| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Julian Shen-Berro | Presented by Equinor | The long-running saga of the many homes of New York City Mayor Eric Adams continues. The latest: Documents reveal that Adams still owns half of a Brooklyn apartment, which he claimed during his campaign for mayor he had gotten rid of years ago. According to financial disclosure forms filed with the Conflicts of Interest Board, Adams owns 50 percent of a one-bedroom co-op on Prospect Place in Brooklyn, with his share worth $250,000 to $500,000. That contradicts statements from his campaign, which said he had given his shares to the former girlfriend he bought the place with back in 2007. Intrigue has surrounded where Adams lays his head since last spring, when he led reporters on a tour of his basement apartment in Bedford Stuyvesant, seeking to dispel rumors he might live in New Jersey while also sleeping in his office at Brooklyn Borough Hall, where he was spotted in the wee hours. Repeated discrepancies have arisen on his tax forms and financial disclosure documents, including a failure to report rental income and an attestation that he spent no time at the address where he claimed to live. The explanation from Team Adams this time around is that the paperwork was botched by an accountant who was homeless at a time, the same person he has blamed for past screwups. Adams wrote a letter to his former partner saying he was turning over his share of the place, but as it turns out, it takes a lot more than that to actually transfer the ownership of property. The handover still hasn't been formally completed, but the mayor says he hasn't lived or made any money on the property in over a decade. The man lives at Gracie Mansion now, and he wasn't exactly in the mood to show off the contents of his fridge for inquiring minds after the inconsistency was resolved, instead bristling at questions when asked to explain the complicated situation. "This is not your press conference. It's mine," he said. "I'm not going to go back and forth." IT'S THURSDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE'S KATHY? Signing a school safety law and joining a virtual White House meeting on offshore wind. WHERE'S ERIC? Speaking at an AgTech summit, making an international aid announcement and an education announcement, appearing on ABC, and meeting with ambassadors of Azerbaijan.
| | | | A message from Equinor: Can a wind turbine generate more than electricity? We believe it can. At Equinor, we're working to power about 2,000,000 New York homes with homegrown, renewable energy while boosting the economy, generating jobs, and launching tomorrow's clean energy infrastructure. Equinor is a broad energy company, committed to become net-zero by 2050. We're advancing the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind projects and quickly becoming a leader in this growing industry. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | Adams defends correction officers in visit to Rikers Island, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: With the threat of a federal takeover looming and three detainee deaths in the past week, Mayor Eric Adams visited Rikers Island on Wednesday to tout the progress he says he's making turning around the troubled jail complex. … Adams gave a fiery defense of correction officers — saying his predecessor Bill de Blasio unfairly maligned guards who have called in sick and otherwise not shown up for work in large numbers. "How we treated Rikers Island, and the men and women who are here, we should all be ashamed of that," Adams said during a press conference at the George Motchan Detention Center, telling employees: "I am not ashamed of you. I am proud of you." De Blasio and his correction commissioner, Vincent Schiraldi, vowed a crackdown on officers missing work — charging in a lawsuit that the correction officers union was orchestrating a sickout that left the jails short-staffed and allowed conditions to descend into chaos. But Adams and his commissioner, Louis Molina, have been friendlier to the union and the mayor said he would give workers the "benefit of the doubt" unless an investigation finds evidence of abuse. "NYC acknowledges it's not enforcing vaccine mandate for private employers," by Newsday's Matthew Chayes: "In the final five days of Bill de Blasio's mayoralty, New York City conducted its first and only checks for compliance with one of the nation's strictest COVID-19 mandates — that all private employers require each employee to be vaccinated against coronavirus or be barred from showing up to work. The inspection results were not promising. Of 3,025 businesses inspected from Dec. 27 to Dec. 31, just 31% were found to be following the order, Fabien Levy, a spokesman for de Blasio's successor, Eric Adams, said Tuesday. On Jan. 1, when Adams took over, the city stopped the inspections altogether, Levy said. And despite de Blasio's threats that defiant businesses would face fines starting at $1,000 and escalating penalties thereafter, no one has been fined — and, Levy said, the Adams administration has no plans to start doing so." — "Vaccinations for children under 5 begin in New York City," by The New York Times' Emma G. Fitzsimmons and Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura "M.T.A. Vows to Make Subways 95% Accessible. It Will Take 33 Years.," by The New York Times' Michael Gold: "New York has lagged for years behind other major American cities in making its subway system accessible to people with disabilities: Just 126 of its 472 stations, or 27 percent, have elevators or ramps that make them fully accessible. But on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it would add elevators and ramps to 95 percent of the subway's stations by 2055 as part of a settlement agreement in two class-action lawsuits over the issue. The agreement, which still requires court approval, would establish a clear — albeit long-term — timeline to address a problem that has effectively barred people who use wheelchairs and mobility devices from fully accessing the city's transit system, a backbone of New York's social and economic life." