Council grills Adams lawyer nominee at nine hour hearing

August 28, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CITYWIDE — THE CITY COUNCIL put attorney Randy Mastro, Mayor Adams’ controversial nominee for the city corporation counsel, under an intense microscope at a nine-hour meeting of the Committee on Rules on Tuesday, reports City and State. Mastro is seeking to replace former Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix, who was allegedly forced out of the job over a dispute about the mayor’s representation in a sexual assault lawsuit. Mastro faces an uphill battle in the council to secure the job, as 34 of 51 members have already signed a letter opposing his nomination. During questioning, Mastro said he would need to review cases, such as the mayor’s lawsuits, before being able to comment.

Mastro faced criticism from councilmembers for his case record: a former Giuliani appointee, the King & Spalding partner is currently representing the state of New Jersey in a lawsuit against New York’s congestion pricing plan, and previously represented Chris Christie during the “Bridgegate” George Washington Bridge traffic scandal. Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala charged that Mastro had “failed to make vulnerable New Yorkers a priority” over his representation of opponents of a Manhattan homeless shelter, while former Christie aide Bridget Ann Kelly testified at the hearing that “You hire [him] when you need to threaten or scare someone or when you need to take someone down for your own political security,” according to Gothamist, accusing him of sexism over the tone of a report that casted the blame for the Bridgegate scandal onto her.

The council will likely vote on Mastro’s nomination early in September.

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