Carl Wesibord, left, & Richard Buery with Mayor de Blasio at the announcements of their 2014 appointments
As Mayor-elect Eric Adams is in the process of transitioning to become the next Mayor of New York City on January 1, two veterans of city government and mayoral transition processes spoke about the keys to a smooth transition, setting up a new city government, accomplishing top goals, and more. During an online "civic conversation" hosted by Citizens Union Foundation on Friday, December 3, former Deputy Mayor Richard Buery and Carl Weisbrod, co-chair of Bill de Blasio's 2013 transition committee, joined moderator Ben Max, editor of Gotham Gazette, to discuss their experiences, advice, and observations.
Buery, currently the CEO of Robin Hood, was a member of a de Blasio 2013 transition committee and became Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, initially tasked with overseeing the implementation of universal pre-kindergarten, de Blasio's top mayoral campaign promise. Weisbrod, now a Senior Advisor at HR&A Advisors, was a co-chair of de Blasio's 2013 transition and is a veteran of several mayoral administrations, including as the head of city planning under de Blasio.
Watch the conversation:
Read more: WATCH: Experts Discuss Essentials to a Successful Mayoral Transition
Mayor-elect Eric Adams (photo: office of Eric Adams)
With just under a month to go till he is sworn into office, Mayor-elect Eric Adams unveiled his transition team on Friday, featuring nearly 800 people across various areas of expertise including public health, food policy, arts and culture, budgeting, civic engagement, education, immigration, climate and infrastructure, housing, criminal justice and more.
The transition team, which continues to grow, is headed by Sheena Wright, CEO and president of United Way of New York City, a nonprofit group that aids low-income New Yorkers. Assisting her in the effort are Katie Moore, who was Adams’ campaign manager and is now executive director of the transition, and Meaghan Brown, who is serving as chief operating officer. There are also nine co-chairs who are leading various committees.
“This unprecedented collection of great minds and hard-working New Yorkers will prepare my administration for success because they represent the many backgrounds and views of our great city, and they are committed to working together toward its bright future,” Adams said in a statement. “Each committee has been tasked with a specific set of goals and responsibilities to ensure we are ready to lead on Day 1. If we are going to tackle the many challenges in front of us as a city, the advocacy, nonprofit and business worlds must all be at the same table, working in collaboration--and that is exactly what this transition is doing. And the transition of this city to a safer, healthier, more prosperous New York will continue after January 1st—so I hope to continue to lean on this group of experts and advocates after I have taken office.”
Aside from the co-chairs, who were announced weeks ago, Adams announced Friday that there are several elected officials serving as senior advisors on the transition. They include U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat, Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte, who chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, State Senator Diane Savino and City Council Members Peter Koo and Ydanis Rodriguez, both of whom are rumored to be joining the Adams administration. All of the officials endorsed Adams in the competitive Democratic primary (Espaillat shifted to Adams from Scott Stringer).
The committee in charge of appointments to the Adams administration is being headed by nine members. They include Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.; Andrea Shapiro Davis, interim vice chancellor for university advancement at CUNY; Anthony Crowell, dean and president of New York Law School; Bill Heinzen, general counsel at the New York City Board of Correction; Ama Dwimoh, special counsel and chief compliance and EEO Officer at the Brooklyn borough president’s office under Adams; and others. Menashe Shapiro, who was a top advisor to Adams’ campaign, and Nathan Smith of Red Horse Strategies, who was the campaign’s chief consultant, are advising the appointments as well.
Several communications staffers on Adams' campaign are continuing on in the transition as well. The communications committee is being led by Evan Thies, co-founder of Pythia Public and Adams’ chief campaign spokesperson; Steven Rubenstein, president of Rubenstein, a communications firm; and Carolina Gonzalez, regional communications manager at 32BJ SEIU. Among the members of the committee are several former aides to Mayor Bill de Blasio who are now consultants, including Phil Walzak, Andrea Hagelgans, and Wiley Norvell.
Among the six leads of the “Intergov” committee is City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who did not make an endorsement in the mayoral race. Johnson is term-limited out of office but does not want a position in the Adams administration, according to City & State.
The Public Safety and Justice committee is being led by three women of color, including Candis Tolliver, vice president and political director of 32BJ SEIU; Karol Mason, president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice; and Erica Bond, vice president of justice initiatives at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who is also on the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Adams, a former NYPD captain, has pledged to name the city’s first female police commissioner while ushering in a new era of better policing that is both more fair and less racially-biased and also brings down crime.
The Arts, Parks and Culture committee is led by Luis Miranda, a prominent political strategist and co-founder of the MirRam Group, and Marcia Sells, who is chief diversity officer at the Metropolitan Opera. Members of the committee include Dennis Walcott, president and CEO of the Queens Public Library; political activist Devorah Halberstam, who chairs the NYPD’s civilian hate crime review panel; venture capitalist Lisa Blau; Melody Capote, executive director of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute; Mariko Silver, president and CEO of the Henry Luce Foundation; and others.
