Let’s make a deal

Oct 15, 2024

By Joe Anuta, Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo

Presented by

With Timmy Facciola

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is seen.

Agents from the Manhattan District Attorney's office seized Jesse Hamilton’s phone when the three returned from a group trip to Japan that included other city employees and a lobbyist. | Seth Wenig/AP

An obscure unit overseeing the city’s property transactions has seen a burst of activity since Mayor Eric Adams took office.

And the mayor’s close friend who oversees the unit is in the crosshairs of yet another investigation hitting Adams’ inner circle.

In addition to buying, selling and renting public and private space, the real estate division at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services has helped ink agreements for migrant facilities that have become a major part of the city’s social safety net. It’s also spearheading a massive plan to downsize the city’s 22 million square commercial office footprint, which will require negotiations with private landlords.

To oversee that unit, the mayor turned to longtime friend and protégé Jesse Hamilton, who was made deputy commissioner of real estate services in December 2022.

Now Hamilton and some of the lease transactions inked by his office are the subject of a corruption probe.

Agents from the Manhattan DA’s office seized Hamilton’s phone — and that of mayoral adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin and a private commercial broker who works with Hamilton — when the three returned from a group trip to Japan that included other city employees and a lobbyist.

It is unclear exactly what transactions caught the eye of District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and Hamilton has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The scrutiny into his position comes after Hamilton consolidated power in the low-profile real estate unit that deals with a ton of money and influential industry honchos.

In memos sent to commissioners throughout city government earlier this year, Hamilton identified the Citywide Space Savings Task Force as a top mayoral priority, as POLITICO reported in August.

As part of that initiative, agencies including the fire, law and social services departments were asked to identify excess office space to part with as part of a cost-cutting exercise projected to save the city $44 million through 2028. An agency spokesperson said the project is in its infancy.

Since then, Hamilton has instructed more departments to reevaluate their office needs.

Hamilton also plays a pivotal role in vetting and hashing out agreements for shelters for asylum seekers who have been arriving in droves since the spring of 2022.

Public schedules obtained by POLITICO through a Freedom of Information Law request show Hamilton met with a top mayoral official tasked with migrant contracting three times this year to discuss asylum seekers and the siting of a Humanitarian Emergency Relief and Response Center.

That official was Timothy Pearson, another close Adams confidante who had his phone seized by law enforcement before being forced out earlier this month. — Joe Anuta

HAPPY TUESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.

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WHERE’S KATHY? Making an announcement with first responders in Deer Park.

WHERE’S ERIC? Speaking at a ceremony honoring NYPD officers who died due to 9/11-related illnesses and hosting his weekly off-topic news conference.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Press conference tomorrow where I will release my 23 & Me DNA results, much to the dismay of the anti-Italian Brannan Birthers. I will then perform a short set of Jimmy Roselli classics.” — Council Member Justin Brannan on X, responding to a Post report he’d been kicked out of the Italian Caucus because he’s open to the idea of renaming Columbus Day.

ABOVE THE FOLD

New York City Mayor Eric Adams arrives for a court hearing.

Mayor Eric Adams’ full fundraising report today will give a look at who gave to Adams amid his serious legal troubles. | Chase Sutton/POLITICO

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Adams’ campaign raised $190,000 in the last three months, marking its slowest reporting period since the prodigious fundraiser became mayor.

But that was just the final push Adams needed to hit his roughly $7 million spending limit for the primary election — as long as he gets public matching funds.

“Mayor Adams’ strong support from New Yorkers continues — and the campaign has now raised the maximum amount it can spend in the primary with anticipated matching funds for his reelection far ahead of schedule,” Adams’ campaign counsel Vito Pitta said in a statement.

The campaign shared the total exclusively with Playbook. The New York City Campaign Finance Board should make the full report public this morning, giving us a look at who gave to Adams amid his serious legal troubles.

Other mayoral candidates filed their reports Friday, Playbook reported before the CFB made its last update ahead of the long weekend. All trail Adams, who has raised over $4 million to date.

The board has yet to determine whether it will grant Adams the roughly $4 million in public matching funds he’s qualified for. Federal prosecutors charged Adams with running an illegal straw donor scheme, something CFB officials said they would consider ahead of the first scheduled pay-out in December.

