Resignations aren’t startling. They’re normal, Adams says.

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Oct 08, 2024 View in browser   By Jason Beeferman Presented by  Mayor Eric Adams held a media briefing Tuesday, where he said the resignations in City Hall were normal and not connected to federal investigations or his criminal indictment. | Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office EVERYTHING’S FINE: The slew of top resignations in City Hall are normal and have nothing to do with the FBI investigations into Adams or the mayor’s recent criminal indictment. At least that’s what Mayor Eric Adams is saying publicly as the slow pace of resignations has become a deluge. “Not one person that has decided to do something else with their life said ‘Eric it’s because so much is going on,’” Adams told reporters at his weekly press conference in City Hall today. He rejected the idea that the number of resignations were in any way “startling.” His comments — two weeks after federal prosecutors indicted him in a corruption investigation — represent the strategy Adams has employed as he navigates the fallout of the legal quagmire. Prosecutors have said more charges and indictments are likely coming and today they made good on their word and indicted City Hall staffer Mohamed Bahi for witness tampering and destruction of evidence. That news was compounded with the resignation of First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who finally stepped down Tuesday morning after her exit had been the subject of rumors last week. This afternoon, Adams announced government veteran Maria Torres-Springer to replace Wright. So with the departure of Wright, the installment of Springer, the indictment of Bahi and the dozens of questions from reporters all swirling — the mayor spent his busy Tuesday trying to project confidence, in keeping with his messaging strategy of eschewing talk of distractions and championing the grind. "You're seeing a [public safety] infrastructure that is well organized, well prepared and that knows how to execute a clear plan that we started at the beginning of this administration," he said at a quarterly crime stats press conference from NYPD headquarters, scheduled just before his off-topic media briefing. The mayor boasted the ninth straight month of decreasing crime. Adams took questions next to newly-appointed NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon, whose own home was raided by the FBI after having served just one week on the job. That investigation appears to be entirely separate from Adams’ indictment. Last month, in the wake of Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg’s resignation and before Adams’ indictment, Playbook asked Adams whether we should expect more resignations. “We’re gonna be fine,” he said at the time. One month and five top City Hall officials resignations later, he was asked the same question. “Can you imagine a mayor or a head of an agency or head of the business saying, 'No we're never getting anymore resignations?” Adams said. “That's not life. People come in and out of government.” — Jason Beeferman   A message from Uber: New York City Uber riders pay $700 Million in taxes and fees annually* That’s more than the entire budget for New York City Parks Department. *Based on trips originating from NYC in 2023. Learn more.   From the Capitol Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has wide name recognition with New York voters, but his potential opponents in the race for mayor want to remind New Yorkers of his controversies. | Francis Chung/POLITICO CUOMO’S KRYPTONITE: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has political vulnerabilities that can be exploited if he runs for mayor, according to a memorandum released this morning by a strategist for former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, POLITICO reports. The memo, written by Alyssa Cass, points to a string of pitfalls for Cuomo if he runs: His handling of Covid-19 in nursing homes, a bid-rigging scandal that ensnared his administration a decade ago and how he managed the New York City region’s crumbling mass transit system. “Before Cuomo even dips his toe into the race, the electoral water is ice cold,” Cass wrote in the memo. Broadly, the missive is a bet on voters being exhausted with scandal as Mayor Eric Adams is fighting a five-count corruption indictment. Notably the memo does not include a reference to the sexual harassment complaints leveled against Cuomo before he resigned in 2021. Stringer, who is fundraising as he weighs a bid for mayor, has also been accused of sexual harassment. Both men have denied any wrongdoing. But Stringer’s advisers believe the issues facing Cuomo as outlined in the memo are the most relevant to voters in a mayoral campaign. The memo is also a sign of how potential Democratic rivals view Cuomo, who has near-universal name identification and would likely be considered the frontrunner if he entered the race. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi in a statement called the memo’s findings “premature” and listed the former governor’s accomplishments in office — including the legalization of same-sex marriage, abortion protections, stricter gun laws, paid family leave and numerous, large-scale infrastructure projects. “After selling his soul to the DSA four years ago during a mayoral run that blew up in his face, Scott seems lost and is banging pots and pans together as hard as he can in a desperate bid for attention,” Azzopardi said, referring to the far-left Democratic Socialists of America. “I’m embarrassed for him.” — Nick Reisman   A message from Uber:   FROM THE CAPITOL Rev. Al Sharpton said it sets a bad precedent for Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove Mayor Eric Adams from office. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office AL SHARPTON ON ERIC ADAMS: The Rev. Al Sharpton is holding off on calling on Adams to resign, and bristling at the suggestion he would attack his longtime ally and confidant. “You're trying to ask me to attack Eric Adams, and I choose not to,” Sharpton told WNYC’s Brian Lehrer this morning. He came on the show to double down on his position that those calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove Adams from office shouldn’t do so. “My position is not a defender of the mayor, but a defender of the process,” Sharpton said. “I do not see how we have seen this investigation and indictment lead to a level where we will do something we never did before, and that is remove a mayor or an elected official from office based on an indictment.” Sharpton did not endorse the mayor’s 2021 campaign, but has overall been a supporter of the Adams administration. Speaking with Playbook after Lehrer’s show, Sharpton did not rule out the possibility that he might — eventually — call on Adams to resign. But he said that’s unlikely to happen unless there are significant developments. “If I see that the city becomes inoperable and there’s no way that the city functions, I would talk with those in leadership meetings that we've been having, and with the National Action Network leadership, and at that point make a decision,” he said. “But I don’t think we're near that point.” As for all the resignations, Sharpton said some were “disappointing” but others “could lead to better choices.” “The resignations are not all for the same reason,” he said. “It’s not a monolith.” — Jason Beeferman 101 DAYS AGO…: June 30, 2024 was supposed to mark the start of the first congestion-related toll program in the country. But that never happened. Hochul’s last minute decision to indefinitely pause the congestion pricing program shocked transit advocates, environmentalists and political allies after she had championed the program for years. Today, on what would have been the 101st day of congestion pricing, advocates are sending the governor 101 reasons why the program needs to be implemented ASAP. “Idling vehicles and more cars on the road is bad for air quality,” advocacy group Congestion Pricing Now writes as one of their reasons in the list. “Delays in implementing congestion pricing create uncertainty for contractors and businesses that rely on infrastructure projects for work,” another says. The governor continues to maintain that the pause is only temporary, and that the program will be implemented eventually. In the meantime, Hochul still is tasked with finding the MTA the $15 billion in toll revenue that the transit authority had been relying on to fund its capital projects. — Jason Beeferman   A message from Uber: Ever thought about what it’s like to drive for Uber in New York? Uber Drivers earn $32 per hour.* And that’s before incentives and tips They also get benefits including dental insurance, vision coverage, mental health support, and workers’ compensation through the Black Car Fund and Driver Benefits Fund. *Average earnings per online hour from January - July 2024 based on trips originating from NYC Learn more.   IN OTHER NEWS... —JUDGE TOSSES LOCAL ELECTION LAW: An Oneida County judge has blocked a new law that would have moved most town and county elections to even-numbered years. The change runs afoul of home rule provisions in the state constitution, he ruled in a decision late this afternoon. Republicans have argued that the change was a power grab, as it would’ve shifted more races to the years when Democratic turnout is highest. Democrats say the goal was to approve often anemic turnout in these down-ballot races. Both houses of the Legislature were weighing a constitutional amendment at the end of this year’s session in June that would also reschedule all city races. If that’s eventually approved – which can’t happen before 2027 at this point – that would presumably address the judge’s critiques. For now, they’ll have to decide whether to appeal. One Democrat said members will review the decision. — Bill Mahoney — SUCCESSION TIME: Names are already being floated for the replacement for now-departed Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks. (Daily News) — NON VOYAGE: Columnist Errol Louis says Adams needs to cut out the international travel. (NY Mag) — ADAMS V ADAMS: City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams says the mayor’s “City of Yes” housing plan falls short. (Gothamist) Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.   Follow us on Twitter Jason Beeferman @JasonBeeferman   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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