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Mayor Adams has officially thrown his support behind a longtime municipal employee in the contentious race to unseat a Brooklyn district leader. The mayor attended a celebration and fundraiser Wednesday night to support Pinny Ringel, a government liaison to the Orthodox Jewish community, three people with knowledge of the appearance confirmed. As POLITICO previously reported, Adams' deputy Menashe Shapiro has been working to oust Democratic District Leader David Schwartz, who worked on Andrew Yang's competing mayoral bid last year. Schwartz also poses a threat to Brooklyn party boss Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, a close Adams ally and member of the Assembly — providing further motivation for City Hall's involvement in the hyper-local race for a relatively powerless job. Schwartz has been hustling to amass support, but was dealt a setback when the area's prominent Bobov sect united behind Ringel. — Sally Goldenberg BILL'S BACK — Congressional candidate and former Mayor Bill de Blasio is back at home. After leaving office at the end of the year, de Blasio and his wife checked into the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge while renovations were being done at their Park Slope row house. Suites at the tony inn typically start at more than $600 per night and can go up to $5,000, according to a report in the New York Post, which trailed the former mayor around the hostelry and noted that he took out a roughly $615,000 mortgage last year, owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and has old campaign accounts in the red. On Wednesday, de Blasio alluded to getting a deal on his room, and noted that he and his wife moved back into their revamped home earlier this month. While he declined to give specifics, de Blasio said many hotels offer discounted rates for long-term stays, especially at a time when the pandemic has sapped occupancy numbers. In this case, the hotel is owned by Muss Development, which has supported several of de Blasio's past runs for office. The firm has said that it does not get involved in the stays of specific guests. The Marriott and de Blasio were able to hash out an agreement for a stay of between four to six months, de Blasio told POLITICO following a press conference touting the endorsement of Unite Here, a labor organization representing food service workers that is backing his congressional run. "It was a very unusual situation," de Blasio said. "And it was a union hotel." — Joe Anuta
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Mike Pence becomes latest Republican leader to back Lee Zeldin for NY governor," by New York Post's Zach Williams: "Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Suffolk) is adding former Vice President Mike Pence to the list of Republican leaders backing his campaign for governor ahead of the June 28 primary election. … The former VP announced his support for the Long Island Republican at a Wednesday event in Manhattan hosted by the state Conservative Party after previously hosting a fundraiser in Zeldin's honors earlier in the year. Endorsements, polls and fundraising suggest Zeldin has a lead in the race against former White House staffer Andrew Giuliani, businessman Harry Wilson and former Westchester Executive Rob Astorino." — Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund endorsed Kathy Hochul, Antonio Delgado and Tish James. "'Extreme risk' orders to seize guns surge, but lack of legal resources lead to dismissals ," by Times Union's Brendan J. Lyons: "The number of 'extreme risk protection orders' being filed by State Police has surged in the wake of an executive order issued by Gov. Kathy Hochul last month that mandated troopers pursue the court applications whenever they encounter a person who is 'likely' to be at risk of harm to themselves or to others. The civil cases almost always involve firearms, and whether a person who poses a potential public safety threat should have those weapons seized by police through a court order — either temporarily or for up to a year. "The governor's order was issued days after a mass shooting in Buffalo in which 10 Black people were killed by an 18-year-old white man in what police said was a racially motivated attack. But many of these 'Red Flag Law' cases are being dismissed by judges across the state because the troopers and investigators filing the complicated applications with courts are often appearing at the hearings without attorneys and in proceedings in which they have been instructed by the State Police to not make legal arguments, according to correspondence and interviews with people familiar with the matter." "Soares out, special prosecutor appointed in Albany 'sex tape' case," by Times Union's Robert Gavin: "District Attorney David Soares has recused his office from the case of a man imprisoned for more than two decades who contends Albany detectives concealed a 'sex tape' that could have prevented his 2000 conviction on rape and sodomy charges. Veteran Capital Region attorney Frederick Rench has been appointed special prosecutor to handle the case of Mohammed X. Poquee, who is serving a 32-year sentence at maximum-security Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Washington County." #UpstateAmerica: Entrepreneur Alan Wilzig installed an $8 million racetrack in the "backyard" of his Columbia County home.
