Adams’ pick for top counsel grilled by councilors

(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ pick for the city’s top lawyer is facing a rocky road as he tries to win support from a majority of the City Council for his confirmation.

Randy Mastro, a former chief of staff and deputy mayor for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, was tapped by Adams in April to serve as corporation counsel — the top attorney for city government. His nomination must be approved by the Democratic-controlled Council, which has approval power over the city’s top lawyer.

During Tuesday’s confirmation hearing, Mastro described himself as a “life-long Democrat” and said his law career, which includes pro bono work for social justice lawsuits, makes him a good pick for corporation counsel.

“I stood up to organized crime, mayors, governors, and even presidents when they got it wrong — and won,” Mastro said during his opening remarks. “I put my life on the line for this city, and I will do it again.”

But Democratic members of the council peppered Mastro for several hours with questions about his previous legal work in the city and elsewhere, many of them targeting his work for then-Mayor Giuliani, whose tough-on-crime approach to governing the city has been strongly criticized by Democrats and liberal groups.

Council Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-Powers suggested New Yorkers shouldn’t trust him to serve as the city government’s top attorney because he served in the “racist” Giuliani administration.

Councilwoman Diana Ayala, a Bronx Democrat, and the council’s deputy speaker, questioned Mastro’s “moral character” for representing a group of Upper West Side residents who tried to evict homeless people from a hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“How do you expect the public to trust that you’re gonna conduct litigation on behalf of the city with integrity and protect the dignity and safety of unhoused New Yorkers after that type of incident occurred under your watch?” Ayala said during Tuesday’s hearing.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who holds tremendous sway over his confirmation, suggested during that hearing that the qualifications for the top legal job involve more than just being a highly experienced attorney.

“There are many experienced and effective lawyers in our great city, but any prospective corporation counsel must meet a high standard of commitment to public service and justice,” Adams, a Democrat, said in opening remarks. “They also need New Yorkers’ trust and must be accountable to the public and the many officials represented by the Law Department.”

A majority of the members of the 51-member City Council have taken a stand against Mastro’s appointment. In April, the Council’s Black, Asian and Latino Caucus, representing 34 members, stated their opposition to his confirmation, citing his lawsuits against the city as a private attorney and for representing “dubious clients.”

Mastro, a former federal prosecutor, has represented a range of high-profile clients, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the Bridgegate scandal when his aides were accused of colluding to create traffic jams by closing lanes at the main toll plaza for the upper level of the George Washington Bridge to Manhattan.

He also worked with the Giuliani administration to combat organized crime in the since-closed Fulton Fish Market and the private carting industry.

He is currently representing New Jersey in its effort to block New York City’s congestion pricing plan, a controversial climate change initiative that will charge motorists from the Garden State a $15 toll to enter Manhattan.

If confirmed, Mastro would replace the city’s current corporation counsel, Sylvia Hinds-Radix, who is departing amid disagreements with Adams over a sexual harassment lawsuit he is facing.

The Council is expected to vote on Mastro’s nomination before its next full meeting, scheduled for Sept. 12.