The committee on budgeting includes among its leaders Latonia McKinney, the longtime director of the New York City Council’s finance division; Preston Niblack, deputy comptroller for the budget under Comptroller Scott Stringer; Martha Stark, former commissioner of the city’s Department of Finance; and others.
The committee on civic engagement is led by Betsy Maclean, co-executive director of Hester Street; Lemuria Alawode-El, vice president of StrengthenNYC at United Way of New York City; Faiza Ali, director of the Community Engagement Division at the City Council; Yanna Henriquez, chief program officer at the Dominico-American Society of Queens; and Richard David, adjunct professor at CUNY.
The Economic and Workforce Development committee has 84 members and is led by five people: Jose Ortiz Jr., CEO of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition; Maria Torres-Springer, vice president for US programs at the Ford Foundation, who previously served as commissioner of the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development; Bertha Lewis, founder of the Black Institute; Seth Pinsky, CEO of the 92nd Street Y, who previously served as an economic development advisor in the Bloomberg administration; and Margaret Anadu, a partner and global head of sustainability and impact at Goldman Sachs.
Adams also has a 62-member clergy committee, led by Pastor Gilford Monrose of Mt. Zion Church of God 7th Day in Brooklyn. Monrose currently serves as director of Faith-based and Clergy Initiatives at Adams’ Brooklyn Borough President office.
Education is one of the largest committees on the transition with 110 members and contributors. Among its leaders are David Banks, founder of Eagle Academy, who is a leading contender for schools chancellor; Saskia Thompson, a program director at the Carnegie Corporation; Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference; Hector Batista, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at CUNY; Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, commissioner at the city Department for the Aging; and others. The committee also has four youth co-chairs and includes Assemblymembers Alicia Hyndman and Rodneyse Bichotte.
The Equity committee includes six leaders. Among them are Phil Thompson, de Blasio’s deputy mayor for strategic policy initiatives; and Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director of FPWA, who is also chair of the mayor’s Racial Justice Commission, which is exploring ways to revise the city charter.
The 64-member Food Policy committee has three heads including Alexina Cather, deputy director of the New York City Food Policy Center; Gregory Silverman, CEO of West Side Campaign Against Hunger; and Tony Hillery, founder and CEO of Harlem Grown.
City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez and Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo, both of whom are term-limited this year and rumored to be potential appointees to the Adams administration, are among the nine leads of the Infrastructure, Climate and Sustainability committee. Others include Rohit Aggarwala, senior Urban Tech fellow at Cornell Tech; Cas Holloway, currently principal at CFH Solutions and a former deputy mayor under Mayor Bloomberg; Kathryn Mallon, executive director of the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority; and Quemuel Arroyo, chief accessibility officer at the MTA.
Council Member Carlos Menchaca, also term-limited, is helping lead the Immigration committee along with Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition; Nicole Cata, director of Immigrant Rights Policy at NYIC; and Howard Shih, director of Research and Policy at the Asian American Federation.
Former Council Member David Greenfield, who is CEO of the Met Council, and former Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, are among the seven heads of the Human Services committee.
Former deputy chief administrative Judge George Silver and Richard Zabel, general counsel and chief legal officer of Elliott Management Corporation, are leading the Legal committee.
The Housing committee has ten people leading it including Jessica Katz, executive director of the Citizens Housing & Planning Council; Mathew Wambua, vice chairman of Merchants Capital; Rafael Cestero, president and CEO of the Community Preservation Corporation; Barika Williams, executive director of Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, and others.
The Health committee has five leads including Ashwin Vasan, president and CEO of Fountain House; Ebone Carrington, managing director of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP; Kathy Martin, chief operating officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering; endocrinologist Dr. George Liu, and Dr. Ramon Tallaj, chair of the board of SOMOS Community Care.
Three people are in charge of the Technology committee including Andrew Rasiej, founder and CEO of Civic Hall, a civic tech group; Julie Samuels, founder and executive director of Tech:NYC; and Rhonda Binda, who is currently deputy borough president under Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and is stepping down in the coming weeks.
Below is the full list of transition committee members published by the Adams campaign on Friday, December 3:
Appointments
Lead Andrea Shapiro Davis
Lead Anthony Crowell
Lead Bill Heinzen
Lead Nanette Smith
Lead Ama Dwimoh
Lead Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr
Lead Jose Bello
Lead Lisa Lashley
Lead Luis Miranda
Member Gregorio Meyers, Esq.
