WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update News Journal Update - City Hall’s alleged line-cutting list goes beyond Turkey, deeper budget cuts, hotel prices soar

 

Dear New Yorkers,

THE CITY has learned that the FBI, as part of its probe into the 2021 campaign of Mayor Eric Adams, is looking at a list of property owners that may have allowed prominent developers to cut the line for crucial fire inspections.

The so-called Deputy Mayor of Operations (DMO) List — kept by the mayor’s office under both former Mayor Bill de Blasio and Adams — started in 2021 as a way to cut red tape. It was supposed to benefit small businesses. Instead, it wound up favoring big-money developers, according to allegations made in a lawsuit by Joseph Jardin, formerly the FDNY’s chief of fire prevention.

Jardin, who retired after being demoted, is now suing the city alleging retaliation after he protested the use of this list and other behavior he and six other ex-FDNY chiefs deemed “corrupt.” In that suit, the former chief highlights serious safety concerns he saw in the Adams administration.

Jardin is among other FDNY officials who have been interviewed by federal law enforcement, according to a source familiar with the ongoing and widening probe into the 2021 Adams campaign.

Last spring, Jardin told the FBI about an interaction in 2021 when Adams was still the Brooklyn borough president, but soon to become mayor. As first reported by The New York Times, Adams allegedly pressured the FDNY to reinspect a newly constructed 35-story Midtown building housing the Turkish consulate where the fire safety system had failed an inspection.

Jardin described the interaction to the FBI as one example of a broader effort by City Hall — under de Blasio, and then Adams — to help big real estate developers sail past the often confounding obstacles that ordinary property owners experience when they try to get approvals from city agencies.

Read more here

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Friday's Weather Rating: 7/10. Another really nice day, with high temperatures in the lower 60s and partly cloudy skies. Clouds will increase as the day goes on with a storm system approaching the area tonight. Still, for most of the day the vibes are pretty dang good!

Our Other Top Stories

More on the Adams probe: You may have heard reports that City Hall staffer Rana Abbasova has been placed on leave amid the federal investigation, and we now know her home was also raided by the FBI. THE CITY had previously reported here and here that Abbasova traveled with Adams to Turkey when he was borough president and that she coordinated a meeting between Adams and the Turken Foundation, an entity backed by the son and daughter of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Programs including expanded universal pre-kindergarten, some trash pickup, and library services have been slashed as part of the mayor’s “extremely painful” cuts in a newly-announced budget modification. Additionally, every agency will see 5% budget reductions this month. Sources also told THE CITY there will be further cuts in January 2024.  The price of hotel rooms in New York City is skyrocketing as thousands of rooms are diverted to shelter asylum seekers and the crackdown on Airbnb eliminates many short-term rentals. The average daily hotel rate in New York City recently reached $362.70, up sharply from $291.22 for the same period in 2019. And rates are likely to continue to increase in 2024, with the average rate for the year exceeding $300 a night. The U.S. House Ethics Committee on Thursday reported “substantial evidence” that Queens/Long Island Rep. George Santos had committed crimes — including filing false or incomplete paperwork, and improperly using campaign funds for Sephora, Botox and OnlyFans. Moments later, Santos announced he would not seek re-election, but that he would continue his current term. The House committee is referring its findings to the Justice Department. Here’s the latest economic recovery report from THE CITY: New state stats show New York City lost 14,000 jobs in October, moving away from a hoped-for restoration of all positions that were lost in the pandemic. That raises questions about whether the mayor jumped the gun by announcing last month the city had recovered all the 949,000 jobs lost.

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Saturday, Nov. 18: Queens Botanical Garden birding event with NYC Audubon. Tickets $8-10, which includes garden admission, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 19: Sunday Zine Fair, a daylong event with 60 invited exhibitors, at the Brooklyn Museum. Free from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22: The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon inflation event. Free from 12-6 p.m. on the Upper West Side (the entrance to the viewing area is at W. 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue).

THE KICKER: A Boeing 747 cargo plane that took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport was forced to return after a horse broke loose in its hold less than half an hour after takeoff.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Friday.

Love,

THE CITY

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