayor should resign.

As Myrie charts his run for mayor, he will have to contend with limited name recognition and a crowded primary field.

The Albany lawmaker, who made a thinly veiled critique of Adams during a church visit Sunday, is hoping the state Legislature can pass a measure that aims to expand the definition of a mass shooting to allow for greater emergency funding after gun violence incidents. A second gun violence bill he is sponsoring would establish an office of gun violence in the state.

“We need an all-hands-on-deck solution to this problem that we are suffering from,” Myrie said. — Jason Beeferman

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From City Hall

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks

Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks (center) and New York City Mayor Eric Adams touted their work to combat "ghost cars" Wednesday morning. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

CRIME WATCH: In leading Adams’ press conference announcing a crackdown on “ghost cars” Wednesday, Deputy Mayor Phil Banks proved he still has the mayor’s trust — despite internal pressure to cut him loose.

“They think that they can make any crime they choose without facing any consequences. And the Adams administration says, nope, not in our city,” Banks said about people without legal license plates.

The words struck one vocal Adams’ critic as ironic, given Banks’ role as an unindicted co-conspirator in a bribery scheme a decade ago. And this month federal agents searched his home in a new corruption investigation.

“Huh, I wonder who else this applies to,” Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who is considering running for mayor, quipped on X.

Tom Donlon made one of his first public appearances as the newly-appointed interim police commissioner, while speculation swirls about who will get the permanent job. Banks’ appearance with him was a reminder that, while he technically doesn’t oversee the NYPD on the city’s org chart, he has influence over the department in practice.

Banks hasn’t spoken publicly about the latest federal investigation, and didn’t address it Wednesday. He dodged questions from the Daily News Tuesday by predicting a good season for the Knicks.

City Hall spokesperson Fabien Levy downplayed the whole appearance. “The mayor expects everyone who serves in their role to do their jobs,” he said, “and that’s what’s happening here.” — Jeff Coltin

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From the Capitol

Gov. Kathy Hochul stands behind a microphone.

Gov. Kathy Hochul encouraged Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz to lean into the issue of immigration. | Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

BORDER JUJITSU: Gov. Kathy Hochul believes Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, can lean into the national immigration debate — and potentially neutralize an issue that has been troublesome for Democrats.

In an interview with Sirius XM this morning, the New York Democrat said the Harris-Walz campaign can point to the failed immigration package in Congress earlier this year, which was ultimately blocked by Republicans after former President Donald Trump raised objections.

New York would have potentially benefited from the measure as the state and city grapples with an influx of migrants. The crisis has strained public resources and created a political headache for Hochul and Adams.

“All this was shut down, came to a grinding halt, because Donald Trump sent out the message that if we solve the immigration challenge it would hurt him politically when he ran for president,” Hochul said.

Hochul called Trump’s opposition “crass, cynical” and posited he wants to keep the issue alive for political gain.

Republicans have a far different view of the bill: They argued at the time it would not go far enough to address the issue of illegal border crossings and failed to gain a vote in the Democratic-led Senate.

Hochul thinks Harris can press for “meaningful immigration reform” as she runs against Trump, who has made tougher border and immigration policy a cornerstone of his platform.

It’s a strategy outline that is similar to the one deployed by Rep. Tom Suozzi in his special election for a Long Island House seat. Suozzi’s campaign, which focused on calls for border security and acknowledging the migrant crisis is a problem, was seen as a blueprint for Democrats in tough races across the country.

And if used successfully, it’s one Democrats can turn back on the GOP.

“This is an opportunity to point the finger at Republicans,” Hochul said. — Nick Reisman

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IN OTHER NEWS...

HOCHUL ADMINISTRATION FACES HOME CARE LAWSUIT: Four different players in the state’s home care industry put forward a lawsuit in federal court today that argues the Hochul administration’s ongoing efforts to consolidate it are unconstitutional.

Back in April, Hochul announced the state’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program would move to rely on a single fiscal intermediary in an effort to cut costs.

That single company would replace the more than 300 fiscal intermediaries who to serve as the middlemen between consumers, home care workers and medicaid services in the state-run program

Now, the hundreds of home care businesses are in the midst of an aggressive lobbying campaign to lean on the governor to walk back her decision before the Department of Health chooses a single fiscal intermediary on October 1.

“For the State to wipe out these businesses with the stroke of a pen and replace them with a single mega-company hand-picked by the State is not only unconscionable and un-American, but runs afoul of numerous federal constitutional protections,” Akiva Shapiro, the attorney representing the plaintiffs in the suit, said in a statement.

The complaint, filed today in the Southern District of New York against Department of Health Commissioner James McDonald, demands that Hochul allow the mini-industry of CDPAP fiscal intermediaries to continue.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Hochul, Sam Spokony, defended the move to a single fiscal intermediary.

“Our reforms will strengthen CDPAP, protect home care users and cut out hundreds of middlemen to ensure taxpayer dollars are effectively serving the people who need them,” he said. “Our plan does not change CDPAP eligibility for home care users and ensures that caregivers will continue receiving timely payment so they can keep providing the care that CDPAP users need." — Jason Beeferman

— MTA’S 5-YEAR PLAN: The MTA’s five-year capital plan, announced this morning, amounts to a record-high $68.4 billion. But the agency needs help from Albany and others to come up with half of the money. (The New York Times)

— BARUCH’S ROSH HASHANAH BUNGLE: Rep. Ritchie Torres has successfully pressured the CUNY college to allow an on-campus Jewish New Year celebration after it first told students it could not guarantee their safety. (New York Post)

— FLAMIN’ DAMIAN: The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, is on a roll as he hopes to take down P. Diddy and corruption in City Hall. (Crain’s)

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