Member Joel Eisdorfer
Member Menashe Shapiro
Member Nathan Smith
Arts, Parks & Culture
Lead Luis Miranda
Lead Marcia Sells
Member Antonia Yuille Williams
Member Bobby Digi
Member Carter Strickland
Member Danny Baez
Member Dennis Walcott
Member Devorah Halberstam
Member Eligio Reynoso
Member George Russo
Member Jim Wallert
Member Lamont Joseph
Member Lisa Blau
Member Londell McMillian
Member Madelyn Wils
Member Mariko Silver
Member Melody Capote
Member Nanette Smith
Member Robert Burke
Member Scott Sartiano
Member Stephanie Jauch
Member Victoria Cerullo
Budget
Lead Latonia McKinney
Lead Preston Niblack
Lead John Banks
Lead Martha Stark
Lead Nelson Eusebio
Member Charles O'Byrne
Member Manny Pastreich
Member Marisol Mancebo
Member Michael Jacobson
Member Tanisha Edwards
Member Vinny Grippo
Civic Engagement
Lead Betsy Maclean
Lead Lemuria Alawode
Lead Faiza Ali
Lead Richard S. David
Lead Yanna Henriquez
Member Aniqa Nawabi
Member Frank Marte
Member George Sarkissian
Member Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid:
Member Jose Bayona
Member Luis Cruz
Member Marco Carrion
Member Sarah Sayeed
Member Sharon Greenberger
Member Sharon Levy
Member Steve Choi
Member Steven Saperstein
Contributor Eligio Reynoso
Clergy
Lead Pastor Gilford Monrose
Member Apostle Bishop Cecil Riley
Member Bishop Albert Jamison
Member Bishop Calvin Rice
Member Bishop Claudio Ismael
Member Bishop Eric Garnes
Member Bishop Gerald Seabrooks
Member Bishop Hezekiah Walker
Member Bishop Linwood Bush
Member Bishop Victor Brown
Member Chairman Sheikh Musa Drammeh
Member Dr. Johnnie Green
Member Dr. Karen Daughtry
Member Father Juan Luxama
Member Hindu Iram Hardowar
Member Hindu Pandit Baya
Member Hindu Pandit Lakhram
Member Hindu Sunita Viswanath
Member Hindu Vijah Ramjattan
Member Imam Abdallah Salem
Member Imam Hassan Akbar
Member Imam Tahir Kukaj
Member Imam Umar Abdul-Jalil
Member Minister Sharonnie Perry
Member Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello
Member Pastor Demetrius Carolina
Member Pastor Elvia Cabrera
Member Rabbi Baruch Pesach Mendelson
Member Rabbi Baruch Yehudah
Member Rabbi Bob Kaplan
Member Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz
Member Rabbi Chanina Sperlin
Member Rabbi Eli Cohen
Member Rabbi Joseph Potasnik
Member Rabbi Joshua Stanton
Member Rabbi Joshua Zilberberg
Member Rabbi Michael Miller
Member Rabbi Moishe Indig
Member Rabbi Samuel Stern
Member Rabbi Stephanie Kolin
Member Rabbi Yaccov Behrman
Member Rabbi Yosie Levine
Member Rabbi Yruchem Silber
Member Raghbir Singh
Member Rev. Adriene Thorne
Member Rev. Al Cockfield
Member Rev. Chloe Breyer
Member Rev. Donna Scheper
Member Rev. Erick Salgado
Member Rev. Fernanado Cabrera
Member Rev. James Lynch
Member Rev. John Denaro
Member Rev. Karim Camara
Member Rev. Onleilove Alston
Member Rev. Yolanda Brown
Member Reverend Cheryl Anthony
Member Reverend Dennis Dillon
Member Reverend Terry Lee
Member Richard Altabe
Member Sikh Inderjit Singh
Member Tusha Diaz
Member Venerable Youwang Shih
Communications
Lead Evan Thies
Lead Steven Rubenstein
Lead Carolina Gonzalez
Member Alice McGillion
Member Andrea Hagelgans
Member Jose Bayona
Member Karen Finney
Member Phil Walzak
Member Sharon Toomer
Member Vicki Schneps
Member Wiley Norvell
Economic & Workforce Development
Lead Jose Ortiz Jr.