| | | | A message from Equinor: The energy transition is the defining challenge opportunity of our time. Our world needs energy to keep moving forward — but it must be affordable, reliable, and accessible. We all have a role to play. At Equinor, we're doing our part by helping accelerate the energy transition . We're growing our renewable energy portfolio and lowering emissions from production. We're already on the way to powering about 2,000,000 New York homes with energy from the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind projects. We're creating jobs, building tomorrow's infrastructure, and sparking new economic activity. But for us, that's only the beginning. By the time the global population reaches 9 billion in 2050, our goal is to have net-zero emissions. Discover more about Equinor at www.equinor.com/USA. | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "Could New York City Lose Its Last Remaining Jewish Congressman?" by The New York Times' Nicholas Fandos: "The clock was nearing midnight on Shavuot, the Jewish Feast of Weeks, when Ruth W. Messinger offered a prophetic political warning to a crowd munching on holiday cheesecake at the Jewish community center on Manhattan's Upper West Side. For a century, New York has been the center of Jewish political power in the United States. So much so that as recently as the 1990s, Jewish lawmakers made up roughly about half of New York City's delegation to the House of Representatives. Now, Ms. Messinger said at the event earlier this month, gesturing to the frumpily dressed older man sitting beside her, there is only one left — Representative Jerrold Nadler — and he could soon be ousted in this summer's primary." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi has landed the endorsement of Democracy for America, New York Progressive Action Network, and Progressive Change Campaign Committee in her primary challenge to Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. She jumped into the race after a court-ordered redistricting sparked feuding among New York Democrats, and DCCC chair Maloney angered many on the left with his decision to run in the 17th District. "As DCCC Chair, Sean Patrick Maloney's only job is to protect a Democratic majority. His selfish decision to abandon his old district and potentially hand it to a pro-Trump Republican is political malpractice," Progressive Change Campaign Committee said in a statement. "In contrast, Alessandra Biaggi is a bold progressive fighter." — Erin Durkin
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — The city budget approved last week halts the promised expansion of residential curbside composting while only marginally increasing funding for other compost programs. — Jurors found the driver in a fatal 2017 Times Square attack not responsible because of mental illness. — The state is increasing pay for lifeguards to attract more applicants. — The city is modifying its plan for NYPD officers to patrol the subway system solo by requiring them to stay in eye shot of each other. — A Buffalo councilmember wants to rename the "East Side" to "East Buffalo." — Suffolk police are stepping up highway patrols during the "100 deadliest days of summer." So, all of summer. — A pilot program has seen hidden cameras added to 65 New York subway cars, with more on the way. — Parole reform advocates, failing to push bills through in Albany, say they will try again after elections in November. — A Long Island library faces backlash, including from Hochul, after voting to ban Pride displays and Pride-related books from its children's sections.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: AU's Sylvia Burwell … Josh Lauder … Caitlin Dorman … Brian Pomper MAKING MOVES — Former Assemblymember Marcos Crespo has joined the board of directors at the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. … Rohre Titcomb has been promoted to be venture partner at VC firm Graham & Walker. She continues as COO. ... Peter Lezama is now VP of sales at Helix at fintech company Q2. He most recently was head of product sales at Square and is also a Bloomberg LP alum. WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Ashley Fabrizio, Ph.D., a quantitative researcher at Meta, and John Alsterda, systems engineer at Waymo and U.S. Navy reservist at Defense Innovation Unit, recently married. They met at Stanford University as graduate students. Pic by Tina Rae Photo — Emma Scanlon, an associate in private wealth at Hefren-Tillotson, a Baird company, in private wealth, on Saturday married Nicholas Unkovic, director of capital markets at Jones Lang LaSalle. Pic
| | Real Estate | | "NIMBY development fight aims to preserve 'slice of suburbia' in the East Bronx," by WNYC's Gwynne Hogan: "A plan to redevelop two vacant lots and a Super Foodtown supermarket in the East Bronx neighborhood of Throggs Neck has ignited outrage among longtime residents, sparked allegations of racism and triggered threats to various parties involved. The proposal is serving as an early litmus test on how the city will weigh grassroots community opposition with the dire need for affordable housing development under Mayor Eric Adams and a recently installed City Council." " Pleading Return to Office Isn't Getting Traction — But Mixing Where New Yorkers Live and Work Just Might," by The City's Greg B. Smith and Yoav Gonen: "Last year, Randy Peers moved the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce from the 27th floor of an office tower in Downtown Brooklyn, where it had been located for 100 years, to the sprawling Industry City complex on the Sunset Park waterfront. He knew that in the post-COVID world, a traditional office high up in a skyscraper wouldn't help him attract the talent he needed to make the Chamber thrive. But Industry City offered an electric mix of small manufacturers, creative companies, the Brooklyn Nets' practice gym, and a wide variety of unique retailers, food purveyors and cultural outlets." | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | 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 | | | | |
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