Randy Mastro
Randy Mastro | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Mayor of New York City for Operations | |
| In office September 3, 1996 – July 1, 1998 | |
| Mayor | Rudy Giuliani |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Joe Lhota |
| Chief of Staff to the Mayor of New York City | |
| In office January 1, 1994 – September 3, 1996 | |
| Mayor | Rudy Giuliani |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Teitelbaum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Randy M. Mastro August 21, 1956 |
| Education | Yale University (BA) University of Pennsylvania (JD) |
Randy Mastro (born August 21, 1956) is an American attorney and government official who served as chief of staff and deputy mayor of operations for New York City under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He was later nominated by Mayor Eric Adams to serve as the city's corporation counsel, but withdrew his name in the face of intense opposition.
Early life and education
[edit]Mastro was raised in Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey. His father, Julius Mastro, was a professor of political science at Drew University.[1]
He attended Yale University, then earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania.[1]
Career
[edit]Mastro served as Giuliani's chief of staff from 1994 to 1996, then became deputy mayor for operations, a new position, until 1998.[2][3] In 1995, a group of Black and Hispanic Parks Department employees complained of widespread racial discrimination, an issue that later drew scrutiny during Mastro's unsuccessful 2024 confirmation process.[4]
Mastro represented then-New York city council member Bill de Blasio in an unsuccessful 2008 suit to halt New York City's expansion of term limits for then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. His firm later represented de Blasio as public advocate in a suit to stop the closure of Long Island College Hospital.[5]
In 2014, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie selected Mastro to lead an internal investigation after the Fort Lee lane closure scandal came to light. Mastro's firm, Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, billed the state $8 million for the inquiry, which cleared Christie of wrongdoing, though a federal judge later criticized it for lack of documentation.[6][7]
As a partner at King & Spalding, Mastro represented several major companies, including Amazon and Chevron.[8] He defended Madison Square Garden Entertainment in a suit filed by the attorney Larry Hutcher after the venue banned 60 lawyers involved in pending litigation against it.[9]
On July 30, 2024, Mastro was nominated to be the corporation counsel for New York City by Mayor Eric Adams, but he withdrew his nomination two months later after many city council members announced their opposition.[10][11] A spokesperson for the council said that Mastro "offered no real accounting or accountability for the areas of his record during the Giuliani Administration and afterwards that many found harmful to Black, Latino, and marginalized communities."[12]
Throughout 2024, Mastro represented the state of New Jersey as it sued to halt New York's congestion pricing plan for Lower Manhattan. The state's objections were repeatedly denied by U.S. Senior Judge Leo M. Gordon.[13][14]
Mastro has taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Fordham University School of Law.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Mastro lives on Manhattan's Upper East Side. In 1994, he married Jonine Lisa Bernstein, an epidemiologist.[1] Early on October 21, 2020, several vandals spray-painted the exterior of his home in retaliation for his involvement in a suit to close a homeless shelter on West 79th Street.[16]
In 2015, Mastro served alongside Alec Baldwin as co-chair of the Hamptons International Film Festival.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "WEDDINGS; Randy M. Mastro, Jonine L. Bernstein". The New York Times. 1994-05-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ "Press Release Archives - #410-96 - Randy Mastro to be Deputy Mayor for Operations". www.nyc.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ Firestone, David (1996-08-29). "Giuliani Promotes His Chief of Staff to No. 2 Spot". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ Durkin, Erin (2024-08-27). "What Do Randy Mastro, Rudy Giuliani, and a Federal Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Have in Common?". Hell Gate. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ Goldenberg, Sally; Rubinstein, Dana (2013-11-04). "The Giuliani deputy who helped de Blasio". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ Zernike, Kate (2015-12-17). "Judge Faults Firm's Failure to Keep Notes in Christie Bridge Investigation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ "Villainous lawyer Randy Mastro set to become Eric Adams corporation counsel in NYC". New Jersey Globe. 2024-04-17. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ Boria, Ashley (2024-04-17). "5 things to know about Randy Mastro". City & State NY. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ Baxter, Brian (2024-02-06). "Madison Square Garden Welcomes New GC Amid Ongoing Lawyer Ban". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ Fitzsimmons, Emma G. (2024-07-30). "Adams Nominates Mastro, Setting Up a Showdown With the Council". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ Mays, Jeffery C.; Rubinstein, Dana (2024-09-11). "Adams's Pick for Top Lawyer Withdraws His Nomination". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ Agos, Julia (2024-09-10). "Statement from a Council Spokesperson on the Withdrawal of Randy Mastro's Nomination for Corporation Counsel". New York City Council. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ Siff, Andrew (2024-12-30). "Congestion pricing set to start as planned Sunday after ruling in final lawsuit: MTA". NBC New York. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ Nessen, Stephen; Campbell, Jon (2025-01-04). "NYC congestion pricing expected to start Sunday over NJ objections". Gothamist. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ a b McCracken, Kristin (2015-08-03). "Alec Baldwin and Randy Mastro Elected Co-Chairmen of the Hamptons International Film Festival". Hamptons International Film Festival. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ Woods, Amanda (2020-11-03). "Cops release surveillance video of vandals tagging NYC lawyer's home". Retrieved 2025-01-04.