High-ranking fire department officials ordered inspectors to cancel their scheduled appointments and expedite safety reviews at a Hudson Yards office tower “as a top priority from city hall” last year, according to internal messages obtained by Gothamist.
The directive to usher developer Related Companies’ 50 Hudson Yards office tower to the front of the inspection line in April 2022 comes as Mayor Eric Adams and the Fire Department face scrutiny for fast-tracking approvals on behalf of influential real estate firms — even if it meant bumping others waiting months for review, as Gothamist reported Tuesday. The accusations of favoritism have emerged in a federal probe into Adams’ campaign fundraising activities.
In one April 8, 2022 email, a deputy chief ordered staff in the fire prevention bureau to clear their schedules and get to 50 Hudson Yards to complete necessary fire alarm inspections no matter what was on their calendars already.
“The request to expedite Hudson Yards comes from the Office of the Fire Commissioner, as a top priority from city hall,” Deputy Chief Kevin Murphy wrote to officials in the email. “Any feedback or consequences from rescheduled/cancelled inspections on other affected projects can be handled by the OFC if necessary.”
Three days later, Fire Prevention Bureau Assistant Chief Kevin Brennan passed the order on to the department’s customer service center to let them know about the upcoming cancellations, another message shows.
The email bore the subject line “DMO-Priorities list update” — a reference to the Deputy Mayor of Operations, the position that oversaw the fire department under Adams’ predecessor Bill de Blasio. Adams and his spokespeople have repeatedly denied that such a list exists, even after Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh confirmed its use in an interview with NBC.
“I want to be very clear: we don’t know of a DMO list. We have not created a DMO list. Every New Yorker that comes to me is…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply