By: Hellen Zaboulani
Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams said there is at least one Mayor de Blasio aid that he would potentially keep.
As reported by the NY Post, the mayoral frontrunner and current Brooklyn Borough President said he won’t automatically clean house at City Hall if he wins. Adams praised New York City Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Steven Banks, saying he has brought “fresh ideas,” and displayed qualities of a good public servant. “There’s some commissioners and deputy mayors — you look at the amazing things that Banks has done. I knew him when he was an advocate for the legal services, and he was always an advocate,” Adams said in a TV interview on PIX 11 that aired on Friday. “I thought he brought fresh ideas.”
“We’re not looking to just remove everyone,” Adams said. “We want to have a real transition of looking at the best talent.” A campaign rep for Adams replied to The Post on Sunday, reiterating that the former NYPD captain, “respect” Banks, although no official decision has been made yet as to whether the homeless-services chief would actually be asked to stay on if Adams were to take office in January. “Mr. Banks is someone Eric respects and spoke with, but there will be a process for naming administration officials in the future when appropriate,” wrote spokesman Evan Thies.
The question had come up when PIX11’s Dan Mannarino had asked if Adams would want a “fresh start among all agencies” or if he would potentially keep some of Mayor de Blasio’s aides. The question was likely prompted by a report on Thursday by the NY Times, which said that Mayor Bill de Blasio himself would likely serve as an adviser to Adams, if the later was successful in his bid for mayor. As per a source for The Post the current mayor and Adams speak on a regular basis—almost daily.
“We’re going to put in place an extensive transition team, we’re going to look for smart New Yorkers,” Adams had said on ABC’s “Up Close with Bill Rittter,” adding that he wants “emotionally intelligent” people for his potential administration. “This is going to be an exciting moment for our city,” said Adams. “We’re going to finally end inequalities, deal with the public safety, build our city and our economy and attract businesses back to this city, and we need the right team to do so, and I’m open for that transition team to find the right people to serve the city of New York.”
