The Weekly Watchdog
Welcome! Or welcome back! Citizens Union is back in your mailbox every weekend to keep you up to date on the most important news impacting New York and good government policy.
And, wow, did we pick a crazy week to start. In case you missed the latest resignation letter from the SDNY office, a former prosecutor who worked on Adams’ case, Hagan Scotten, also resigned, ending his letter with, “I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward to, file your motion. But it was never going to be me.”
With our current Mayor under President Trump’s thumb, numerous challenges for Gracie Mansion, Albany and the usual chaos of what is New York politics amid information overload, we think there’s no better time to give you a digest of the must-read-articles from the past week to keep you up to speed on the civic life of New York City and State.
These stories may be about the top news in the city, what we think is important but overlooked, and efforts to make New York government more accountable, transparent, honest, and held to the highest ethical standards (or instances where New York fails to do so…*cough cough* see stories below).
Over the next few months, we will continue to unveil new projects we’re working on at Citizens Union to keep you informed and advance our good government goals, so keep an eye out for further updates.
News Worth Clicking
| The News Push to Drop Adams Charges Reveals a Justice Dept. Under Trump’s Sway The New York Times |
The Justice Department issued a directive to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York to drop the criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has been seen as cozying up to President Trump ever since the Mayor was charged in September in case Trump won the election. Well, Trump did win, and the Mayor has not stopped. His reward? Very likely dropped charges with a side of obeying Trump for as long as the President lives. His loss? Probably his personal autonomy. By William Rashbaum, Dana Rubinstein, Glenn Thrush, Michael Rothfeld & Jonah Bromwich |
| And then…. Interim Manhattan U.S. Attorney Resigns Days After Being Ordered to Drop Case Against Eric Adams The CITY |
Three days later, Acting Director of the SDNY’s office, Danielle Sassoon, refused the DOJ’s directive and resigned from her post, defending the office’s charges. Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who issued the directive on Monday and served as Acting Attorney General during the first days of Trump’s administration, then tried to move the case to the DOJ’s main offices in DC, which then prompted five other lawyers in that office to resign. By Greg Smith |
| And finally…. Prosecutors were prepping to charge Eric Adams with destroying evidence, Manhattan US attorney’s resignation letter reveals The New York Post |
Furthermore, Sassoon’s letter of resignation revealed that the office planned to bring a superseding indictment against Adams for obstruction of justice and the Mayor’s lawyers tried to engage in quid pro quo to institute the Department’s agenda if the charges were dropped. New Board Chair of Citizens Union, John Avlon, offered the following comment: “The allegations…that Mayor Eric Adams engaged in a ‘quid pro quo’ with the Trump administration to evade his upcoming trial on five counts of corruption – cannot be ignored by New York City and State leaders. The largest city government in the nation cannot allow longstanding public policy to be used as a bargaining chip in one man’s desperate pursuit of a get-out-of-jail-free card.” By Steve Nelson, Ben Kochman, Craig McCarthy |
| On to the Mayor’s Race Eric Adams Discussed Possible Republican Primary Run With G.O.P. Leader The New York Times |
Alright, let’s move on to other crucial city stories, like Mayor Adams’ reelection campaign. Multiple New York media outlets have reported that Adams is considering running as a Republican in his bid for reelection to City Hall. Can anyone say they’re surprised? With dismal poll numbers, numerous scandals, and former-Governor Cuomo likely jumping in and stealing portions of his base, Adams winning reelection as a Democrat would be a wild ending to this primary season. Winning a reelection as a Republican in November? That’d be even wilder. By Nicholas Fandos |
| Not-So-Good-Gov NYPD misconduct complaints surge, but many cases dismissed, watchdog report finds Gothamist |
Separate from Eric Adams’ woes, the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board issued its annual report this week, highlighting higher civilian misconduct complaints against the NYPD since 2012 and higher dismissal rate of those complaints from the NYPD. None of this is a surprise considering stories this past year on the topic when the department was led by now former Police Commissioner Eddie Caban, but it does make us wonder how new Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will approach the issue. She has largely cleaned house so far, firing some department leadership and cracking down on overtime. Will the directional changes continue with the CCRB? By Charles Lane & Samantha Max |
| Good Gov New York Democrats shelve bill allowing governor to delay special elections State of Politics |
Albany Dems tried keeping the US House Republicans majority as narrow as possible, even if that meant leaving some of the state’s constituents without a voice for over half a year before Governor Hochul shelved the bill at the beginning of the week. We understand that the bill is not quite dead yet, but as a good government group, CU is against this. In a letter sent to Democratic leaders last week, Reinvent Albany joined CU in saying, “Changing election law mid-cycle to serve immediate political objectives undermines the principles of good governance.” By Jack Arpey |
| Did we just beat Citizens United?!? Public campaign finance has been a success so far, report finds City & State |
Finally, some good news. No, we did not beat Citizens United, but New York may have found one remedy! The Brennan Center for Justice released a report last week recapping the state’s first cycle using the public matching funds campaign finance program, and the numbers are stellar. The topline? Large dollar and special interest funding dropped from 72% to 38% of all campaign fundraising! The report is worth reading, but it’s clear, New York’s public matching systems are models for all states. By Rebecca Lewis |
| Commentary The Mayor and New York City Held Hostage Vital City |
Elizabeth Glazer, founder of the policy journal, Vital City, argues in the magazine this week that Mayor Adams is President Trump’s pawn and all of us New Yorkers are the President’s hostages. Glazer goes further, using a little help from your very own Citizens Union to paint why Adams is the perfect candidate for the job. Read for yourself to find out why. By Elizabeth Glazer |
| CU in the News Watchdog group responds to federal authorities withdrawing migrant funding NY1 |
And lastly, we’ll end with highlighting our work. We’ve peppered our involvement this week in some of the stories above, but new CU Board Chair John Avlon also went on NY1 on Thursday to highlight our response to the Trump Administration’s attempt to seize $80.5 million from NYC’s bank accounts. Bottom line: “The Trump administration’s unilateral seizure of funds from New York City’s bank accounts sets a dangerous precedent…[T]he arbitrary removal of these funds—without warning or due process—jeopardizes essential services and erodes public trust. State and City leaders must stand firm in defending New York and stand strong against Washington’s attempt to impose their political agenda through intimidation.” By Rocco Vertuccio |