Mastro was cleared by town’s Battle of Curiosity Board to see by the Oakley case, Adams’ workplace mentioned. A onetime prime official within the Giuliani administration who has made a profession championing conservative causes in courtroom, Mastro will work on the case on his personal time and gained’t be compensated to characterize MSG as soon as he assumes his function as first deputy mayor on Tuesday, Adams’ workplace added.
The choice by Mastro to remain on the MSG case additionally spotlights how his profession of representing particular pursuits may grow to be a headache as he joins Adams’ administration at a time of turmoil amid the mayor’s federal corruption indictment and surrounding scandals. In distinction, Adams’ workplace mentioned earlier this week Mastro is withdrawing because the lawyer for New Jersey within the state’s bid to kill the MTA’s congestion pricing program, certainly one of many high-profile instances he lately has labored on involving points impacting the 5 boroughs.
Mayor Adams. (Barry Williams / New York Each day Information)
Mastro’s personal sector relationships grew to become a focus when Adams sought final 12 months to make him town’s company counsel, a submit he withdrew himself from consideration for after Metropolis Council Democrats affirmed they’d reject his nomination over issues about his authorized work and ties to ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Not like the corp counsel function, Mastro doesn’t want Council approval to function first deputy.
Oakley, who as an influence ahead on the Nineties Knicks persistently ranked as among the best defenders within the NBA, filed the lawsuit towards MSG and Dolan in 2017 over allegations that his public criticisms of Dolan led him to be unlawfully detained and ejected from a Knicks recreation on the Midtown enviornment. Whereas Oakley maintains he was unlawfully focused, Mastro has argued on behalf of MSG that the ex-ball participant was thrown out for being unruly and getting right into a scuffle with safety guards.
On Thursday, Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak mentioned the Conflicts of Curiosity Board has knowledgeable Mastro he wouldn’t violate any legal guidelines by staying on the MSG case.
COIB Govt Director Carolyn Miller mentioned Thursday metropolis confidentiality legal guidelines preclude her from commenting on whether or not the board gave Mastro permission to remain on the MSG case.
Miller famous that Mastro is free to reveal any recommendation the board could have given him. He didn’t return a message searching for remark, and town didn’t launch Mastro’s communications with the board.
King & Spalding, the legislation agency Mastro’s a accomplice at however stepping except for whereas at Metropolis Corridor, has different attorneys assigned to characterize MSG within the case. Mamelak mentioned it’s key for Mastro to remain on nonetheless as a result of he has represented MSG “for two decades and has been dedicated to this particular case for the past eight years.”
Whereas he stays MSG’s lawyer, Mastro — who appeared in Manhattan Federal Court docket for a listening to within the Oakley case simply this previous Friday — will recuse himself from any issues referring to MSG that may come throughout his desk at Metropolis Corridor, she additionally mentioned.
Charles Oakley. (Christian Petersen/Getty Photographs for BIG3)
In keeping with Mamelak, Mastro opted to proceed representing MSG within the Oakley case as a result of it’s within the technique of concluding, and he doesn’t need to abandon his consumer “at this final stage.”
Mamelak didn’t say why Mastro believes the case is about to be over. The courtroom docket suggests it may drag on for a minimum of a number of weeks, because the decide has set a Could 9 deadline for submissions associated to texts Oakley despatched after his ejection from the Knicks recreation.
Oakley’s legal professional, Valdi Licul, declined to remark.
John Kaehny, a longtime authorities ethics professional who leads the Reinvent Albany watchdog group, voiced outrage at Mastro’s continued MSG illustration and argued it doesn’t matter he’ll be unpaid.
“The job of first deputy mayor is the second most important job besides being the mayor and there’s certainly no room for divided interests and divided loyalties,” mentioned Kaehny. “The fact that he’s continuing to work for someone who is a major political player and donor with business before the city makes it even more vomitous. It is utterly, utterly unacceptable, obtuse and oblivious to the concerns of the time and underlines why he was a bad choice to be corp counsel and a bad choice to be first deputy mayor.”
MSG reps didn’t return messages searching for remark.
MSG holds intensive enterprise pursuits earlier than Adams’ administration and has spent a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars} in recent times on lobbying Metropolis Corridor on varied points. As an illustration, MSG lobbied prime Adams advisers in 2023 on getting town to resume the particular allow the sector must function; it secured a five-year allow.
MSG’s executives, together with Dolan, are main monetary backers of Adams’ campaigns and authorized protection belief, which he makes use of to cowl lawyer charges in his legal case.
James Dolan. (Ethan Miller/Getty Photographs)
Moreover MSG and New Jersey, Mastro has in recent times represented varied huge company gamers with enterprise pursuits earlier than town, together with the Durst Group actual property agency.
Mamelak confirmed Mastro’s additionally recusing himself from as first deputy engaged on any issues associated to congestion pricing resulting from his illustration of New Jersey. She declined to right away say whether or not Mastro is recusing himself from every other issues resulting from his personal sector profession, arguing it’s “premature” to debate that.
Adams tapped Mastro for the No. 2 submit after his predecessor, Maria Torres-Springer, and three different deputy mayors resigned over issues concerning the mayor’s capability to guide town amid the Trump Justice Division’s controversial effort to drop his corruption case.
Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler, a Democrat who helped lead the cost towards Mastro’s corp counsel nomination, mentioned the mayor permitting Mastro to maintain representing MSG provides another excuse to query his health to guide.
“This is precisely why the City Council was concerned about Mr. Mastro’s ability to disentangle himself from his powerful clients and serve in the best interests of the city,” Restler mentioned.
This can be a creating story; test again for updates.
Initially Revealed: March 27, 2025 at 1:23 PM EDT
