Lander Looks to Close Corruption Loopholes While Adams Fends Off Federal Probe

Comptroller Brad Lander has some recommendations to reduce corruption in municipal government, as a federal investigation continues to frustrate Mayor Eric Adams’s administration.

Lander — who announced in July he was running against Adams for mayor — unveiled a four-point plan Tuesday morning that he claims would leave less room for corruption and nepotism in New York City’s contracting process.

The recommendations included requiring contractors to have subcontractors approved by city agencies hiring them, reducing the availability of emergency procurements by the government, making changes to the oversight of not-for-profit contracts for human services, and the launch of a performance management system known as ContractStat. Lander had previously pitched the ContractStat system, which monitors city contracts.

“New Yorkers deserve an honest, trustworthy, well-managed city government that safeguards our taxpayer dollars against waste, fraud and abuse,” Lander said in a statement. “We should use this moment of crisis to make real change — so people can wake up every day trusting that their government is working for them.” 

Lander’s proposal comes days after two former New York Fire Department chiefs were arrested after allegedly accepting bribes to quicken the approvals of fire-safety systems for developments across the city. Those arrests led to more sparring between Adams and members of the press later in the day.

The public advocate’s comment about the Adams administration being in a state of chaos, in particular, provoked a cynical laugh from the mayor.

“Now, he said that [today] or Jan. 3, 2022? Three days [into the administration] he said we were in crisis,” Adams responded. “You lose the credibility of the message when your message doesn’t change no matter what the state is. … When you do a reflection, you’re going to see that I am the person that I stated I am. I can manage no matter what we are facing.”

But it wasn’t the only moment of contention during Adams’s weekly Q&A session. He kicked it off with a warning that he would not comment on the ongoing investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and shot down questions from reporters who persisted in asking about the elephant in the room. 

“We’re not going to be distracted, and one of the distractions is being asked the same question over and over and over again,” an aggravated Adams told reporters at City Hall before even taking questions. “The investigations will resolve themselves, so I’m not going to be consumed by the same questions over and over.”

The press conference was the first for Adams in the days following the Sept. 12 resignation of former ​​New York City Police Department Commissioner Edward Caban and the Sept. 4 seizure of electronics owned by both Caban and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.

Another problem for Adams arose Sunday when his Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg resigned, possibly over the mayor’s refusal to take her advice and fire three other officials who are targets of the investigation.

Some real estate industry leaders have voiced concern over the mayor’s ability to hold his own policy initiatives together, as the investigation threatens stability of city agencies involved in development as well as keeping the streets safe.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.