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Long before radical socialist and Black power advocate Charles Barron’s 21-year run in the New York City Council and the State Assembly — which is coming to an end this month — he was a mentor to the current mayor.
“I’ve known Eric Adams for over 40 years,” Barron said in an extended exit interview with Playbook. “He often says me and Reverend Daughtry was his mentors. But I say I failed. This mentee really has been profoundly disappointing.”
Barron was chief of staff to Rev. Herbert Daughtry, who recruited Adams in the early 1980s as a young Black man to reform the NYPD from the inside.
Adams at first “was very progressive. He took on police brutality in a very difficult way,” Barron said, describing him as a real champion of the cause.
“Once he got into the electoral arena it became a self-inspired ego trip, as opposed to really looking out for our people,” Barron continued. “And he has alliances with Wall Street, the real estate industry, the police.”
Now 73 years old, Barron is “still a Black Panther to his heart,” after joining the iconic party in his youth. Does he agree with Adams, that opponents are hyping up a federal investigation into the mayor’s campaign to take a Black mayor down?
“It’s interesting how Black leaders turn real Black when they’re in trouble. If he was fighting against racism, and for our people, then he wouldn’t do so many racist things,” Barron said, like supporting more cash bail, backing solitary confinement and adding more homeless shelters in Brownsville and East New York.
Adams readily argues his tough-on-crime style is protecting all New Yorkers — particularly Black and brown people living in higher-crime neighborhoods — from street violence and chafes at criticism that he is not holding police accountable.
The mayor seemed to acknowledge the disagreements, when Playbook asked about his old mentor.
“I’ve known Charles for 40 years,” Adams said. “He has been a fighter for what he believes is right. And that’s all we can ask of an individual.”
Barron lost reelection to the City Council in June to Chris Banks, who was backed by Barron’s longtime political adversary — Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. “Our community got complacent. They thought we had it in the bag,” Barron said.
Throughout his career, Barron remained unafraid of being alone in fighting those in power — and never afraid of offending people. He is also fiercely defensive of his and his wife Inez Barron’s legacy in East New York, arguing he brought resources to the district, blocked gentrification by ensuring affordable housing and influenced budget allocations and legislation, even if he rarely got credit.
Zooming out from local issues, Barron — whose political leanings predate the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America — applauded the movement and its most visible New York official.
AOC is “very intelligent, sharp,” and Barron said he admires her. But, he added, “if you look at her district, it’s not better than what we’ve done.” — Jeff Coltin
PROGRAMMING NOTE: There will be no New York Playbook next week. Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back in your inboxes Jan. 2. We hope you all have a lovely holiday!
IT’S FRI-YAY. Merry Christmas, happy Kwanzaa and happy new year to you all. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no public schedule.
WHERE’S ERIC? Hosting an ethnic media roundtable.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “When people are out there talking about how they hate the mayor, you need to just give them a backhand and say, ‘Fall back.’” — Mayor Eric Adams at an older adult town hall in Brooklyn on Thursday.
ABOVE THE FOLD
TRUMP AND, POTENTIALLY, TISH: The efforts to keep former President Donald Trump off the April 2 primary ballot in New York thus far include two federal lawsuits brought by Republicans, a letter from state senators to the Board of Elections and legislation that, if passed, could maybe, potentially, possibly add State Attorney General Tish James to the equation.
Yes, that Tish James, the one who built a financial fraud case against the former president.
The bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, “authorizes the board of elections, or the attorney general in the case of a deadlock, to remove an insurrectionist from the presidential ballot,” the legislation reads.
Dinowitz, a Bronx Democrat, acknowledged that passage may be an uphill battle but said it’s the right thing to fight for.
He, state Sens. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Gustavo Rivera and others are newly emboldened by the Colorado Supreme Court decision finding Trump is ineligible to run again, POLITICO reports.
“I know a significant portion of our country is in complete denial about what happened, but I will never forget it,” Dinowitz told Playbook of the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump, obviously, feels otherwise. “I’m not an Insurrectionist,” he posted Thursday on social media.
