| | | | |  | | By Sally Goldenberg, Julia Marsh and Zachary Schermele | | | |  Timothy Pearson, third from left, joins Eric Adams, center, as he is sworn in as the 110th mayor of the city of New York on Jan. 1, 2022, in New York. | Arturo Holmes/Getty Images | On paper, Timothy Pearson is New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ senior adviser for public safety and Covid-19 recovery. In practice, he’s “the most powerful person in City Hall besides the mayor himself,” a former high-ranking Adams administration official told our Sally Goldenberg for her profile of the retired NYPD inspector. Though he left his controversial second job with Resorts World, Pearson still earns one of the highest salaries in the Adams administration at $242,600, and most New Yorkers have never heard of him. Interviews with 20 people revealed that Pearson has a broad, if ill-defined role. They agreed he has unfiltered access to Adams, going back nearly 40 years to their tours in the NYPD, and many said he’s got a knack for crisis management — even if they can’t explain exactly what he does. When he’s not at home delving into personnel matters within the NYPD, he’s deploying around the U.S. and the globe. In the last year and a half, Pearson’s been on a fact-finding trip to the Texas-Mexico border amidst the city’s migrant crisis and a visit to Israel to recruit international business back to the Big Apple. Despite the busy itineraries, Pearson doesn’t have much of a paper trail. His role wasn’t even announced by City Hall, there’s no public accounting yet of his personal finances and an Adams spokesperson declined to provide details about how his trips were funded. Pearson’s paid by the city’s semi-private economic development arm, which allows him to operate largely in the shadows. “That position in the Economic Development Corporation does whatever the whims of the mayor are,” said ex-NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan, whom former Mayor Bill de Blasio tapped for a similar role. IT’S FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: agronewold@politico.com or on Twitter: @annagronewold WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany and Saratoga County. WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City, where he’ll appear live on “CNN This Morning.” Then he will deliver remarks at the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition’s first annual membership symposium. After that Adams will make an arts-and-culture-related announcement with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber before later attending the ribbon-cutting for Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace at The Rink at Rockefeller Center.
| | | | A message from Uber: NYC Uber drivers have gotten BIGGER RATE INCREASES than city employees. In the last two years, NYC Uber drivers have had their rates increased nearly 14%. That’s more than double the pay raises New York City employees have received. Learn More. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | The most powerful New Yorker you’ve never heard of, by POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg: When Mayor Eric Adams wanted his brother — a retired NYPD sergeant — named to a high-ranking security job, he turned to an old friend and former police official for help setting it up. When he needed information from the Southern border during an influx of Latin Americans seeking asylum in New York, he sent that same friend to Texas to suss out the situation. And when he was designing the top ranks of the NYPD — an agency central to his public safety mission — he leaned on that friend, Timothy Pearson, for input. “Police Contract Adds to City’s Labor Costs, Raising Stakes in Mayor’s Budget Showdown With Council,” by THE CITY’s Greg David: “‘The Council has identified $5.2 billion in additional tax revenues and $2.7 billion in available resources,’ Council Finance Committee Chair Justin Brannan told THE CITY Thursday. ‘We know resilience doesn’t happen on its own and it doesn’t happen through further cuts – rather, resilience requires meaningful investments in our city. The money is there.’” “NYPD may be violating police surveillance transparency law,” by City and State’s Annie McDonough: “The Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD said that the department’s interpretation of the law is ‘contrary to the intent of the POST Act.’” “City to start tracking transportation data with new sensors,” by Brooklyn Daily Eagle’s staff: “The city government will start tracking transportation data with street activity monitors at 12 locations around the five boroughs. The new installations — created by Viva — will generate detailed reports that will allow planners to better understand the uses of city streets and inform future street designs. ‘From the police department to City Hall, I have dedicated so much of my career in public service to using modern technology to make government operate more effectively and most efficiently for New Yorkers. And this street activity sensor technology will allow us to make our streets safer more quickly,’ said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.” “Missing funding, real estate competition are slowing NY’s weed rollout, insiders say,” by WNYC’s Caroline Lewis: “Slowly but surely, CAURD licensees are starting to secure real estate and open dispensaries – both with and without the Dormitory Authority’s help. But industry insiders said it is a tough environment for people to find funding in general.”