Lead Margaret Anadu
Lead Maria Torres-Springer
Lead Seth Pinsky
Lead Bertha Lewis
Member Andrew Rigie
Member Armando Guareno
Member Assembywoman Rodneyse Bichotte
Member Barb Chang
Member Barbara Armand Kushner
Member Barry Gosin
Member Belkis Lora
Member Carmen Susana Osorio
Member Chidi EZe Esq
Member Chris Bennett
Member Christopher Watler
Member Clare Newman
Member Claudia Granada
Member Colvin Grannum
Member David Edelstein
Member David Ehrenberg
Member David Garza
Member David Hiraldo
Member Deborah Velazquez
Member Dian Yu
Member Ehab Shehata
Member Eric Gerler
Member Evan Greenberg
Member Frank Marte
Member Fred Cerullo
Member Gina Argento
Member Gregg Bishop
Member Ian Dunford
Member Isidro Medina
Member Jack Rosen
Member Jamie Ruben
Member Jason Cone
Member Jeffrey Garcia
Member Jennifer Mitchell
Member Jerelyn Rodriguez
Member Jessica Lappin
Member Jessica Walker
Member Jim Goldman
Member Jodi Pulice
Member Joe Sitt
Member John Wang
Member Jonathan Bowles
Member Jose Bello
Member Jose Luis Corona
Member Joseph Shamie
Member Karianna Guzman
Member Kathryn Wylde
Member Katy Gaul-Stigge
Member Kenneth Adams
Member Kim Lattimer-Nelligan
Member Leah Hebert
Member Lindsay Greene
Member Lisa Sorin
Member Liz Lusskin
Member Lourdes Zapata
Member Madelyn Wils
Member Marc Holliday
Member Marty Burger
Member Michael Garner
Member Nelson Eusebio
Member Pedro Zamora
Member Plinio Ayala
Member Randy Peers
Member Regina Myer
Member Richard Grant
Member Richard Mack
Member Rochelle Kelly-Apson
Member Sandi Vito
Member Sandra Wilkins
Member Senator James Sanders
Member Thomas J Grech
Member Tom Wright
Member Tucker Reed
Member Tunisha Walker
Member Valerie White
Member Vinny Alvarez
Member Wayne Ho
Member Wilton Cedeno
Member Ya-Ting Liu
Education
Lead David Banks
Lead Saskia Thompson
Youth Co-Chairs Darleny Suriel
Youth Co-Chairs Ismail Hasaballa
Youth Co-Chairs Jonathan Lam
Youth Co-Chairs Mia Payne
Lead Dr. Cristina Melendez
Lead Hazel Dukes
Lead Hector Bautista
Lead Lorraine Cortez Vasquez
Lead Tashnima Choudhury
Member Angel Vasquez
Member Anita Gundanna
Member Ann Tisch
Member Arva Rice
Member Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman
Member Carlos Moreno
Member Council Member Rodneyse Bichotte
Member Crystal Mcqueen-Taylor
Member DeNora Getachew
Member Doris Cintron
Member Dr. Demetrius Carolina
Member Eddie Silverio
Member Edu Hermelyn
Member Elizabeth McCarthy
Member Fred Wilson
Member Geoffrey Canada
Member Gladys Ward
Member Henry Ocasio
Member Jane Martinez-Dowling
Member Jasmine Gripper
Member Jean Desravines
Member Jeff Aronson
Member Jennifer Raab
Member Jerry Russo
Member John Tritt
Member Judy Dimon
Member Kevin Cummings
Member Khary Lazare-White
Member Kim Sweet
Member LaKeesha Walrond
Member Lourdes Zapata
Member Maria Figueroa-Dean
Member Nancy Sunshine
Member Phoebe Boyer
Member Rabbi Bob Kaplan
Member Rabbi David Zwiebel
Member Ramona Hernandez
Member Rev. Jacques DeGraff
Member Richard Buery
Member Richard Kahan
Member Shawn Morehead
Member Shirley Aldebol
Member Sonia Park
Member Vaughan Toney
Contributor Abby Jo Sigal
Contributor Abenaa Frempong-Boadu
Contributor Brigid Ahern
Contributor Carolyne Quintana
Contributor Casey Lamb
Contributor Cass Conrad
Contributor Cassie Schwerner
Contributor Cesar Zuniga
Contributor Charissa Fernandez
Contributor Chris Caruso
Contributor Christopher Caruso
Contributor Crisanta Duran
Contributor Dan Weisberg
Contributor David Adams
Contributor Dawn Heyward
Contributor Debbie Meyer
Contributor Desmond Blackburn
Contributor Dia Bryant, Ed.L.D.
Contributor Dionne Grayman
Contributor Dr. Anne Williams-Isom
Contributor Dr. Asheena Baez
Contributor Dr. Askia Davis
Contributor Dr. Jawana Johnson
Contributor Dr. Kara Ahmed
Contributor Dr. Karren Dunkley
Contributor Dr. Sabrina Hope King
Contributor Dr. Sandye Johnson
Contributor Dr. Sydney McKinney
Contributor Dr. Tom Liam Lynch
Contributor Dr. Wenimo Okoya
Contributor Dr. Yvette Jackson
Contributor Hope Lesane
Contributor Irma Zardoya
Contributor Jade Grieve
Contributor Josh Thomases
Contributor Karine Apollon
Contributor Kelvin Chan
Contributor Kenita Lloyd
Contributor Lorelei Vargas
Contributor Luke Rhine
Contributor Marielys Divanne
Contributor Marjorie Parker
Contributor Maury Litwack
Contributor Michael Rothman
Contributor Nora Gomperts
Contributor Paymon Rouhanifard
Contributor Robert Lubetsky
Contributor Rochelle Sinclair
Contributor Ron Russell
Contributor Sandra Escamilla
Contributor Saskia Traill
Contributor Savita Bharadwa
Contributor Sherry Cleary
Contributor Tala Manassah
Contributor Tara Gardner
Equity
Lead J. Phillip Thompson
Lead Jennifer Jones Austin
Lead Debbie Almontaser
Lead Frankie Miranda
Lead Melissa Sklarz
Lead Victor Calise
Member Ahsan Chughtai
Member Denise Felipe-Adams
Member DeRay McKesson
Member Jeannette Garcia-Alonzo, Esq.