Hoylman-Sigal, who is considering legal action to remove Trump from the ballot, told Playbook, “New York has to take a stand as Colorado has already done for the 14th Amendment, which is not a partisan measure as much as it is a qualification.” — Emily Ngo
WHAT CITY HALL IS READING
TEACHERS QUESTION MATH: The United Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit against Mayor Eric Adams in an effort to block his slashing of education funding — challenging his cost projection for providing migrant services in the process, POLITICO reports.
The politically influential UFT joins fellow municipal union District Council 37 in taking Adams to court over budget cuts the mayor argues are necessary to alleviate the fiscal hardship caused in large part by the cost of supporting a recent influx of asylum-seekers.
“The administration can’t go around touting the tourism recovery and the return of the city’s pre-pandemic jobs, and then create a fiscal crisis and cut education because of its own mismanagement of the asylum-seeker problem,” UFT president Michael Mulgrew said Thursday.
The mayor, at a City Hall event highlighting the growth in jobs and drop in crime under his administration this year, sought to downplay the two lawsuits.
“Henry’s a friend. He has to represent his members,” Adams told reporters of DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “The same with the UFT. They have to represent their members. And from time to time, friends disagree. And sometimes it ends up in the boardroom and sometimes it ends up in the courtroom.” — Emily Ngo
More from the city:
— The web of Adams’ campaign donors with ties to a construction company being probed by the FBI is larger than initially reported. (POLITICO)
— NYPD overtime pay for extra officers in the subway went from $4 million in 2022 to $155 million this year, according to city records. (Gothamist)
— Check out Deputy Mayor Phil Banks’ photo album from his 2014 trip to Israel with two Brooklyn businessmen who were ultimately convicted on federal bribery charges. (Hell Gate)
— Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the wake of a $148 million civil court ruling and a mountain of unpaid legal bills. (POLITICO)
WHAT ALBANY'S READING
TOP POT: The most popular cannabis strain at legal shops in New York this year? “Gas Face,” which is “a super stoney hybrid that reeks of diesel and skunk,” according to Good Chemistry Nurseries. “Consumers of Gas Face usually report sensations of relaxation and relief!”
First in Playbook, the state Office of Cannabis Management shared the 50 top-selling strains of the year as part of its year-end review of the legal market.
New York opened sales to all adults, not just those with medical cards, with the first sale on Dec. 29, 2022. A year later, 38 licensed shops are open across the state.
There are 550 total strains being grown in New York, Jessica Woolford, the office’s spokesperson told Playbook, and “there is clearly something for everyone. … it’s more than just the sativa/indica binary — now you have growers that are super sophisticated about the genetics that they’re putting together.”
Other top strains include Blueberry Muffin, Sour Diesel and Grand Daddy Purple. — Jeff Coltin
FUND, NOT DEFUND: As she presided over the State Police graduation on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul touted how her administration has poured money into law enforcement. She’s pushed to expand and diversify the State Police and give them more support to address the flow of illegal guns into New York.
“We’re not defunding the police, we’re refunding the police,” Hochul said. “We’re making sure they have all the resources they’ll need.”
But some labor unions that represent law enforcement believe it hasn’t been enough.
The PBA of New York State, a union that represents SUNY police, state Environmental Conservation Police, the state Park Police and the Forest Rangers, signaled it would push once again for a retirement bill the labor group maintains will aid with recruitment. (Hochul vetoed the bill, she said, because it wasn’t accounted for in the state budget).
“If this is Governor Hochul’s idea of funding the police we are afraid she has it fundamentally wrong. Governor Hochul’s upcoming budget proposal needs to include our 20-year retirement as her veto message clearly stated that is the proper path to approval,” PBA president James McCartney said in a statement to Playbook.
The New York State Police Investigators Association, meanwhile, urged Hochul to double down on her initial plan to expand the agency with 1,000 new troopers.
