Adams Loads City Payroll with Nearly 300 Six-Figure Special Assistants
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Mayor Adams padded the city payroll with 293 “special assistants” in fiscal year 2023, a 20% increase over his predecessor and costing taxpayers $24.3 million.
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85 special assistants earned 6-figure salaries, including 13 making over $200,000. Top earners include ex-chief efficiency officer Melanie LaRocca and ex-chief housing officer Jessica Katz.
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Many special assistants are Adams allies and operatives, leading to accusations that he is building a political farm system ahead of his 2025 re-election campaign.
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Adams' use of special assistants is drawing comparisons to former mayor Bill de Blasio's controversial padding of the payroll. De Blasio had 339 special assistants in 2019.
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Watchdog groups criticize Adams for "bloating" payroll while cutting other agencies' budgets and services, weakening his case for more state and federal aid.