Eric Adams Can Hire His Brother, but at Salary of $1, Not $210,000

[demmiblue]

Source: NYT

When a furor erupted over Mayor Eric Adams’s decision to hire his brother to manage his security detail, the mayor retroactively sought formal guidance from the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board and vowed to abide by its determination.

On Thursday, the board made its ruling public: Eric Adams’s brother Bernard can in fact work for New York City, albeit in a much-diminished and uncompensated role.

After discussions between the mayor’s office and the board, new terms of employment were agreed upon: Instead of earning $210,000 a year, he will earn $1; instead of serving as the “executive director of mayoral security” within the confines of the New York Police Department, he will instead serve as a “senior adviser for mayoral security” within the office of the mayor.

No city personnel will be allowed to report to him. Nor can he have any “command authority” at the Police Department, according to the Jan. 26 determination, released Thursday morning via a Freedom of Information request.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/27/nyregion/eric-adams-brother-bernard.html

[dchill]

1. That seems like a better idea.

[calimary]

2. Yes. It does.

Good way to demonstrate, publicly, that you're against grifters and nepotism.

[msongs]

4. installing your brother in any capacity is nepotism lol nt

[calimary]

13. Well in one way, certainly.

But in another way, his brother won’t be sucking a six-figure salary off the taxpayers.

And, what if his brother might have some talent or creativity or ingenuity to contribute for the benefit of New Yorkers? Hey, could happen. Stranger things certainly have.

At this early point I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt. And we shall certainly see if it’s deserved.

[kiri]

8. "practicing nepotism among the coeds"

I remember some trash magazine from my teen years trying to smear a politician by accusing him of "practicing nepotism among the coeds."

Learnt a new word, but the scandal was disappointing.

[padah513]

3. Lol I bet his brother doesn't take the job.

I want to believe in Adams but he's making it hard with all the nepotism

[George II]

5. "All the nepotism"? It's one person. I remember when JFK chose his Attorney General - brother RFK.

[Lasher]

15. Six years later the Bobby Kennedy Law went into effect.

Subsequently, future administrations would be prohibited from hiring relatives. But Trump's DOJ broke that tradition, paving the way for White House jobs for Jared and Ivanka.

Trump Put Ivanka and Jared In The White House After Past Presidents Were Told it Was Unlawful

Breaking with decades of precedent, a Justice Department lawyer dismissed anti-nepotism guidelines that denied four former presidents from hiring family members in order to grant President Donald Trump the "freedom" to name son-in-law Jared Kushner to a top White House job.

Legal memos issued during four previous presidencies stated it was unlawful for presidents to hire family members, but Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel Koffsky changed the department's longstanding opinion on January 20, paving the way for Trump to hire Kushner and eventually daughter Ivanka Trump.

Past presidents have made attempts to name family members to commissions and posts before. Obama attempted to name his half-sister to a fellowship commission and his brother-in-law to a fitness commission in 2009, according to The Hill, but Obama was advised against doing so by then acting assistant attorney general David Barron.

The memos, released Tuesday by Justice under a Freedom of Information Act request by Politico, were legal advice offered by the Office of Legal Counsel over an anti-nepotism law passed by Congress in 1967. And until Trump entered the White House, the administrations of Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama were all held to the federal statute.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-ivanka-jared-kushner-nepotism-676743

[Demovictory9]

7. I bet he won't take it either. work all day all week for free?

[multigraincracker]

12. Couldn't even afford Sunday NY Times.

NY ain't a cheap place to live.

[Demovictory9]

14. items at 99 cent store now cost $1.25

[Beastly Boy]

11. Apparently, it was Bernard Adams himself who offered the arrangement, which COIB then agreed to.

But a City Hall official said Thursday that Bernard Adams “proactively offered” to take an unpaid post after an initial discussion with COIB.

“Bernard Adams is uniquely qualified for this job, and in order to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, he offered to serve for the nominal salary of $1,” said Max Young, the mayor’s communications director. “We made this proposal to the Conflicts of Interest Board and they’ve agreed, and we’re grateful to Bernard for being willing to serve the city for no salary.”

Daily News also reports that previous mayors had the same arrangements for employing their relatives.

https://www.aol.com/nyc-mayor-adams-gets-waiver-173208427.html

[FakeNoose]

6. Works for me - but I'm not a NYC taxpayer

I guess it remains to be seen how the citizens and taxpayers of New York City feel about this.

[iluvtennis]

9. So despise nepotism, so love this decision. n/t

[Bluethroughu]

10. Good.

[Willis88]

16. I hate nepotism, but I think the compromise is fine

ex NYer's opinion

[Aussie105]

17. Take the job!

Showing up for work though, is going to be an option he will want to not exercise often.

What are they going to do? Cut his pay?