Cloudy leadership over City Hall office

Presented by NY Renews, a project of Tides Advocacy

A new office created by New York City Mayor Eric Adams to audit government service delivery is so low-profile, it’s not clear who is running it.

In late January, the mayor quietly signed an executive order establishing the Office of Municipal Services Assessment to monitor “the delivery of services to the public and other key stakeholders [and] to ensure that services are delivered in a professional, equitable, efficient and effective manner.”

To helm that new investigatory arm, as POLITICO first reported, the administration tapped an NYPD Captain and deputy inspector named Miltiadis Marmara, who was on loan from the force but kept his $195,575 salary.

Just three months later, however, Marmara is no longer heading up the new office, according to two people aware of the arrangement — and it is unclear who is. City Hall declined to comment on Marmara’s departure, the reasons behind his short stint or whether someone else is taking his place.

The nebulous leadership picture comes at a time when oversight over city agencies is at greater risk of fracturing.

On Monday, the city’s Department of Investigation released a report showing high vacancy rates that have plagued city government since the pandemic have made anti-corruption and auditing efforts more difficult for two-thirds of agencies who reported strained staffing levels. In its response to that report, City Hall cited the services assessment office as one of the ways it is holding agencies accountable by centralizing oversight.

Since its inception, the division has reported to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, one of the mayor’s most trusted aides who avoided the spotlight in the administration’s early days and has been steadily expanding his influence over city government.

Banks has taken to hosting weekly public safety briefings with a variety of agency heads, an indication of how broadly the administration defines public safety and how Banks’ oversight stretches beyond the departments directly under him in the organizational chart. He has assumed more control over small police forces embedded in agencies such as the Department of Sanitation. And with the services assessment office, he holds influence across an even wider swath of municipal government — despite the mystery of who is at the wheel.

IT’S TUESDAY. New York still does not have a state budget. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: [email protected] or on Twitter: @annagronewold

WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City and Albany signing Legislation to expand reproductive health care.

WHERE’S ERIC? In the morning, Adams will call in live on 77 WABC’s “Sid and Friends.” Then, he will make a public space and economic development-related announcement in Brooklyn. After that, Adams will be in New York City delivering remarks at the New York City Police Department’s Wall of Heroes Memorial and participating in an interview at the Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Conference. Later, the mayor will host the city’s inaugural Eid al-Fitr celebration. In the evening, the mayor will deliver remarks at Phoenix Houses of NY’s Annual Gala and at the 5th Anniversary of Voice of South Asia TV in Staten Island.

WHAT CITY HALL IS READING


“Eric Adams is skipping the Met Gala, but other pols are going,” by City & State’s Jeff Coltin: “Is the glitz and glam of the Met Gala worth the scrutiny for politicians to attend? For New York City Mayor Eric Adams, maybe not – after going last year in a custom “End Gun Violence” tux, with girlfriend Tracey Collins.”

“NYPD’s top spokesman set to resign after just about a year on the job,” by New York Post’s Tina Moore and Craig McCarthy: “The NYPD’s head spokesman is set to exit after just about a year on the job — leaving a leadership vacuum in the department’s communications shop. Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Julian Phillips — a former TV journalist and self-described celebrity chef — will leave the NYPD in July, police officials said.”

“Newbie Cops Get Thrown at Problem Areas, Leading to Rookie Mistakes and Attrition,” by THE CITY’s Emily Swanson and Suhail Bhat: “Rookies in any field getting stuck with the toughest assignments is nothing new. But when it comes to police work, freshly minted officers are thrown directly into some of New York’s roughest neighborhoods, widening the potential for serious mistakes, data shows.”

Adams says Texas governor targeting ‘Black-run’ cities with migrant busing plan, by POLITICO’s Zachary Schermele: “Not only is this behavior morally bankrupt and devoid of any concern for the well-being of asylum seekers, but it is also impossible to ignore the fact that Abbott is now targeting five cities run by Black mayors,” Adams said of Gov. Greg Abbott.

— Andrew Mahaleris, an Abbott spokesperson, responded in a statement Monday night to POLITICO saying in part: “With millions of residents, New York is only dealing with a fraction of what our small border communities deal with on a day-to-day basis.”

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

“Lawmakers start passing NY’s $229B budget. Nobody’s happy about it,” by WNYC’s Jon Campbell: “Hardly anyone, however, seemed entirely happy with the final result of the broad spending plan that mixes in far-reaching policies that have little to do with the state’s finances. ‘Given what was before us, I think we did the best we could to minimize the harm from policies we did not agree with and to get things moving forward for the people of New York,’ said Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, D-Queens.”

