Eric Adams associates pushing Francisco Moya for NYC Council speaker, angering some members: sources
An inner circle of advisers to Mayor-elect Eric Adams has been working behind the scenes to get Queens Councilman Francisco Moya elected as the next Council speaker by blitzing the phones of incoming members, labor leaders and other political power brokers, said several sources familiar with the matter.
Spearheading the pro-Moya push is Nathan Smith, a top adviser, and a small group of other Adams confidantes. The list includes the mayor-elect’s lawyer Frank Carone, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., and former Bronx Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, the sources said.
On Monday, an incoming council member who got a call from one of the Adams affiliates found the pitch offensive because this person said Moya isn’t well-liked among his colleagues.
“It’s f----d up and disrespectful,” the incoming member told the Daily News, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation. “Members do not like Moya. He has not put in any of the work that the other candidates have. You have other candidates who have been doing the work and now they’re selling (Moya) and telling us to vote for him. I think a lot of us were startled by it.”
Two other Council insiders also said members did not receive the outreach well and that it appears to have backfired on Moya.
“Moya’s got negative votes,” one of the insiders said.
In another blow to Moya, 32BJ SEIU and DC37, two of the city’s largest and most influential labor unions, are considering backing Councilmembers Carlina Rivera, Keith Powers, Adrienne Adams or Diana Ayala for the speaker post, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
The source added that the Queens and Bronx Democratic Parties have singled out the same four candidates for potential support.
There’s no indication Adams was directly involved in his pals’ push for Moya, who represents a chunk of Queens that includes Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst.
A spokesman for Adams’ transition team declined to comment.
Set to be sworn in as the next mayor on Jan. 1, Adams has vowed to stay out of the speaker’s race, which will be decided by the Council’s 51 members in an intra-chamber vote early next year.
Still, according to two sources briefed on the conversations, Adams told key labor leaders and county Democratic Party bosses on recent phone calls that he could “live with” Moya as speaker.
The sources stressed that does not mean Adams is all in for Moya. In fact, they said Adams conveyed in the calls that he’s equally as open to Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan’s speaker bid.
David Weiner, a spokesman for Moya’s speaker campaign, would not comment on any outreach made on his behalf, but said the councilman isn’t discouraging anyone from pitching his candidacy.
“He’s seeking to get a broad base of support across the political spectrum, and he’s trying to talk to as many Council members as possible to understand their needs and the needs of their communities,” Weiner said. “Councilman Moya welcomes anyone who wants to make calls or speak to others on behalf of his candidacy.”
Jockeying for the speakership has been ongoing for months. While the internal Council vote won’t take place until next year, the race is expected to be decided in the coming weeks, as members, labor leaders, county party bosses and other influential forces in city politics coalesce around one candidate.
Widely viewed as the second most powerful post in municipal government, the speaker serves as a check on the mayor’s legislative agenda.
While Adams says he doesn’t plan to put his thumb on the scales, the next speaker is likely to play a decisive role in some of the incoming mayor’s top legislative priorities, including his push for beefing up the NYPD.
In addition to Moya, Brannan, Rivera, Powers, Adrienne Adams and Ayala, incoming Councilmember Gale Brewer is considered to be in the running for the coveted speakership.
Ayala, who represents a part of Manhattan that includes East Harlem, recently drew criticism from some Adams allies after she came out against the mayor-elect’s push to reinstate the NYPD’s controversial plainclothes anti-crime units.
Amid speculation that she could fall out of favor with Adams due to that stance, Ayala tweeted late Tuesday: “In case you were wondering, I have not dropped out of the speaker’s race. That is fake news.”
