New York Note: First Deputy Mayor, Council Race, Mayoral Primary

March 24, 2025

Randy Mastro Appointed as First Deputy Mayor

Last Thursday, Mayor Adams appointed Randy Mastro, a former federal prosecutor and aide to Rudy Giuliani, as First Deputy Mayor. Mastro will oversee day-to-day operations of the city’s nearly 300,000 employees amid growing political turmoil and leadership turnover. His appointment follows the resignation of four deputy mayors who opposed Adams’ cooperation with the Trump administration. Mastro was previously nominated by Mayor Adams in 2024 to serve as corporation counsel, but he withdrew after it became clear the City Council would not approve his appointment.

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Special Council Election for District 44

Tomorrow, a special election will be held for Council District 44 in south Brooklyn. The previous Councilmember, Kalman Yeger, is now serving in the State Assembly. Simcha Felder, current State Senator, and Heshy Tischler, who works as an expediter for city permits and host of a conservative radio show, are both running for the seat in the nonpartisan special election. Felder previously represented the area in the Council from 2002 to 2010, before being elected to the State Senate in 2012.

Mamdani Maxes Out Matching Funds for NYC Mayoral Primary

Zohran Mamdani announced that his campaign has hit the fundraising cap for the NYC mayoral primary. Mamdani, a current State Assemblymember, projects that he raised over $8M with projected matching funds from about 18,000 donors across the City. The most recent campaign finance disclosure forms indicated that Mamdani had raised the second most among candidates in that period, behind former gov. Andrew Cuomo. The city Campaign Finance Board will officially announce its public funds payment decisions next on April 15, 2025.

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About Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies

Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, an affiliate of the international law firm Cozen O’Connor, is a bipartisan government relations practice representing clients before the federal government and in cities and states throughout the country. With offices in Washington D.C., Richmond, Albany, New York City, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Chicago, and Santa Monica, the firm’s public strategies professionals offer a full complement of government affairs services, including legislative and executive branch advocacy, policy analysis, assistance with government procurement and funding programs, and crisis management. Its client base spans multiple industries, including healthcare, transportation, hospitality, education, construction, energy, real estate, entertainment, financial services, and insurance.

About Cozen O’Connor

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