New York City's Conflicts of Interest Board has granted Mayor Eric Adams a waiver to hire his brother for a senior security role -- but not as an NYPD deputy commissioner at a $200,000+ salary, as first proposed.
Instead, Bernard Adams will have to settle for being a senior advisor to the mayor at the nominal salary of $1 a year, according to a letter dated Wednesday, a copy of which was obtained by News 4.
The process to hire Adams' brother Bernard was initiated just before Christmas, with the idea he would be a deputy commissioner of the NYPD, earning approximately $240,000 a year, sources familiar with the request previously told News 4.
A City Hall official later clarified that Bernard Adams' proposed paycheck was being reduced to $210,000 and his title would be be Executive Director of Mayoral Security.
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But that's not what the Conflicts of Interest Board ultimately approved -- instead, they granted a waiver of city ethics rules to allow Bernard Adams to become Senior Advisor for Mayoral Security at the nominal $1 salary. (His position is officially unpaid, but for city payroll purposes, he has to receive a dollar to go on the books.)
“Bernard Adams is uniquely qualified for this job, and in order to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, he offered to serve for the nominal salary of $1. We made this proposal to the Conflict of Interest Board and they’ve agreed, and we’re grateful to Bernard for being willing to serve the city for no salary," a spokesman for the mayor's office said.
The mayor's administration initially sought the waiver for Bernard Adams at the higher title and salary, but proposed the unpaid position instead after negotiations with the conflicts board, a City Hall official said Thursday.
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Bernard Adams, like his brother the mayor, is a retired NYPD cop. He was most recently in charge of parking enforcement at a university in Virginia. The mayor has said in televised interviews that his brother was the person he trusted most with his security.