Member John Carlo Bautista
Member Jose Bayona
Member Michael Cohen
Member Michael J Schweinsburg
Member Nikki Bethel Grant
Member Rose Christ
Food Policy
Lead Alexina Cather
Lead Gregory Silverman, MSc
Lead Tony Hillery
Member Alissa Wassung
Member Angela Davis
Member Annette Nielsen
Member Aziz Dehkan
Member Charles Platkin
Member Cheryl Huber
Member Craig Willingham
Member Dennis Derryck
Member Dr. Debbie Almontaser
Member Dr. Melony Samuels
Member Elizabeth Solomon
Member Emilio Tavarez
Member Gabrielle Mosquera
Member Jenifer Clapp, MPA
Member Jessica Chait
Member JJ Johnson
Member Jonathan Chin
Member Keith Carr
Member Kim Kessler
Member Leslie Gordon
Member Lianna Reisner
Member Liz Accles
Member Manuela Zamora
Member Marion Nestle
Member Marion Williams
Member Michael Hurwitz
Member Nausher Khan
Member Nevin Cohen
Member Pam Koch
Member Rachel Atcheson
Member Rae Gomes
Member Ribka Getachew
Member Robert Lee
Member Shanon Morris
Member Stephen Grimaldi
Member Stephen O'Brien
Member Stephen Ritz
Member Tonya Gayle
Member Urvashi Rangan, PhD
Contributor Amy Haung
Contributor Bernie Pollack
Contributor Bryan Moran
Contributor Cathy Nonas, MS
Contributor Daniel Humm
Contributor Devon Klatell
Contributor Dr. Robert Graham
Contributor Elizabeth Angeles
Contributor Gabrielle Blavastsky
Contributor Joshua Thomas Serrano
Contributor Julia McCarthy
Contributor Karen Washington
Contributor Liz Neumark
Contributor Mark Izeman
Contributor Matt Joswiak
Contributor Nick Kenner
Contributor Nil Zacharias
Contributor Paula Daniels
Contributor Rafael Espinal
Contributor Tom Colicchio
Contributor Viraj Puri
Health
Lead Ashwin Vasan
Lead Ebone Carrington
Lead Kathy Martin
Lead Dr. George Liu, Phd
Lead Dr. Ramon Tallaj
Member Alan van Cappelle
Member Aletha Maybank MD, MPH
Member Alex Rovt
Member Ayman El-Mohandes
Member Bob Fullilove
Member Carol Raphael
Member Dan Reingold
Member Dr. Amarilis Jacobo
Member Dr. Bienvenido Fajardo
Member Dr. Bindu Babu I-MD, PHD
Member Dr. Rafael Lantigua
Member Dr. Titus Okunlola
Member Julia Iyasere, MD
Member Karen Ignagni
Member Kathleen Daniel
Member Ken Raske
Member LaRay Brown
Member Linda Fried
Member Manmeet Kaur
Member Marietta Rozental
Member Marisol Alcantara
Member Michael Dowling
Member Michelle Crentsil
Member Nicole Jordan Martin
Member Pamela Brier
Member Pat Kane
Member Preeti Mattoo
Member Robert Fullilove
Member Sherry Glied
Member Victor Masi
Contributor C. Virginia Fields
Contributor Guillermo Chacon
Contributor Maurice Reid
Housing
Lead Jessica Katz
Lead Mat Wambua
Lead Meredith Marshall
Lead Rafael Cestero
Lead Rasmia Kirmani-Frye
Lead Barika Williams
Lead Gabrielle Guilmart
Lead Hannah Birnbaum
Lead John Santos
Lead Richard Mack
Member Aaron Carr
Member Brett Herschenfeld
Member Caitlin LaCroix
Member Cheryl McKissack Daniel
Member Erin Kelly
Member Frank Quatela
Member Jeannette Garcia-Alonzo, Esq.
Member John Johnson
Member Karim Hutson
Member Moses Gates
Member Nicole Ferreira
Member Peter Fine
Member Pierre Downing
Member Rev. Al Cockfield
Member Yvonne Stennet
Contributor Alexa Sewell
Contributor Aviva Yakren
Contributor Baaba Halm
Contributor Gary Rodney
Contributor Georges Clement
Contributor Kirk Goodrich
Contributor Leila Bozorg
Contributor Rachel Fee
Contributor Renita Francois
Contributor Rick Gropper
Contributor Shams DaBaron
Contributor Ted Houghton
Contributor Valerie White
Contributor Zach Aarons
Human Services
Lead Anne Williams Isom
Lead Gary Jenkins
Lead Grace Bonilla
Lead Lilliam Barrios Paoli
Lead Ron Richter
Lead David Greenfield
Lead Wayne Ho
Member Alexander Roque
Member Azi Khalili
Member Claudette Macey
Member Dominique Jones
Member Dr. Damyn Kelly
Member Ericka Francois
Member Janice Molnar
Member Jeanette Vega
Member Jennifer March
Member Jessica Orozco
Member Joel Berg
Member Joseph A. Bello
Member Joseph Pressley
Member Karla Cordero
Member Keith Little
Member Laura Mascuch
Member Leslie Gordon
Member Louisa Chafee
Member Marco Damiani
Member Marla Simpson
Member Melanie Lavelle
Member Michelle Akeyempong
Member Michelle Jackson
Member Mohammad Razvi
Member Muzzy Rosenblatt
Member Nancy Ginsburg
Member Natasha Lifton
Member Rachel Cyntron
Member Ramon Peguero
Member Randall Wiltz
Member Randi Levine
Member Sharon Levy
Member Sherry Cleary
Member Udai Tambar
Member Wendy McClinton
Contributor Catherine Trapani
Contributor Ellen Baxter
Contributor Fred Shack
Contributor Gretchen Buckenholz
Contributor Jess Dannhauser
Contributor Jo-ann Yoo
Contributor Jose (Joey) Ortiz
Contributor Leslie Abbey
Contributor Liz Roberts
Contributor Margarita Guzman
Contributor Sister Nancy
Contributor Theo Oshiro
Immigration
Lead Murad Awawdeh
Lead Nicole Cata
Lead Carlos Menchaca
Lead Howard Shih
Member Annetta Seecharan
Member Bitta Mostofi
Member Darnell Benoit
Member Eddie Taveras
Member Jeannette Garcia-Alonzo, Esq.
