Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday said he intended to press forward with his expected nomination of Randy Mastro as New York City’s top lawyer despite mounting opposition from the City Council.
Mr. Adams and his top aides defended Mr. Mastro, a former aide to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani who is known for his aggressive tactics representing numerous big-name interests and clients, arguing that he had been called the “conscience” of the Giuliani administration.
The mayor said it was unfair to attack Mr. Mastro for his clients, which include the former New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, in the investigation of George Washington Bridge lane closings; the State of New Jersey in an ongoing lawsuit against the federal government over congestion pricing; and the energy company Chevron over pollution in the Ecuadorean rain forest.
The expected nomination of Mr. Mastro as New York’s corporation counsel — the lawyer who represents the city, its agencies and the mayor in civil litigation — comes at a time when the mayor and his top aides are facing a tangle of investigations and lawsuits ahead of his re-election campaign next year.
But Mr. Mastro, a former federal prosecutor, must be confirmed by a majority of the 51-member City Council. And earlier in the day, 34 members of the Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus released a statement noting their opposition to his appointment.
“We deserve better than someone who has fought for the interests of top-earners, abusive corporations, and vindictive politicians,” the group said in the statement, adding that the caucus was “firm in its opposition” and urging the Adams administration to reconsider.
Mr. Mastro’s nomination seems headed for a contentious showdown at the City Council, just months after the Council fought the mayor in January over two criminal justice bills. The Council prevailed, overriding the mayor’s veto of the bills — the first override of a Democratic mayor since 1991.
Left-leaning Council members have publicly criticized Mr. Mastro and his ties to Mr. Giuliani after The New York Times reported last week that Mr. Adams was moving to hire Mr. Mastro. But more moderate members have also privately shared their concerns with one another.
Mr. Mastro has met with City Hall officials about the corporation counsel job and notified his law firm, King & Spalding, about his likely departure for the position, according to two people who were familiar with the matter.
Mr. Adams credited Mr. Mastro with “a pretty impressive list of things that he has done,” a sentiment that was repeated by other city officials, including Lisa Zornberg, the mayor’s chief counsel.
Ms. Zornberg compared Mr. Mastro to John Adams, the founding father who defended British officers accused of murder after the Boston Massacre, and said that Mr. Mastro had fought for “racial justice issues,” noting his representation of demonstrators who participated in Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020 outside the White House.
If the City Council kills Mr. Mastro’s nomination, it could be a major political loss mirroring Gov. Kathy Hochul’s humiliating defeat last year over her nomination of Hector D. LaSalle to lead the state’s highest court.
The opposition to Mr. Mastro’s appointment rose immediately. As the council speaker’s office began to reach out to gauge how some members felt about the potential appointment, several contacted the speaker, Adrienne Adams, or her aides to voice their opposition.
In its statement opposing Mr. Mastro, the Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, whose membership makes up two-thirds of the Council, cited Mr. Mastro’s history of fighting Council priorities such as protecting low-wage workers and the homeless.
“Given his professional track record representing dubious clients, which has included bringing numerous lawsuits against the City of New York, Mastro is unfit to serve as the city’s chief lawyer,” the statement said.
Sandy Nurse, a councilwoman from Brooklyn who is one of the leaders of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, noted Mr. Mastro’s role in Ecuador’s class-action suit against Chevron.
When she heard that Mr. Mastro was being considered, Ms. Nurse said, she immediately flagged it for other members. They told her of their own list of cases that made them wary of Mr. Mastro’s being hired.
Mr. Mastro lacks “ethical standards and good judgment” about right and wrong, Ms. Nurse said.
The city’s left-leaning public advocate, Jumaane Williams, also questioned whether Mr. Mastro would represent the city’s best interests and praised the current corporation counsel, Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix.
“Even in disagreement, you always got the sense she had the city’s best interest in mind,” he said. “She rightly viewed herself as New York City’s attorney. Randy Mastro will most certainly be the mayor’s attorney. We should be concerned.”
Ingrid Lewis-Martin, one of the mayor’s top aides, expressed confidence in a recent television interview that the Council would confirm Mr. Mastro, and cited his accomplishments, including his leadership of the good-government group Citizens Union.
Ms. Lewis-Martin also called Ms. Adams, the Council speaker, “a really wise woman.”
“I believe that once she reads his résumé, and once she meets him, she will be as impressed with him as the mayor and our team members are,” she said.
