Sylvia Hinds-Radix, the Adams administration’s top attorney, is stepping down from her post, a senior City Hall aide confirmed Thursday.
In a preview of an interview set to air in full on PIX11 Sunday, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Mayor Adams’ chief adviser, said it was a “mutual decision” for Hinds-Radix to resign as the administration’s corporation counsel.
“She’s not leaving tomorrow or anytime soon,” Lewis-Martin said. “She’ll be on her way when she’s ready to make that transition as she discussed with our team members. We’re not pushing anyone out.”
Lewis-Martin didn’t give a timeline for Hinds-Radix’s departure or speak about her replacement in the TV appearance.
But multiple City Hall and political sources told the Daily News earlier this week that Adams is looking to replace her with Randy Mastro, an ex-federal prosecutor who served as a top official in former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration and has a long history of fighting for conservative causes in the legal arena.
The expected Mastro hire comes as Adams faces a slew of legal headaches. Those include a lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted a police colleague in 1993 —a charge he strongly denies — and a federal investigation into whether Turkey’s government funneled illegal money into his 2021 campaign, a case in which Adams himself has not been accused of wrongdoing. His administration is also facing significant legal issues, including the looming threat of a federal takeover of the city jail system.
Sources told The News earlier this week that Hinds-Radix has clashed with top administration officials about a range of sensitive legal issues lately. One of the sources, who’s close with Adams, said he’s looking to bring Mastro on because he “knows the courts.”
Hinds-Radix did not return a request for comment Thursday.
Mastro would need to be confirmed by the City Council to become the next corporation counsel, a position responsible for running the city Law Department, which represents the mayor, municipal agencies and staff in a variety of matters.
Word of Mastro’s expected hire has infuriated progressive Democrats in the Council, who promised Wednesday they’ll seek to block his potential nomination.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams told reporters Thursday she hasn’t been told by the mayor’s office about any forthcoming Mastro appointment. She said his “credentials and backgrounds are going to be closely scrutinized” if he’s officially picked, though.
