The Weekly Watchdog

It’s Eric Adams’ world, and we’re still living in it apparently, or at least according to all these headlines about him and his associates. Where do we even start? We’re not sure, but we’re gonna try! So, grab a bag of popcorn (or a Herr’s bag of sour cream and onion potato chips with more than a hundred bucks hidden inside) and dive into this week’s Weekly Watchdog.

News Worth Clicking

Bribe of the Year! Eric Adams Advisor Winnie Greco Handed a CITY Reporter Cash Stuffed in a Bag of Potato Chips The CITY By Greg Smith & Yoav Gonen	You just can’t make this stuff up. Congrats to Winnie Greco for winning Citizens Union’s first annual Bribe of the Year Award! The Herr’s bag of potato chips, the envelope stuffed with cash, pulling City Hall reporter Katie Honan of The CITY to the side to give the money to her in a very public place…muah chef’s kiss really! We’re still not sure what it was for (neither does anyone else by the way) but the execution was flawless. Congrats again.
Down goes Ingrid Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Top Adams Adviser, Faces Fresh Corruption Charges The New York Times By Hurubie Meko & William Rashbaum	We were still following the trail of crumbs from the potato chip story when, on Thursday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted former Senior Advisor to the Mayor Ingrid Lewis-Martin and five others for conspiracy, bribery, and other charges. This story will continue to unfold for weeks to come, but Lewis-Martin seems to be at the top of it. The indictment alleges that she accepted more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for government favors. Lewis-Martin and the others indicted have all pleaded not guilty.
Evidence trove unveiled on the Banks Brothers Brother’s Keepers: How Two Top Adams Officials Helped Their Sibling Succeed The CITY by Greg Smith	Meanwhile another reporter at the CITY, who was not given a bag of potato chips with a wad of cash inside, wrote a deep investigative piece on the corruption probes surrounding Philip, David, and Terence Banks. Emails obtained in a FOIL request provided fodder for the story. Philip and David, both of whom served in major roles in the Adams’ administration, appear to have steered contracts towards clients of their brother Terence’s government relations firm. In response to the story, Philip Banks said, “Another rehashed content-deprived story about nothing. Email me when you have real journalism to report.” Sorry to say, Phil, but this is very real. Good luck.
Straw donor schemers go down too Former Mayor Adams aide Mohamed Bahi pleads guilty in straw donor scheme The Daily News By Molly Crane-Newman & Chris Sommerfeldt	Still digesting the news of Ingrid Lewis-Martin’s indictment? There’s more. Two other individuals connected to Mayor Adams were dealing with the fallout from their roles in facilitating illegal straw donations to Eric Adams 2021 campaign. One was sentenced and the other pleaded guilty. One of the men, construction company executive Erden Arkan, is actively cooperating with the Campaign Finance Board’s investigations into the Mayor’s campaigns, so there may be more to come.
While we’re on the topic… Crypto-fueled pro-Adams super PAC slow to disclose spending to city panel The Daily News By Chris Sommerfeldt	While we’re on the topic of the Campaign Finance Board and Eric Adams, it looks like a crypto industry backed Super PAC supporting the Mayor’s 2025 candidacy has run into some reporting trouble and could be facing fines of up to $50,000. Both the Super PAC and the fines sound like a great way to light some money on fire. Also, while we’re here (x2!), Adams sued the CFB again in his continued quest to get matching funds. You know what they say, if you can’t beat them, just try again with the same tactic.
The Speaker’s Race Who will be the next speaker of the New York City Council? Does Zohran care? City & State By Annie McDonough	The mayor’s race? That’s so yesterday. The race for the next Speaker of the City Council is where it’s at! Arguably the second most powerful position in City Government, the Speaker’s position is opening up with Adrienne Adams term limited from seeking another four years on the Council. Council Members Julie Menin and Crystal Hudson seem to be the early front runners, jockeying for votes, but others seem ready to throw their hats in the ring too.
Tisch defies trial judge and CCRB NYPD Commissioner Tisch Declines to Punish Cop Who Fatally Shot Fleeing Driver The CITY By Yoav Gonen	In what is turning out to be the most controversial decision so far in her nine months on the job, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch ruled that police officer Lt. Jonathan Rivera will not face any discipline for his role in the October 2019 shooting and death of Allan Feliz. The ruling comes after both the CCRB and a trial judge recommended Rivera face discipline. Since her start, Commissioner Tisch has been widely praised for her leadership of the department. Will that early support start to fade in the wake of this decision? We are watching.
Yes, matching funds are safe! Editorial: Are public matching funds safe? Times Union by Sahalie Donaldson	Sorry for jumping the gun with our answer, but yes, public matching funds are safe. Look, we get that it is tempting to write these pieces, especially after fraud is found, but finding one case of fraud doesn’t mean we need to question the entire system. Let’s commit to making our campaign finance system’s enforcement safeguards stronger instead.