Member Jose Bayona
Member Luis Cruz
Member Manuel Castro
Member Marwa Janini
Member Melissa Mark-Viverito
Member Robert Agymang
Member Theo Oshiro
Member Yesenia Mata
Infrastructure, Climate & Sustainability
Lead Cas Holloway
Lead Jimmy Oddo
Lead Kathryn Mallon
Lead Rohit T. Aggarwala
Lead Ryan Lynch
Lead Terrence Banks
Lead Ydanis Rodriguez
Lead Feniosky Pena Mora
Lead Quemuel Arroyo
Member Ali Rasoulinejad
Member Amy Chester
Member Amy Sugimori
Member Annie Weinstock
Member Betsy Plum
Member Bob Avaltroni
Member Carlo Scissura
Member Cheryl McKissack Daniel
Member Chris Ward
Member Cira Angeles
Member Connie Crawford
Member Dale Bryk
Member Dan Zarrilli
Member Danny Harris
Member Darryl Irick
Member Dwayne C. Sampson
Member Eddie Bautista
Member Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio
Member Gary LaBarbera
Member Hector Bautista
Member Jaidev Sankar
Member Jaime Faye-Bean
Member Janette Sadik-Khan
Member Jason Razefsky
Member Jennifer Mitchell
Member Joe Geiger
Member John Mandyck
Member Julie Tighe
Member Kashif Hussain
Member Kate Slevin
Member Kathleen Culhane
Member Ligia Guallpo
Member Louis Coletti
Member Manuel Caughman
Member Mario Sena
Member Mark Henry
Member Matt Berlin
Member Michael Freedman-Schnapp
Member Michael Horodniceanu
Member Mike Stamatis
Member Patrick Dolan
Member Peggy Shepard
Member Renae Reynolds
Member Robert Wolf
Member Sarah Charlop-Powers
Member Sue Donoghue
Member Tony Utano
Member Victor J. Herlinsky, Jr.
Member William Suggs Sr.
Contributor Aaron Jones
Contributor Amy Cohen
Contributor Courtney Williams
Contributor Daniel Cassella
Contributor Dr. Janice Barnes
Contributor Eligio Reynoso
Contributor Illya Azaroff
Contributor Jeff Hebert
Contributor John Boulé
Contributor Julia Hustwit
Contributor Kate Boicourt
Contributor Kate Orff
Contributor Ken Podziba
Contributor Laurie Schoeman
Contributor Michael Marrella
Contributor Midori Valdivia
Contributor Phil Ortiz
Contributor Robert Burke
Contributor Sonal Jessel
Intergov
Lead Corey Johnson
Lead David Yassky
Lead Tiffany Raspberry
Lead William Floyd
Lead Aliya Latif
Lead Seny Taveras
Member Annabel Palma
Member Bhav Tibrewal
Member C. Virginia Fields
Member Haeda Mihaltes
Member Isidro Medina
Member Jason Laidley
Member John Calvelli
Member John Tritt
Member Kevin Riley
Member Kristin Rezek
Member Matthew McNally
Member Max Rose
Member Stephanie D. Nellons-Paige
Legal
Lead Judge George Silver
Lead Richard Zabel
Member Dean Michael Cahill
Member Estela Diaz
Member George Ortiz, Esq.