If the board denies Adams, he would still have $3.1 million cash on hand — a massive fundraising lead over all his potential rivals — to cushion the blow.

Several of Adams’ Democratic primary rivals — including City Comptroller Brad Lander, his predecessor Scott Stringer and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie — will have to aggressively raise more cash between now and the primary scheduled for June. Each has under $300,000 on hand, but all are expecting to qualify for matching funds.

Adams’ legal defense fund is also set to be made public today. That may show, among other things, how much Adams has been paying celebrity defense attorney Alex Spiro and whether he has raised more for his legal problems than his reelection campaign. — Jeff Coltin

CITY HALL: THE LATEST

Eric Adams is pictured.

The probes continue to mount, and yet the mayor is determined to hang on. | Yuki Iwamura/AP

UP IN THE AIR: It’s rarely been so unclear who the next mayor will be when the incumbent is running for reelection. But given Adams’ indictment and the swirling field of challengers — and others who might jump in if there’s a special election — the future leadership of the city is anyone’s guess.

POLITICO breaks down some of the scenarios in a quick new video.

One big question is whether Public Advocate Jumaane Williams will run. He’s making no moves toward a June primary. But if Adams resigns or is pushed out, and Williams becomes acting mayor due to the line of succession, he would run in a special election to hold onto the seat, a source familiar with his thinking told Playbook. — Jeff Coltin

SUBWAY SERIES WATCH: Yes, Adams’ Mets x Yankees hat was an affront to true fanhood. But both teams won Monday so… good luck charm?

More from the city:

— Winnie Greco has long had dealings with people and groups connected to China’s communist regime, and Adams kept her as a top fund-raiser and senior adviser even so. (New York Times)

— Federal investigators recently served New York City’s education department with a subpoena as part of their probe into outgoing schools Chancellor David Banks and his family. (POLITICO)

— Banks’ daughter got a coveted DOE job despite lacking the posted qualifications (New York Post) … And UFT president Michael Mulgrew’s daughter has a top job at DCAS, which works with the union. (New York Post)

— Council member Lincoln Restler requested DCAS provide info on Hamilton’s recent trip to Japan. (POLITICO)

A message from Con Edison:

NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY

The New York state Capitol building is seen.

The proposal does not make any mention of abortion, instead referring vaguely to “pregnancy outcomes.” | Hans Pennink/AP

IN THEIR MAILER ERA: New York Democrats are stepping up their push to pass the equality amendment meant to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution amid right-leaning efforts to sink it.

And their latest attempt is landing in voters’ mailboxes.

Recent mailers paid for by the state Democratic Committee urge a “yes” vote in order to “permanently protect the right to abortion, birth control and IVF,” according to the flier.

A no vote risks the potential of “extreme politicians” being able to “ban abortion and restrict reproductive health care,” the mailer claimed.

Supporters of the amendment are pressing for its approval after Democratic consultants warned that support could be flagging, as Republicans highlight the potential unintended consequences of the measure.

The proposal does not make any mention of abortion, instead referring vaguely to “pregnancy outcomes.”

The broadly written language has given critics an opening and opponents have warned the amendment’s passage could lead to trans people participating in women’s sports.

Bill O’Reilly, a spokesperson for the anti-amendment group Coalition to Protect Kids-NY, said the measure could be “one of the biggest constitutional blunders” in state history.

"Albany progressives are making things up as they go along,” he told Playbook. “The fact is that Prop 1 is so carelessly written that it will open a legal Pandora's Box in New York, the likes of which we've never seen. Girls Sports, for one, are directly under threat, and the progressives are now gaslighting the public in trying to deny that.”

Supporters have insisted the criticism amounts to fear-mongering. But the concern from Democrats led to Hochul steering $1 million to prop up the ballot measure, money that included funding for mailers. — Nick Reisman

ON THE ISLAND: Hochul and Attorney General Tish James will be in Nassau County tonight for a Democratic fundraiser.

The governor and attorney general are making the appearance in a crucial part of the state for Democrats as the party seeks to flip five House seats in the state — including the district held by freshman GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who faces Democrat Laura Gillen.