“Without prioritizing the state police, the agency will be unable to secure and retain individuals who have mastered their trade in law enforcement,” the group said. “Without them, the ranks of our agencies will falter, and our communities will suffer.” — Nick Reisman
EXPANDED COVERAGE: A letter from CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy Dean Ayman El-Mohandes urged Hochul to request a 1332 waiver from the federal government to expand medical coverage.
“Making care accessible and affordable to those least able to otherwise receive care protects the health of all New Yorkers,” El-Mohandes wrote in the letter, obtained by Playbook.
Undocumented immigrants are among the dwindling number of New York residents who lack health care coverage.
But efforts to expand coverage to undocumented New Yorkers have not advanced as quickly as some lawmakers would like. They hope the budget process set to kick off next month will be the time to make the case. — Nick Reisman
More from Albany:
— Kendra’s Law, the premier monitoring program for people with mental illness, has failed hundreds of times, including in five cases involving subway shovings. (New York Times)
— A lawsuit over the state’s control over a $1 billion opioid settlement fund was dismissed. (Newsday)
FROM THE DELEGATION
LABOR FOR MANNION, SUOZZI: Democratic House candidates John Mannion and Tom Suozzi are getting big labor nods.
The New York State AFL-CIO is giving its endorsement to Mannion, a state senator who once served as the leader of his teacher’s union.
“We have great confidence that John will fight hard for issues important to workers,” New York AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said in a statement to Playbook. “Now, more than ever, we need representatives, like John, who will give working people the voice we need in Washington.”
Mannion is running to unseat Republican Rep. Brandon Williams. The district is one of five Republican-held seats in New York that Democrats hope to flip in 2024.
“As a longtime labor leader and member, I am so proud to have earned the endorsement of the New York State AFL-CIO in my campaign for Congress,” Mannion said. “Having spent eight years managing contract negotiations, arbitration, and fighting for our members, I know how important it is to protect the right to organize.”
Suozzi, running in a special election to fill the seat formerly held by Republican George Santos, was endorsed by the labor group on Thursday afternoon. He faces Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip in the Feb. 13 special election.
“We need someone in Washington who will create more union jobs, fight for fair wages and a better quality of life for all New Yorkers while fighting back against the ‘right to work’ movement and Tom Suozzi has a proven record of doing just that,” Cilento said. — Nick Reisman
AROUND NEW YORK
— An upstate hyperlocal news site published an article about a murder that never happened, prompting a debate about media ethics. (Times Union)
— New York jails often transfer individuals with mental illness to maximum security prisons, even when they’re legally innocent. (New York Focus)
— The murky waters of New York City are a treasure trove for this magnet fisher who unearths grenades, laptops and bicycles from its depths. (New York Times)
SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN
MAKING MOVES — Rebecca Dangoor is now deputy press secretary for Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office. She was previously deputy executive director of the Hunter College Foundation. … Anne Marie Malecha will be the new CEO of Dezenhall Resources, and Josh Culling will be the consultancy’s next president. Eric Dezenhall will remain chairman of the crisis communications firm, which he founded more than three decades ago, through 2027.
ENGAGED — Tucker Higgins, a third year student at Yale Law School who is joining Davis Polk’s litigation department next year, on Dec. 2 proposed to Emma Newburger, a news editor at Bloomberg. The couple met when both were working at CNBC, Tucker as the Supreme Court reporter and Emma as a climate reporter. He proposed in their Park Slope apartment after she opened up a journal he had gotten her early on in their relationship with a note that he read to her that ended with “Will you marry me?” Pic … The ring
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Diane Sawyer … Jamie Kirchick … Mike Needham of America 2100 … DJ Nordquist … Matt Manda … BerlinRosen’s Karen Defilippi … Scott Pellegrino … Daniella Diaz … Hank Sheinkopf … Mary Baskerville … Colin Jones
(WAS THURSDAY): Adam Schefter ... Stephen Friedman
Real Estate
— Early December saw more employees working in city offices than any other seven-day period since the start of the pandemic, new data shows. (Crain’s New York Business)
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