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Dear New Yorkers,

Winnie Greco, the mayor’s Director of Asian Affairs, is back in a city government job after being put on leave following an FBI raid back in February.

A City Hall source said Greco has been spotted since Friday at an office across from City Hall at 253 Broadway.

“She’s back,” the source told THE CITY. “Obviously, a lot of folks were like, ‘Woah!’”

At the time of the FBI raids on Feb. 28 of Greco’s homes in The Bronx — plus at a Flushing mall where she’d held numerous fundraisers for Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign — an administration source told THE CITY that Greco was on medical leave after suffering a medical episode.

That source added that, once recovered, Greco would go on unpaid leave after her vacation days were exhausted and that she would not be performing governmental work.

That didn’t last long.

A mayoral spokesperson confirmed Greco was back at work, saying it was determined last week that she could return. The spokesperson said Greco was working under the “direct supervision” of the Commissioner of the Community Affairs Unit, Fred Kreizman, but did not respond to questions about Greco’s salary, title or duties.

Read more about Greco and what’s known about her return to work here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Thursday's Weather Rating: 4/10. A decent start is the only real redeeming quality today. High temperatures reach near 70° F, but humidity and clouds increase with periods of rain expected this afternoon and tonight. The vibes are deteriorating ...

Our Other Top Stories

State legislators are demanding more scrutiny of a costly cannabis-related loan deal uncovered by THE CITY. The recipients of the loans are people impacted by the War on Drugs who were given early licenses to open dispensaries as the state rolled out its legal cannabis program. But, as THE CITY reported last month, the revealed details of the deal showed that the fund is locking licensees into high loans, backed by a private equity firm, with strict repayment terms likely to lead to default. The deal also ultimately leaves taxpayers responsible if the dispensaries fail. “Honestly, we all would have probably been run out of here,” said state Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D-Buffalo), “but the state should have just funded this themselves.”   The family of Win Rozario, a Queens teen fatally shot by NYPD officers, said cops immediately hauled them to the local precinct and interrogated them without an attorney the day of the incident. The NYPD then barred them from their home for over two days — despite their pleas to access medicine and feed their cat. “They were more worried about getting us out of the house than our well-being,” said Win’s brother Utsho Rozario, 17, at a press conference at City Hall yesterday, where the family called for the firing of the two officers involved in the shooting. Harrowing body-cam footage of the incident was released last week, as THE CITY previously reported. New York City schools Chancellor David Banks defended his record on antisemitism during a tense congressional hearing Wednesday, reports Chalkbeat. Appearing alongside school leaders from Montgomery Country, Maryland and Berkeley, California, along with an American Civil Liberties Union staff attorney — in a hearing convened by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce about “pervasive antisemitism in K-12 schools” — Banks maintained that NYC schools have consistently responded to troubling incidents with both education and discipline. The Equal Rights Amendment may be off the ballot in November, and we now know which candidates will be on your ballot in June. Get ready to vote again in New York’s second primary of 2024, on June 25. Here’s THE CITY’s 2024 voting guide with all the information you need.

Reporter’s Notebook

Myrie May Challenge Adams for Mayor

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie from Brooklyn announced Wednesday he’s exploring a run against Mayor Eric Adams next year.

He joins former comptroller and 2021 mayoral candidate Scott Stringer as, so far, the only two Democrats to publicly say they are considering challenging Adams in the 2025 primary.

“For too many New Yorkers that I speak to, they’re tired of the showmanship,” Myrie said in a statement, taking a swing at Adams. “New Yorkers want to see their government working relentlessly to make this city affordable, safe, and livable — and that’s why I’m taking the first steps to explore a race for mayor in 2025.”

His announcement comes on the heels of recent polls showing Adams’ favorability in the city is low. There is also a sexual assault lawsuit against Adams stemming from a decades-old incident — among other investigations into members of his administration.

Notably, Myrie represents the Brooklyn district where Adams served in the State Senate until 2013. Myrie was a housing advocate and lawyer before his election to the senate in 2018, where he has helped pass the Reproductive Health Act, the Child Victims Act, and a package of pro-tenant laws, according to a spokesperson.

— Katie Honan

Rents Rise With Interest Rates

The Federal Reserve is raising interest rates to slow the economy and bring down inflation. In New York, it is having the opposite effect by increasing rents in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the areas closely watched by the monthly Elliman Report issued Thursday.

Median rents on apartments for rent in Manhattan rose to $4,250 in April, a record for the month, according to the report. The effective rent, which includes free rent periods and other considerations for signing a lease, also set a record as new contracts surged and the need to offer concessions waned.

It was the third jump in the last four months.

The story was the same in Brooklyn, where the median rent hit an April record of $3,599.

While the city’s insufficient supply of new housing is the primary cause of the high rents, the recent increases are the result of the Fed’s actions, according to Jonathan Miller, the report’s author. “It's about high mortgage rates keeping would-be buyers camping out in the rental market,” said Miller.

— Greg David

Things To Do

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

Saturday, May 11: The Forest Park Greenhouse Tour, a once-a-year peek into the Queens greenhouse and nursery where the Parks Department grows thousands of plants to beautify parks in Brooklyn and Queens. Free form 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Forest Park Greenhouse in Forest Park, Queens. Saturday, May 11: Wonderful Warblers, a weekly event hosted by the Prospect Park Alliance with fun games, bird walks, experiments and citizen science projects. Free from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Audubon Center at the Boathouse in Prospect Park. Saturday, May 11: The Street Vendor Walking Tour, an opportunity to meet local vendors and learn about the history of street vending. (Also check out the Street Vendor Project’s citywide scavenger hunt, ongoing through May 17.) Tickets are $10 (light bites are included) and registration is required. The event takes place from 12 to 1 p.m. in Times Square.

THE KICKER: A wild turkey has wandered into Midtown Manhattan in recent days. Where did it come from? How did it get here? Why does it prefer Park Avenue?

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

Love,

THE CITY

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