Adams announces transition committee members
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Mayor-elect Eric Adams announced the members of his transition committees on Friday. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File
By Jacob Kaye
Though he’s on vacation in Ghana, Mayor-elect Eric Adams’ transition team is getting work, his team announced Friday.
The soon-to-be mayor of New York City released the large list of the people serving on his mayoral transition committees – it features over 700 names and over 20 different committees.
A handful of Queens leaders and elected officials are a part of the transition, including Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar and outgoing City Councilmember Peter Koo, who both are serving as senior advisors to the transition.
Rajkumar, who endorsed Adams in his race, said that she will “be there every step of the way to help ensure a successful mayoralty.”
“It’s the honor of a lifetime that Mayor-Elect Eric Adams has entrusted me to be one of his top transition advisors,” Rajkumar said in a statement to the Eagle. “He is one of our country’s greatest leaders. He brings out the best in everyone around him. He pursues excellence. He will bring out the best in our city. With his strong leadership, we can come together and defeat crime, poverty, failing schools and COVID-19. He is a rare leader who has everything it takes to make our city work again.”
Adams’ transition includes committees dedicated to policy issues surrounding public safety and justice, equity, food, civic engagement and more.
His legal committee is being co-led by former Deputy Chief Administrative Judge of New York City George J. Silver, who retired in September to pursue a career in the private sector. Thomas Medardo Oliva, the president of the Latino Lawyers Association of Queens, is a member of the committee, as is Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, who is coming of two unsuccessful bids for office, including a challenge of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2019.
The public safety and justice committee is led by three Black women – Adams has said that he expects to hire a woman to lead the NYPD. The committee also features Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Edwina Mendelson and Queens Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Thomas Grech.
According to Adams, the committees have been working over the course of the past month to conduct reviews of city agencies, identify and interview candidates for appointments and develop policy positions.
“This unprecedented collection of great minds and hard-working New Yorkers will prepare my administration for success because they represent the many backgrounds and views of our great city, and they are committed to working together toward its bright future,” Adams said in a statement. “If we are going to tackle the many challenges in front of us as a city, the advocacy, nonprofit and business worlds must all be at the same table, working in collaboration – and that is exactly what this transition is doing.”
Adams transition, which is being led by United Way of New York City CEO and President Sheena Wright and nine co-chairs, is substantially larger than Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 60 person transition team.
