New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber, who has done a stellar job these past four years, must rescind her resignation (which is effective this coming Friday) and Mayor Mamdani must agree to keep her on. Both Strauber and Mamdani will benefit, as will the city government of more than 8 million New Yorkers.
Strauber is smart and independent and proved both by aiding in the federal indictment of Mayor Eric Adams and in the state indictment of Adams’ top aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin.
Mamdani will have nothing to fear from Strauber as long as he runs an honest administration, which is his intent.
The new mayor is best served by a fearless watchdog making sure that the public’s interests are protected from thievery and graft, which is sure to happen.
Thankfully, Strauber wants to continue in her role, but when she learned that other contenders were also under consideration and until Mamdani decided she would remain only in an interim position, it rightfully became untenable. It was like having a month-to-month arrangement on an apartment instead of a signed permanent lease; the moment the tenant bothered the landlord, out you go. A DOI commissioner can’t walk on eggshells trying to appease a mayor while seeking that mayor’s nomination and also keep guard.
Mamdani didn’t move fast enough to offer Strauber the job, but there’s still time for both Strauber and Mamdani to speak and for him to ask that she withdraw her resignation and that he will nominate her to the permanent post.
The state Public Officers law §31.4 allows for resignation letters to be withdrawn with “the consent of the officer to whom it is delivered.” So if Strauber rescinds her letter, Mamdani can agree.
Under Strauber, this was no Department of Whitewash from the Adams indictment on down. Indeed, DOI is still probing Adams.
And there is other unfinished work, as Strauber has been directed by the City Council to prepare a report on the city’s knowledge of health risks in the areas near the World Trade Center following the 9/11 attacks. That report, which could help clarify what the city knew and when after now nearly a quarter century of stonewalling by successive mayors, is due in roughly a year and a half.
We don’t doubt the ability of the DOI in Strauber’s absence to carry on with this mission, but she’s already demonstrated she can handle sensitive matters professionally and independently from City Hall pressure, so why not keep her at the helm? (On that note, Mamdani himself should move towards releasing the WTC files independent of the DOI.)
Assuring a continuity of leadership at DOI under the well-respected former federal prosecutor would be an opportunity for the new mayor to emphasize a commitment to accountability and transparency, commitments that were made but not exactly honored by his predecessor, to what one could call disastrous effects.
DOI is about helping city government run as efficiently as possible for the New Yorkers that depend on it every day, something that cannot happen if it is being hampered by negligence, malfeasance and corruption. It’s best to be proactive about these things and we can trust Strauber to be. We hope the mayor understands that too and not only officially nominates Strauber but pushes for additional funding to make sure that DOI is well-resourced enough to fully carry out its critical mission.