Member Glenda Grace
Member Mark Hanna
Member Mei Lin Kwan-Gett
Member Michael Bosworth
Member Michelle Caruso-Cabrera
Member Mohammed Sawaeer
Member Rhonda S. Binda, Esq.,
Member Thomas Medardo Oliva
Member Victoria Zirkiev
Member Yetta Kurland
Contributor Andrew Gounardes
Contributor Joseph Alexis
Contributor Kenny Montgomery
Contributor Tom Ridges
Public Safety & Justice
Lead Karol Mason
Lead Candis Tolliver
Lead Erica Bond
Member Alvin Bragg
Member Ama Dwimoh
Member Amy Sananman
Member Billy Watterson
Member Bobby Thursland
Member Camille Joseph Varlack
Member Charles Billups
Member Courtney Bryan
Member Darcel D. Clark
Member David Gold
Member DeAnna Hoskins
Member Derek Powers
Member Divine Pryor
Member Dr. Jeremy Kohomban
Member Elizabeth Gaynes
Member Elizabeth Velez
Member Eric Gonzalez
Member Erica Ford
Member Frederick Shack
Member Horace Neville
Member Isaiah Foster
Member James Harding
Member Jessica Johnson
Member Joel Eisdorfer
Member Josh Mehlman
Member Judge Edwina G. Richardson-Mendelson
Member Julio Medina
Member Larry Davis
Member Lori Davis
Member Lorraine Cortez Vasquez
Member Louis Molina
Member Mark Willis
Member Melinda Alexis Hayes
Member Melinda Katz
Member Michael Blake
Member Michael Jacobson
Member Monique Ferguson Riley
Member Nick Suplina
Member Nick Turner
Member Paul DiGiacomo
Member Raysa Galvez
Member Rev. Dr. Chloe Bryer
Member Richard Aborn
Member Rob Gore
Member Robert Tucker
Member Stefanie McGraw
Member Steve Chananie
Member Susan Shah
Member Tim Pearson
Member Tina Luongo
Member Wayne Spence
Member Xavier Donaldson
Contributor David Mack
Contributor Ebone Carrington
Contributor Marc Holliday
Contributor Msgr. David Casatto
Contributor Msgr. Kevin Sullivan
Contributor Randy Peers
Contributor Rev. Jacques DeGraff
Contributor Thomas J Grech
Senior Advisors
NYC CouncilMember Peter Koo
NYC CouncilMember Ydanis Rodriguez
NYS AssemblyMember and Chair, Kings Co. Dem. Party Rodneyse Bichotte
NYS AssemblyMember Jenifer Rajkumar
NYS Senator Diane Savino
U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat
Technology/IT
Lead Andrew Rasiej
Lead Julie Samuels
Lead Rhonda Binda
Member Alexandra Owens
Member Andrew Hoppin
Member Andrew McLaughlin
Member Ann Kirshner
Member Anshu Sinha
Member Art Chang
Member Ayisha Irfan
Member Ben Kallos
Member Clayton Banks
Member Craig Newmark
Member Dan Beeby
Member David Hammer
Member David Kovacs
Member George Alvarez
Member Georges Clement
Member Jeremy Feigelson
Member Jessie Lazarus
Member John Gilbert
Member Jonathan Askin
Member Josh Brietbart
Member Judith Spitz
Member Jukay Hsu
Member Katy Knight
Member Kia Floyd
Member Lori McGlinchey
Member Maria Comella
Member Matt Fraser
Member Michael Bloomberg
Member Natalia Quintero
Member Noel Hidalgo
Member Rebecca Kaden
Member Selvon Smith
Member Ulises Noboa
Member Virginia Lam Abrams
Contributor Bryan Sivak
Contributor Camille Joseph
Contributor David Belt
Contributor Donnel Baird
Contributor Fernando Bohorquez
Contributor Jessica Matthews
Contributor Mark Page
Contributor Michael Dardia
Contributor Michael Pasteur
Contributor Neil Kleinman
Contributor Sam Englebardt
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by Samar Khurshid, senior reporter, Gotham Gazette
@samarkhurshid @GothamGazette
Eric Adams with New Yorkers (photo: Adams campaign on flickr)
Mayor-elect Eric Adams’ victory came with a hefty price tag. Over the course of the campaign, he raised just over $19.1 million, more than half of which was in public matching funds, and spent about $18.1 million, according to the latest financial disclosures. He also benefited from nearly $8.2 million in independent expenditures in his favor, with little outside spending to oppose him.
Adams was all but assured to win after emerging as the Democratic mayoral nominee from a crowded field of candidates. Through the June 22 primary election, he had already spent about $10.7 million. And while facing weak opposition in the general from Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and several others, Adams spent another $7.2 million to cement his victory.
As a sitting elected official with a deep base of support, Adams enjoyed a fundraising advantage throughout the campaign. He raised more than $9 million in private contributions and received $10.1 million in public matching funds through the city’s campaign finance program, which matches the first $250 of qualifying contributions from city residents at an 8-to-1 ratio. He raised more than $5.6 million from within the city and just under $3 million from outside the five boroughs. He had a total of 15,466 contributors for an average contribution of $560.
Sliwa, by comparison, raised a total of $5.8 million, including $4.2 million in public funds, and spent more than $6 million, leaving his campaign about $203,000 in debt as of the most recent filing.
Adams only spent about $225,000 on fundraising efforts directly, according to the filing. The latest filing was due Tuesday and covered the filing period from October 19 to November 25, showing Adams’ spending in the last frantic weeks of the campaign and the period just after it. He still had more than $1 million left in his campaign account, and has about $142,000 in outstanding liabilities. The final filing of the 2021 campaign is due on January 18.
