"You could use a straw man.”

We did get a budget, and then things just got worse for the mayor. #48

*I’m sorry for the lack of a newsletter last week. Frankly I was tired!

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced earlier today that six people were indicted for a campaign finance scheme to bundle donations to Eric Adams as he ran for mayor. Their goal, according to Bragg, was to win influence over the soon-to-be mayor by giving him money — money that could lead to contracts and more opportunities.

Through wiretaps, investigators found they knew exactly what they were doing.

“I’ll fill that motherf—-r up, write 470 Lenox Avenue on that b—h, and submit the $250,” one defendant said, adding, “your sister will be the one that will be filling out that God damn postal money order.”

They explained how they could maximize donations. “..even though it says on the flier if you do business with the City, the maximum you can donate is $400 . . . what you want to do, alright, because we’re sponsoring the event, we’re going to do just like the white boys . . . You could use a straw man.”

Even though this indictment doesn’t implicate him in any wrong doing, it capped a week of bad press for Mayor Adams. There was a story about a photo that might have been doctored with coffee, a story about a sharp uptick in NYPD chases that result in deaths, a deep dive into his fraying relationship — a relationship where he’s actively doing the fraying — with the comptroller.

There was also the news of the McGuinness Boulevard redesign maybe changing because of City Hall interference. And a judge on Friday temporarily blocked the city’s plan to change city retiree’s health care.

Throughout it all, the mayor did not have a Q&A all week.

The mayor has said, quite frequently, that he often wonders “when does the hard part begin?” as he leads the nation’s largest city. Some would say the hard part started — but Mayor Adams is just hiding from the people who ask him tough questions. That’s one way to keep things easy

Here are some recent photos

Thanks for reading!