The New York City Council on Thursday approved a bill that would bar a select group of top city officials from lobbying city agencies for two years after they leave government.
The bill, which passed 39 to 9, was inspired by Frank Caron, the former chief of staff to Mayor Eric Adams who started a lucrative consulting business after leaving City Hall.
The bill’s sponsor, Lincoln Ressler, a progressive Brooklyn councilman, said Mr. Caron should not have immediately sought to influence the city staff members he hired. Once arranged. He said the bill would close the “Carone loophole”.
“This legislation closes the revolving door for the mayor’s most powerful staff,” Mr. Ressler said. “This bill will strengthen integrity in our city government by ensuring that public servants are putting the needs of New Yorkers first, not lining their own pockets.”
City law already barred some former city officials, such as Mr. Caron, from directly lobbying the mayor’s office for a year, but allowed them to lobby other city agencies. Former elected officials are also barred for two years from appearing before any agency in the branch of city government where they served.
gave New rules bar Several top city officials, including the mayor’s chief of staff, chief counsel and communications director, barred from lobbying any city agency for two years. The rules also prohibit chiefs of staff to deputy mayors from lobbying city agencies for a year.
Fabian Levy, deputy mayor of communications for Mr. Adams, said in a statement that his administration had pushed for a broader version of the bill that would also apply to senior City Council staff members.
“It’s unfortunate that City Council staff and leadership are using their powers to push ‘for you but not me’ legislation,” he said, adding that the council “has itself was holding her to a different standard” and missed an opportunity. Provide “a better line of sight into their government”.
Mr. Levy said the Adams administration “negotiated in good faith, agreeing to council changes for senior leaders in our administration.” If Mr. Adams were to veto the bill, he appears to have enough support among lawmakers to override the veto.
Leaders on the city council have had a strained relationship with the mayor. At a news conference Thursday with Council Speaker Adrian Adams, Mr. Ressler said he believed the council could override the veto with the required two-thirds of members if necessary. Every time the council has gone “toe to toe” with Mr. Adams, “we’ve won every time,” he said.
Mr. Restler responded to Mr. Levy’s criticism by saying that lawmakers had listened to ethics experts who said it was better to focus on a narrow list of “the most powerful people in city government,” including staff members. .
Mr. Caron, who is helping lead the mayor’s re-election effort, declined to comment on the bill.
A Brooklyn power broker and lawyer, Mr. Caron was a partner at the law firm Abrams Fensterman before serving as the mayor’s chief of staff during his first year in office. He immediately started one after that. Consulting business in 2023 and began working for two commercial real estate titans, including one looking for a casino.
SL Green Realty Corp., which bills itself as the city’s largest office landlord, hired Mr. Caron to help with its bid to build the Caesars Palace casino in Times Square, an effort That would likely require the city’s cooperation. So is Mr. Carone Represented the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.who often has business before the city and is a powerful ally of the mayor.