Adams’ fundraising and spending surpasses Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign finances for his two successful elections, though that is in part due to the expansion of the public matching funds program. When de Blasio first won in 2013, he raised about $14.6 million, including just about $4 million in public funds, and spent $13.5 million. In 2017, sailing to reelection, the mayor raised $10 million, including $3.5 million in public funds, and spent $10.1 million, leaving his campaign marginally in debt at the time.
Most of Adams’ spending, nearly $9 million, went to print, television, digital and radio ads. More than $7.5 million of that went to one company, Washington, D.C.-based Great American Media. Another $708,000 was paid to Electric Symphony Media, a firm in Hoboken, New Jersey. Fried CO Media was paid nearly $100,000, Do Big Things, LLC received $66,666 and Opcion Production, Inc. received $87,000. The campaign spent $75,000 on print ads in City & State magazine and $50,000 for TV ads on Sinovision.
Campaign literature and mailers accounted for the second largest expense, at about $2.84 million. Almost the entire amount, about $2.76 million, went to Red Horse Strategies, Adams’ main consultant, which then created, purchased, and sent out materials itself or through other vendors. The firm also received about $125,000 from monthly retainer payments, which were likely in some significant part for the work of Nathan Smith, the firm’s embedded representative on the campaign and credited as its architect by Adams.
Adams’ campaign paid more than $1.67 million to consultants in total, including the payments to Red Horse. That included $275,000 to Tulchin Research, an opinion polling firm. Evan Thies, Adams’ senior advisor for communications, chief campaign spokesperson, and co-head of Pythia Public, was paid a total of $165,000 for his role. Menashe Shapiro, founder of Shapiro Consulting Group, and a strategic communications consultant and rapid response advisor on the campaign, was paid $92,000 by the campaign.
The campaign paid creative digital firm Do Big Things $200,000 and Fried CO Media another $100,000. It paid the law firm of Pitta LLP a total of $180,000 for consulting and professional services. The firm’s leaders also run a lobbying business, Pitta Bishop Del Giorno LLC, which has lobbied Adams in the past. Tiffany Raspberry Consulting received $94,000 and My Brnd Inc was paid $77,000.
Some of the campaign's payments to consultants have come under question. The New York Post first reported that the campaign paid $81,000 to Edu Hermelyn, husband of Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte, who chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Party and endorsed Adams in the primary. Edu Hermelyn had a limited role on the campaign and little expertise in consulting work, according to the Post’s reporting, raising questions about whether the payments were based on patronage rather than experience.
Barely $107,000 was spent on professional services, largely for attorneys fees. But notably, about $48,000 of that went to the firm Abrams Fensterman, where Frank Carone, a top Adams ally, is a partner. Carone offered Adams office space, at least in the early days of his campaign and legal advice throughout. He and his wife hosted fundraisers for the mayor-elect and each donated the maximum amount to his campaign. According to Politico New York, Carone, who is also the longtime counsel to the Brooklyn Democratic Party, is under consideration to become Adams’ chief of staff.
Though the campaign spent $280,000 on office expenses, including supplies and equipment, it spent barely $78,000 on rent. Of that rent, $40,000 was paid to the Guy R. Brewer United Democratic Club in Queens for office space. Another $12,000 each went for office space rentals to 330 Empire LLC and 1015 Nostrand LLC, $4,000 to 1389 Construction Corp, and $3,000 to E & N Refrigeration Corp. Those rental expenses include only $680 in payments to rent space at Carone’s office in June this year.
Adams’ campaign spent more than $870,000 on campaign worker salaries. Campaign manager Katie Moore, political director of the Hotel Trades Council before joining the campaign, was paid more than $144,000 for her work. Deputy campaign manager Pragya Nandini was paid about $95,000. Top campaign aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who is also the Deputy Brooklyn Borough President under Adams, was paid more than $81,000. As reported by The City, she did not take a leave of absence and was also being paid for her official duties at the time, with an annual salary of $172,900.
Independent spenders put $8.18 million behind Adams’ campaign. Most of that financial support came from Strong Leadership NYC Inc, in about $6.3 million in spending. The PAC was created by Jenny Sedlis, executive director of StudentsFirstNYC, a pro-charter school and education reform advocacy group. The PAC’s top donors were hedge fund managers Steve Cohen, Daniel Loeb, and Kenneth Griffin. Hotel Workers for Stronger Communities, a PAC backed by the Hotel Trades Council, which endorsed Adams fairly early in the primary, spent more than $1 million to support him.
Those independent expenditures were largely made during the primary, helping boost Adams to a narrow victory. By the time the primary concluded, outside groups had spent about $7.7 million to support him, far eclipsing the combined outside spending for his two main opponents, former counsel to the mayor Maya Wiley and former sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia. Wiley received more than $2.2 million in independent support while Garcia only got about $200,000. In sum during the primary, the money spent in support of Adams — both by his campaign and outside entities — was more than the combined spending for Garcia and Wiley.
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by Samar Khurshid, senior reporter, Gotham Gazette
@samarkhurshid @GothamGazette