Democrats are also trying to hold a Nassau-Queens district that Rep. Tom Suozzi won in a special election in February following the ouster of scandal-plagued Republican George Santos.

The party had nine field offices in Nassau County.

Hochul, whose favorability ratings with voters have hit all-time lows in recent weeks, has made herself the public face of an effort by Democrats to win key House races in New York in order to gain power in the chamber. — Nick Reisman

HUNGER CONCERNS: Anti-poverty organizations, businesses and left-leaning groups on Monday urged Hochul to increase minimum benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to $100.

SNAP benefits provide support for purchasing basic grocery staples as well as fresh food. Some monthly allotments have fallen to $23 after reaching $150 during pandemic-induced emergency payments.

And the groups, which include companies like Instacart, AARP NY and the Business Council, pointed in a letter to the governor to one of the most resonant issues for voters in the election: the cost of living.

"Across our city and state New Yorkers are asking us to address the same thing: affordability,” they wrote in the letter obtained by Playbook. “At the same time food insecurity is on the rise and the extension of the US Farm Bill has expired. We cannot wait for the election or for the next Congress to act.”

It’s not clear if Hochul will act by including more support in her budget proposal.

But she’s been open to arguments about the cost of living in New York: She backed a minimum wage hike agreement in 2022 that set the base hourly pay to the rate of inflation, though the final deal did not go as far as left-leaning advocates wanted. — Nick Reisman

More from the Congress:

— Rep. Marc Molinaro has gone full Donald Trump in his heated House race against Democrat Josh Riley. (New York Times)

— This year marks 25 years since Chuck Schumer first entered the U.S. Senate. (NY1)

— Major unions are breaking from Big Labor and backing GOP incumbents over Dem challengers in local tight House races. (New York Post)

— Vulnerable Republicans have in many cases successfully softened their political positions on reproductive rights. (Times Union)

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

— Upstate New York may not be the “climate haven” many originally hoped. (Times Union)

— Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is set to resign from his post today. (Buffalo News)

— Hundreds of protesters flooded Wall Street in a sit-in to call attention to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, and police detained more than 200. (NBC New York)

A message from Con Edison:

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SOCIAL DATA

Edited by Daniel Lippman

MAKING MOVES: Former Office of Cannabis Management Executive Director Chris Alexander was named executive director for the NAACP New York State Conference.

MEDIAWATCH: New York Post features writer Hannah Frishberg is joining WNYC/Gothamist’s Culture & Arts desk as a reporter.

— For the Reporters of Hell Gate, Heaven is Covering Mayor Eric Adams (The Washington Post)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Stu Loeser … Lis Smith … Ken Griffin … SKDK’s Loren Riegelhaupt and Alex Bloom … NY Creates’ Jason Conwall … Red Horse’s Michael DeLoach … Katal’s Yonah Zeitz … Extell’s Gary Barnett … Celeste Katz Marston … Brown & Weinraub’s Michael Fleischer … NBC’s Jon Allen … John Doty of House Judiciary/Rep. Jerry Nadler’s (D-N.Y.) office … Liz Kenigsberg of SKDK … Ali Armstrong Stuebe … (WAS MONDAY): CBS’ Bob Costa … Jack Fitzpatrick of Bloomberg Government … Tucker Foote of Mastercard … Melissa Maxfield … CNN’s Annie Grayer … FGS Global’s Mike Feldman … AP’s Stephen Ohlemacher … Nick Stanley … Leigh Farris … Ralph Lauren ... Alan Blinder ... Art Shamsky ... Jim Rome …

… (WAS SUNDAY): Tiffany Trump … Fox News’ Harris Faulkner … Ari Fleischer … FGS Global’s Nedra Pickler and Gregg Rothschild … NBC’s Rebecca Shabad and Alexis Saunders … Billy Bush … Steven Gutkin … Regina Hing … Lilian Lin Yigu … (WAS SATURDAY): CNN’s Chris Wallace … Kate Nocera … WSJ’s Gary Rosen … former U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral … Bloomberg’s Anna Edney … AP’s Alan Suderman … Zack Gober … (WAS FRIDAY): Open Plans’ Sara Lind