After being criticized, New York mayor demoted his brother and dropped his brother's annual salary to $210,000

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Just a week after taking office, Eric Adams, the African-American mayor of New York in the United States, assigned his own brother the post of deputy chief of the police department, causing great controversy.

Under the pressure of public opinion, on January 12, a New York City government official revealed that Adams had demoted his younger brother to "Executive Director of Mayor's Security Affairs" and was forced to reduce his annual salary by $30,000, and now his salary is $210,000.

Previously, according to the "New York Post" report on January 7, New York City's newly appointed African-American mayor Eric Adams will appoint his own brother Bernard Adams as the New York police officer Deputy Director of the Bureau, with an annual salary of $242,000. In an interview with CNN on Jan. 9, Adams defended himself by saying that he appointed his brother as deputy chief of the NYPD because he needed someone he could trust to protect him and prevent the "White supremacy and hate crimes".

Adams' move quickly sparked widespread controversy. New York writer Don Winslow protested: "There are 9 million people in New York City, and New York Mayor Eric Adams has named his younger brother."

On January 12, New York City government officials once again revealed that the actual official position of the mayor's younger brother Bernard will be "Executive Director of Mayor Security Affairs", who is only responsible for the mayor's security. But government officials were also unable to confirm whether such positions had existed before.

According to the New York Times, this position is significantly lower than the previous deputy chief of police by several ranks, and the annual salary has also dropped by $30,000. The current annual salary is about $210,000. But government officials did not say why Bernard was demoted.

However, judging from Bernard Adams' past work experience, the New York Times said it is unclear what work experience he has to demonstrate his ability to protect the mayor in particularly dangerous times.

Bernard Adams, 56, was a NYPD officer who retired in 2006. During his 20 years with the police department, his highest position was sheriff, responsible for community affairs in the North Borough of Queens, New York City, and oversaw more than 40 staff members.

After 2011, he started working as "Assistant Director of Parking" at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). According to a job posting at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, "Assistant Parking Director" responsibilities include "proactively identifying and resolving issues related to parking and traffic on campus" and overseeing "enforcement operations on campus," according to the New York Times. and Operations Center". In addition, the work will require "enforcement of the University's parking rules and regulations".

However, the position does not require the incumbent to be armed. A Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) spokesman also said Bernard "did not provide administrative protection services."

In addition, it is worth noting that on January 1 this year, Adams was just officially sworn in as mayor. But the New York Times revealed that before that, on December 30, Bernard had already started work. However, it wasn't until the New York Post reported the unusual hire on January 7 that Adams began applying for approval from The Conflicts of Interests Board.

The Conflict of Interest Committee is affiliated to the New York City government and is responsible for reviewing the appointment and gift receipt of New York public officials and other conflicts of interest. Under New York City law, public officials may not use or attempt to use their positions to "obtain any financial advantage" for themselves or relatives, including siblings. However, city officials also pointed out that this provision is not monolithic. The mayor can hire siblings if the conflict of interest committee determines that "the position does not conflict with the purposes and interests of the city." Also, the recommendations of the Conflict of Interest Committee are not legally enforceable and can only be sued. There has also been historical precedent for mayors to simply ignore committee recommendations.

This report sources are:

https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/eric-adams-brother-gets-210k-salary-despite-demotion-reports

https://policetribune.com/nyc-mayors-brother-demoted-from-nypd-deputy-commissioner-position-after-backlash/

https://theparadise.ng/nyc-mayors-brother-demoted-to-personal-security-chief/