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | “Assemblyman Patrick Burke accused of sexual harassment, promoting lewd office culture,” by Buffalo News’ Caitlin Dewey: “A former legislative director to Assemblyman Patrick B. Burke has filed a claim accusing the Orchard Park Democrat of sexual harassment, saying Burke repeatedly commented on women's appearances, joked about genitalia and discussed the sex lives of both his teenage son and fellow legislators in the office.” “Gov. Hochul holds line on bail as N.Y. budget talks continue nearly two weeks past deadline,” by Daily News’ Denis Slattery: “The governor, seeking changes to New York’s bail laws and an overhaul of the state’s approach to housing, reiterated Thursday that her priorities take precedence over punctuality. ‘As I’ve said from the beginning, the right budget is more important than an on-time budget,’ Hochul said following an infrastructure announcement in Rensselaer County.” “High School Journalists Demand Albany Expand Press Protections,” by THE CITY’s Safiyah Riddle: “A bill that would change that by increasing First Amendment protections for young reporters is gaining momentum in Albany this session after nearly seven years of advocacy. ‘Unless it’s a really big story, most local papers aren’t gonna be covering high school issues,’ said Violetta Atocha, a senior at Clinton High School in Manhattan.” “More than 130 nursing homes sue to block NY law capping profits,” by Times Union’s Raga Justin: “The lawsuit, filed late last week in state Supreme Court in Albany, names state Department of Health Commissioner James McDonald and Budget Director Robert Megna as defendants. It's the latest in a series of court actions that groups representing hospital associations and nursing home facilities have taken in recent years seeking to overturn the law.”
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | “Trump Faces Questioning in N.Y. Attorney General’s Lawsuit,” by The New York Times’ Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich, and William K. Rashbaum: “Donald J. Trump was being questioned under oath on Thursday in a civil fraud lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the latest in a series of legal predicaments entangling the former president, who also faces a separate 34-count criminal indictment unsealed last week. Ms. James’s civil case, which was filed in September and is expected to go to trial later this year, accuses Mr. Trump, his family business and three of his children of a ‘staggering’ fraud for overvaluing the former president’s assets by billions of dollars.” In Bragg v. Jordan, a familiar legal strategy emerges, by POLITICO’s Erica Orden: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s new lawsuit against Rep. Jim Jordan is an aggressive counterpunch for a first-term elected prosecutor who is typically averse to politics. But it’s not the first time that Bragg, a Democrat, has fought House Republicans.
| | | | GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat. | | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman landed a backwards, one-handed basket from the half-court line as NBA legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving looked on at the opening of a new basketball court in Roosevelt. — A state appellate court in Albany denied an accidental disability retirement benefits’ application of a a Suffolk County police officer who got injured on desk duty. — Workers of an Upper West Side school have to pay thousands of dollars in parking tickets. — Chaos ensued at Grand Central because of a heat-related power issue in the Bronx. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC’s Garrett Haake … Sasha Issenberg … Nick Merrill … Shari Redstone … NYT’s Eileen Sullivan … Amy Brundage of SKDK … USTR’s Adam Hodge … Micah Fegenson … CNN’s Adam Levine … Brenna Williams
| | | | A message from Uber: NYC Uber drivers can get protection if they’re injured on the job. NYC Uber drivers have access to a range of disability payments up to $40,000 + monthly disability payments for one year + workers compensation if they have an accident on the job. Learn More. | | | | | Real Estate | | “The country’s biggest office-to-apartment conversion is underway inside the old Daily News office,” by WNYC’s David Brand: “More than 1,300 apartments will fill an empty office building in Lower Manhattan, making it the biggest residential conversion project in the country, its owners say. The building at 25 Water St. was once home to the Daily News and JPMorgan Chase, which cleared out earlier in the pandemic. New owners are using decades-old rules that ease residential conversions in the Financial District to gut the offices, carve out courtyards and add 10 floors to the 22-story structure.” “Commercial real estate woes weigh on New York City recovery, NY Fed says,” by Reuters’ Michael S. Derby: “Ongoing stress in the New York City commercial real estate sector is still creating economic headwinds for the region as it nears a complete recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s unclear when or if the sector will return to its prior strength, the New York Fed said Thursday.”
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