Day: February 24, 2025

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday sought to minimize the mounting calls from fellow Democratic officials that he either resign or be removed from office, arguing they are undermining the will of New York City voters based on “perception and belief.”

Hizzoner, in his first media availability since Feb. 5, questioned the growing tide of pols who have pushed for his ouster since President Donald Trump’s Justice Department moved to drop his federal corruption case earlier this month.

The mayor — who has repeatedly said he is “going nowhere” — contended that the push for him to step down or be forced out by Gov. Kathy Hochul would unduly overturn the will of city voters. He also claimed it is mainly driven by his primary challengers and those who have long criticized his administration and that they do not even know why they are seeking his removal.

“Was he convicted of something? Did he do something new? What was the reason? If you were to ask people why,” Adams said. “What is the reason? ‘Well, they’re putting forward the possibility of taking away your charges.’ That’s a reason to take away the mayor of the largest city in America? If that’s the standard, we are all in trouble.”

However, those calling for Adams to resign or be forced out of office have grown far beyond his primary challengers or frequent critics.

In the aftermath of the DOJ moving to drop Adams charges, high-ranking state and city officials like state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Deputy Majority Leader Michael Ginnaris (D-Queens), and US Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan). None of those officials are running against Adams, nor have they been among his administration’s usual critics.

Rev. Al Sharpton, a close Adams ally who has not called on him to resign, has aired serious concerns about the mayor’s ability to lead the city as questions swirl around Trump’s influence over him.

Those urging Adams to step down all cited concerns that he is now beholden to Trump. This follows accusations by former US Attorney Danielle Sassoon that he engaged in a quid pro quo to get his charges dropped. She alleged that Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, offered his cooperation with implementing Trump’s immigration crackdown in exchange for dismissing his case.

Hochul appeared to seriously consider removing Adams after four of his top deputy mayors resigned last week, but she ultimately decided against it. Instead, she is introducing legislation intended to reign in the mayor’s power and limit Trump’s influence over the city.

Hochul cited reasons similar to Adams’s for deciding against initiating removal proceedings. She said she did not want to overturn the will of the voters, especially with the Democratic primary coming up on June 24.

“My strong belief is that the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections preclude me from any other action,” Hochul said during a news conference last Thursday. “I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make this decision for themselves.”

Adams said he was not concerned about Hochul booting him from office “because I did nothing wrong.”

Patsy Grimaldi, founder of the beloved Brooklyn pizzerias Grimaldi’s and Juliana’s, died this month at the age of 93, after decades at the forefront of New York City’s pizza scene. 

Though Grimaldi rose to fame in Brooklyn, he was born in the Bronx and learned the picks of the pizza trade, at his uncle’s restaurant, Patsy’s Pizzeria, in Manhattan.

Decades later, at age 57, he decided to open his own restaurant in Dumbo, right under the Brooklyn Bridge. Grimaldi and his wife, Carol, opened their Patsy’s Pizzeria — eventually re-named Grimaldi’s, after a lawsuit — on Old Fulton Street in 1990. The main draw of the new pizzeria: a rare coal-fired brick oven, the likes of which are now illegal in New York City.

Grimaldi’s quickly became famous for its hot, crispy pies with homemade crust and mozzarella cheese. Though pizza was nothing new in Brooklyn, Grimaldi’s was different.

“…Patsy changed the New York City pizza landscape forever when he opened his eponymous pizza emporium in 1990 and made it ‘cool’ to come to Brooklyn,” Juliana’s wrote in an Instagram caption mourning its founder. “Although he is no longer a ‘living’ legend, he will forever hold his rightful place in the pantheon of pizza icons.”

Pizzaiolo Anthony Mangieri concurred in his own social media post.

“He was truly an artist and paved the path for all the elevated pizza shops of today,” Mangieri wrote.

In 1998, though, Grimaldi sold the restaurant and retired — temporarily. In 2011, Grimaldi’s was booted out of its 19 Old Fulton St. location after a rent dispute, and while it quickly reopened next door, the original location was left vacant — with the brick oven still inside. 

Grimaldi — then 80 years old — saw an opportunity. He and Carol decided to re-open their own restaurant at 19 Old Fulton St., making use of the oven once again. 

“We’re thrilled — we’re tired of being retired,” Carol told Brooklyn Paper at the time. “Patsy is so looking forward to having the pizza in his coal oven. He’s missed that a lot.”

The new restaurant, Juliana’s — named after Grimaldi’s mother — dished up familiar dishes as well as new specialty pies and desserts, though the jukebox still played plenty of Frank Sinatra, one of Grimaldi’s favorites. 

Grimaldi and Carol worked side-by-side at the restaurant until Carol’s death in 2014. 

“The good news is that he is now at peace and finally reunited with his late wife (and our other co-founder) Carol, who he missed so much,” Juliana’s wrote on Instagram.

To honor the pizzaoiolo’s legacy, Juliana’s will keep his table at the restaurant empty. His regular visits to the eatery were “the highlight of his days,” the post reads. 

DoorDash will pay $16.75M in restitution that will be distributed to workers who made deliveries between May 2017 and September 2019 in NY.

The post DoorDash to pay NY delivery workers $17 million for using their tips to cover wages appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

A BROOKLYN PRINCIPAL allegedly used a false address to enroll her child in the high-performing Brooklyn Landmark Elementary School

The post Brooklyn principal accused of using parent’s address to enroll child in city school appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.