Mayor Adams is leaning toward naming controversial attorney Randy Mastro as his next top deputy at City Hall, two sources familiar with the situation told the Daily News.
A third source, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity, said a formal appointment of Mastro to become first deputy mayor could come as early as Wednesday.
Mastro, a onetime top official in Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration and attorney who has championed conservative causes in court, didn’t return calls and messages Tuesday. Spokespeople for Adams didn’t immediately return a request for comment, either.
Mastro’s expected return to City Hall comes after Adams last year nominated him to become the city government’s corporation counsel. In a stinging setback for the mayor, Mastro withdrew his nomination for the top municipal legal role after City Council Democrats made clear in a grueling confirmation hearing that they would not vote to approve him due to concerns about his legal record and work for Giuliani.
Unlike the corporation counsel role, Mastro does not need Council confirmation to serve as first deputy mayor.
The News previously reported that Mastro became a front-runner for the first deputy post after Frank Carone, a longtime adviser to Adams who served as his first chief of staff, mounted a behind-the-scenes push for Mastro. Another official who has been under consideration to become the next first deputy is Jacques Jiha, Adams’ budget director.
If appointed, Mastro will replace Maria Torres-Springer.
Torres-Springer and three of her fellow deputy mayors — Meera Joshi, Anne Williams-Isom and Chauncey Parker — submitted their resignations last month after voicing concern about Adams’ ability to lead the city. Those concerns came amid the Trump Department of Justice’s effort to drop Adams’ federal corruption indictment without prejudice, an arrangement many say makes Adams beholden to Trump.
The four deputies committed upon submitting their resignations that they would stay in their roles until Adams appointed their successors.
The departures prompted stepped-up calls for Adams to resign or be removed from office, though Gov. Hochul, the only official who has that power, said late last month she’s holding off on taking any such action for now in favor of seeking new state oversight of his administration.
It was not immediately clear who will replace Joshi and Williams-Isom. Sources have said the mayor is likely to name NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Operations Kaz Daughtry to replace Parker, the deputy mayor for public safety.