THE BIG UGLY IS HERE: All the controversial stuff is stuffed into the education, labor, housing and family assistance (ELFA) bill this year. It dropped last night and lawmakers expect to vote on it today.

WATCH: On “Inside City Hall” last night, Gov. Hochul touched on housing, her controversial now-former aide Andrew Sullivan, bail reform, and more.

“N.Y. expanding its crackdown on illegal pot shops after inability under existing laws,” by Times Union’s Joshua Solomon: “State lawmakers are set to expand the government’s ability to shut down an estimated thousands of illegal pot shops in New York. The move by the state’s Democratic supermajorities comes after the state’s Office of Cannabis Management was able to use its limited emergency authority, granted five months ago, to enforce regulation violations involving at least 250 shops, according to data provided to the Times Union.”

“Hochul joins Micron to announce ‘community engagement committee,’” by City & State’s Kyle Chouinard: “In her first appearance after a protracted budget fight, the governor was all smiles about the chip manufacturing company.”

#UpstateAmerica: Start saving now, fair aficionados. The New York State Fair will double the price of its admission tickets and parking fees this summer.

FROM THE DELEGATION


“Ex-NY State Sen. Anna Kaplan files papers to challenge Rep. George Santos,” by Daily News’ Dan Goldiner: “Democratic NY state Sen. Anna Kaplan Monday filed paperwork to run in 2024 for the seat held by controversial Rep. George Santos. Kaplan, who lives in Great Neck, represented a big chunk of Santos’ NY-03 congressional district for two terms until losing her seat last year when the GOP swept seats across the New York City suburbs. She’s the third Democrat to file papers for possible runs against Santos, along with Nassau County legislator Josh Lafazan and St. John’s law professor William Murphy.”

TRUMP'S NEW YORK


E. Jean Carroll concludes testimony as judge denies Trump’s mistrial request, by POLITICO’s Erica Orden: Donald Trump’s lawyer attempted to highlight inconsistencies in E. Jean Carroll’s testimony during her third and final day on the witness stand Monday in Manhattan federal court, seeking to discredit her allegation that the former president raped her decades ago.

“Trump’s Lawyers Fight Bragg’s Effort to Limit Access to Evidence,” by The New York Times’ Jonah E. Bromwich and William K. Rashbaum: “In a court filing, Mr. Trump’s lawyers called the prosecutors’ request ‘extreme.’ They argued that any restrictions placed on Mr. Trump should apply to prosecutors as well, and said that barring the former president from discussing evidence would violate his First Amendment rights.”

AROUND NEW YORK


— New York City is about to open new $923 million public hospital building that is designed to be practically flood-proof.

— A proposed rule went into effect Monday hiking ambulance fees for New Yorkers by hundreds of dollars.

— Singer Ed Sheeran is continuing mini concerts in court to demonstrate he didn’t copy Marvin Gaye.

— A former state corrections officer admitted to assaulting someone held at a prison in Dutchess County and then filing a false report accusing the imprisoned person of being the aggressor.

— Union leaders at Rutgers University, where faculty went on strike for the first time in its history last month, have greenlit a tentative agreement.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Mika Brzezinski … CNN’s Poppy Harlow … Emily Tisch Sussman … BofA’s Bess Evans … former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker … former Rep. Robert Turner (R-N.Y.) … Rick Stengel … Jake Stevens … Katie (Thompson) Sansone … Leo Cendrowicz … Julianna Goldman … (was Monday): Jeffrey M. Wice … Rabbi Shalom Carmy ... Rina F. Chessin ... Jonathan Chait ... Sam Zieve Cohen (h/ts Jewish Insider)

MAKING MOVES — Dianna El Hioum is now chief growth strategist at Fox Rothschild LLP. She continues in her role as a partner at the firm.

Real Estate


“Jersey boys: Valley Bank emerges as lifeline for NYC real estate,” by The Real Deal’s Keith Larsen: “New York City landlords were panicking. Another bank failure seemed imminent, and the survivors were bailing on real estate. The industry braced for a capital markets freeze like the one 15 years ago, which left stalled projects and developers scrambling for rescue financing. Ira Robbins, though, seems unfazed. In late March, the 48-year old head of Valley Bank, a New Jersey-based lender with $57 billion in assets and overwhelming exposure to commercial real estate, sat in his immaculate office at One Penn Plaza with its panoramic views of the city and dished on the bank’s next moves.”