Former Mayor Eric Adams was fined $4,000 for a mayoral campaign trail stunt last summer during which he handed out whistles for female reporters he said might feel “unsafe” talking to then-political opponent Andrew Cuomo.
Adams broke rules guarding government resources by having staffers on the city’s dime distribute whistles to reporters as a dig to Cuomo at the Aug. 22 City Hall news conference, the Conflicts of Interest Board said Monday.
At the news conference, Adams explained the whistles were to protect female reporters against unwanted advances from Cuomo, who was accused of alleged sexual harassment by 13 women. Cuomo has denied those allegations.
“Many of these women here are interviewing Andrew Cuomo, and they feel unsafe,” Adams said at the time. “They’re going to have a whistle to help them through it.”
Adams went on to endorse Cuomo’s bid for mayor just two months later. The former mayor exited the race Sept. 28. He had called the news conference to defend his longtime advisers Ingrid Lewis-Martin and Jesse Hamilton soon after they were indicted.
“I acknowledge that, by having City Hall staffers distribute whistles for attendees of an official City Hall press conference for the purpose of drawing negative attention to an opponent in my reelection campaign during that press conference and when they were required to be performing work for the City, I violated City Charter [rules],” Adams wrote in a disposition of the case dated in December.
“The Mayor cooperated fully with the Conflicts of Interest Board and resolved this matter promptly,” Todd Shapiro, a spokesperson for Adams, said in a statement. “The issue involved routine event preparation by staff and was never intended to support any political activity.”
A spokesman for Cuomo declined to comment.
At the time, Adams was seeking reelection despite numerous setbacks, including controversies regarding his federal charges and friendly relationship with President Trump and allegations of corruption within the upper ranks of his administration.
Adams has himself been accused of sexual assault.
Also on Monday, an ex-aide in Adams’ office was fined $400 for violating city rules by using his government email account to advertise a kickoff event for Adams’ reelection bid. That violation was first reported by the Daily News in June.
“I accidentally sent the email from my work account instead of my personal Gmail,” he wrote in an email to The News, adding he was multitasking at the time, dealing with personal matters.
And Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) was fined $2,000 for posting a press release, containing the seal of the City Council, about her support for Republican Curtis Sliwa’s run for mayor. The seal can’t be used for political endorsements, per city rules.
