Randy Mastro, Mayor Eric Adams’ pick to be the city’s next top lawyer, will face a gauntlet of questions from the City Council during a Tuesday morning hearing amid controversy over his nomination.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Council Member Keith Powers, who chairs the council’s Rules Committee, will lead the proceeding, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Aug. 27. The hearing precedes the council’s upcoming Sept. 14 vote on Mastro’s nomination to corporation council; the body holds approval power over the position.
In addition to Mastro himself, members of the public will also get the chance to testify for and against his nomination.
The hearing will be council members’ first, and likely only, chance to publicly question Mastro, whom Adams nominated to serve as the city’s next chief lawyer after the post’s last occupant — Sylvia Hinds-Radix — resigned earlier this summer. The corporation counsel helms the city’s Law Department and represents the mayor and City Council when the city is sued or wants to go on a legal offensive against outside entities.
Lawmakers will be asking questions aimed at determining whether Mastro will truly serve as an attorney for all branches of city government, or if he would be more beholden to the mayor as many members fear, according to a City Council spokesperson.
“The Corporation Counsel is the city’s top attorney, leading the Law Department and representing all of city government, including its agencies, elected officials, and New Yorkers. The nominee for this prestigious position must have the confidence of all city officials, demonstrate independence and a commitment to justice, and serve the best interest of the public,” the spokesperson said, in a statement. “As part of a transparent public process, the Council looks forward to hearing from the nominee, asking him questions about his record and qualifications, and receiving public testimony at Tuesday’s hearing.”
Adams nominated Mastro over the objections of two prominent City Council caucuses that, between them, boast 36 members of the 51-member body.
The caucuses said they opposed Mastro because of his time working for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, as his chief of staff and a deputy mayor. They also cited his history of representing conservative clients like former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the oil giant Chevron.
On top of that, the caucuses raised concerns that Mastro would be more of the mayor’s attorney than the council’s, following reporting that Adams sought to replace Hinds-Radix with Mastro to have an attorney who would be more aggressive on multiple legal troubles surrounding his administration.
However, since Adams formally nominated Mastro last month, the attorney has fiercely defended his record in a series of interviews with amNewYork Metro and other outlets.
Mastro has pointed to his pro-bono work on behalf of racial justice protesters in 2020 and his roles serving on the boards of various good government groups, hoping to assuage council members’ concerns.
Mastro has also argued that representing his past controversial clients was simply a result of being a successful private attorney and council members should see his ability to win on their behalf as a plus for the body were he to be named corporation counsel.
