Amid opposition, Eric Adams taps Giuliani-connected lawyer for city job

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams nominated former Rudy Giulani aide Randy Mastro as the city’s top lawyer Tuesday — setting up tense confirmation hearings in the New York City Council ahead of a vote he is in danger of losing.

It is the latest in an escalating fight between the mayor and council as Adams aims to diminish the power of the lawmaking body.

“Who better than a former deputy mayor to know when the city doesn't get it right?” Mastro said in an interview with POLITICO. “And the success that I have had in private practice is what I will now be doing for the city, including the City Council, on their priorities when they are in court.”

Council members mounted an opposition campaign to Mastro after The New York Times reported in April that Adams intended to nominate him to lead the 1,600-person city Law Department.

Most members of the council’s influential Black, Latino and Asian Caucus approved a statement slamming Mastro for his portfolio of legal cases, including opposing a homeless shelter, defending oil giant Chevron and backing Republican former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie amid his “Bridgegate” scandal.

And, most importantly, Speaker Adrienne Adams herself expressed displeasure with the Mastro nomination directly to Mayor Adams in April, POLITICO reported. Speakers wield significant influence over council votes and her team has been continually gauging the temperature of the members as Mastro and Adams’ top adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, embark on their own charm offensive.

The administration has tried to build support for Mastro over the last three months. Mastro said he has now met with a majority of the 51 council members, and that they’ve been “fair and open-minded.”

“I think the more members of the city council get to know me, the more they’re going to like what they learn, and they’re going to want to work with me,” Mastro said. “And I hope at the end of this process I will be confirmed by the City Council. Because I want to do this job for all the right reasons.”

Some lawmakers left meetings impressed, including Council Member Rafael Salamanca, POLITICO reported in May . Salamanca sits on the Rules Committee, which has tentatively scheduled a confirmation hearing for Mastro on Aug. 27.

Mastro is a partner at the firm King & Spalding. City Hall has also continued to highlight the lawyer’s high-profile support in the legal world, with endorsements from former FBI Director James Comey and former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. The Obama appointee called Mastro “one of the most sought-after and talented legal minds in the country” in a statement shared by the Adams administration.

City Hall also shared support for Mastro from labor leaders, including those representing firefighters and sanitation workers.

But the influence campaign has yet to win over the council, said one member who was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.

“It seems that his meetings have been helpful for people to get a better understanding of him, but I think he is still a long ways away from getting the support he needs,” the member said.

The person said lawmakers are not motivated to help the mayor amid multiple ongoing political battles . In one case, the council is in litigation against the Law Department, after joining a suit challenging Adams’ refusal to implement laws changing the housing voucher system.

Another council member, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations, put it more bluntly. "I think everybody knows Randy is dead on arrival but the administration is making him walk the plank,” the member said. “The council is not going to approve Giuliani's enforcer to then turn around and come after us."

Mastro is a longtime fixture in and around New York politics. He served under former Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose shaky standing among Democrats plummeted as he defended Donald Trump. City Hall has defended Mastro as a Democrat, and pointed to reporting calling him the “conscience” of that administration.

Mastro, in turn, emphasized that he sued the Trump administration for aggressive policing of Black Lives Matter protesters outside the White House.

“We are facing an existential crisis for our democracy. God forbid the prospect that Donald Trump will be reelected. And we as a city may need to stand up to Donald Trump,” Mastro said. “Well I’ve sued him. I’ve litigated against him. And I have won.”

Adams’ previous corporation counsel, Sylvia Hinds-Radix, was pushed out from the role amid disagreements over defending sexual harassment lawsuits and asylum-seeker litigation , POLITICO reported. Her last day was May 31, and City Hall had until Wednesday to submit a new name for approval by the City Council.

Corporation Counsel is one of the few city positions over which the council has the power of advice and consent.

The council passed a bill last month to give itself veto power over more than a dozen other top positions, but Adams opposed that move. He then established a Charter Revision Commission that is delaying that change from going before voters, the next step in it becoming law.

A statement from council spokesperson Julia Agos emphasized the body’s power to disapprove of the nomination, noting it “emerged from decades of concerns regarding incidents where the city’s top attorney appeared to prioritize the interests of the mayor over those of the city overall.”

Asked if he had a backup nominee, if Mastro’s appointment failed, Adams implied he was ready. “Mommy used to say if you don’t have a plan A, B, C… then you just are in trouble,” Adams said at a wide-ranging press conference Tuesday, listing every letter of the alphabet.

“We pivot and shift. We’re not stagnant. And we’re not afraid of these challenges,” Adams added. “In fact, we love these challenges. We’re adrenaline junkies.”