A bill to guarantee an essential caregiver s right to visit a resident at long-term care facilities, assisted-living communities and state-owned mental health hospitals has passed unanimously through both chambers of
The star of the event: then-state Sen. Eric Adams of Brooklyn.
Inside the polished mahogany confines of the elite venue, a powerful mix of elected officials, lobbyists and their clients mingled including two bidders seeking to run a casino at Queens’ Aqueduct Racetrack, a project Adams was involved in vetting.
It was a fundraiser, but it was also Adams’ birthday party: He’d turned 49 just two days before.
At one point during the celebration, Adams publicly thanked one of the Aqueduct bidders, according to a lobbyist who was there. Later, the lobbyist and his client one of the bidders wrote $11,500 in checks for Adams’ re-election campaign.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams speaks at the Barclays Center. | Mark Lennihan/AP Photo
Adams role in Aqueduct fiasco raises ethical questions anew
As a rising star in the state Senate a decade ago, Eric Adams drew scrutiny from the state inspector general for his role in picking a troubled operator to run a gambling operation at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens.
The now mayoral hopeful was caught up in a probe that condemned the politicized process leading to the initial 2010 selection of Aqueduct Entertainment Group to run video slot machines at the track. Adams was the chair of the Senate Racing and Wagering Committee when the choice was made.