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Randy Mastro

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Randy Mastro
First Deputy Mayor of New York City
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 20, 2025
MayorEric Adams
Preceded byCamille Joseph Varlack (interim)[1][2]
Suzanne Miles-Gustave (acting)[3]
Maria Torres-Springer
Deputy Mayor of New York City for Operations
In office
September 3, 1996 – July 1, 1998
MayorRudy Giuliani
Preceded byposition established
Succeeded byJoe Lhota
Chief of Staff to the
Mayor of New York City
In office
January 1, 1994 – September 3, 1996
MayorRudy Giuliani
Succeeded byBruce Teitelbaum
Personal details
Born (1956-08-21) August 21, 1956 (age 68)
Spouse
Jonine Lisa Bernstein
​
​
(m. 1994)​
EducationYale University (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (JD)

Randy M. Mastro (born August 21, 1956) is an American attorney and government official who serves as first deputy mayor of New York City under mayor Eric Adams. He had previously served as chief of staff and deputy mayor for operations for New York City under mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Early life and education

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Mastro was raised in Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey. His father, Julius Mastro, was a professor of political science at Drew University.[4]

He attended Yale University, then earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania.[4]

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.[5][6] He was a Democrat in Giuliani's Republican administration, which allowed him a peacekeeping role despite his aggressive style. He was regarded as the "administration's conscience" by another city official.[7]

From March 1985 through November 1989, Mastro served as an Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Civil Division in the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York. In 1989 he led the federal government's racketeering suit against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.[8]

In 1995, Mastro was serving as the Mayor's Chief of Staff when he led a crackdown on mob activity in the city, specifically within the Fulton Fish Market. Mastro organized new regulations to improve how permitting, leasing and trucking would work at the facility so that the city could have more enforcement against suspected mafia activity.[9][10] He also led public efforts to hinder organized crime at the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy and reform the sex industry in the city. He and his family were assigned police bodyguards during his campaigns against organized crime.[7]

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.[11]

Before and after his tenure at the Mayor's office, Mastro was a partner at Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, one of the country's largest law firms, where he led the litigation department. 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 billed the state $8 million for the inquiry, which cleared Christie of wrongdoing, though a federal judge later criticized it for lack of documentation.[12][13]

In 2022 he then went to work as a partner at King & Spalding, another of the country's largest law firms. Mastro represented several major companies, including Amazon and Chevron.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16][17]

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.[18][19]

On March 20, 2025, Mastro was appointed first deputy mayor of New York City by mayor Eric Adams,[20] and oversees important parts of the mayor's agenda including combating antisemitism, reducing fines for small landlords and delaying the destruction of a garden on the Lower East Side.[21]

Mastro has taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Fordham University School of Law.[22]

Personal life

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Mastro lives on Manhattan's Upper East Side. In 1994, he married Jonine Lisa Bernstein, an epidemiologist.[4]

In 2015, Mastro served alongside Alec Baldwin as co-chair of the Hamptons International Film Festival.[22] In 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.[23]

From 2016 to 2025 Mastro chaired the Citizens Union, a non-partisan group promoting local government accountability in New York City. He has also served as vice chair of the Legal Aid Society and on the board of advisors of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the board of the City University of New York.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Anuta, Joe (March 14, 2025). "Adams names interim first deputy mayor in wake of top staff departures". Politico. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  2. ^ Cone, Allen (March 15, 2025). "New York Mayor Adams names interim top deputy after staff members depart". UPI. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  3. ^ "Eric Adams order lays out what happens if Sheena Wright leaves". City & State New York. September 27, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "WEDDINGS; Randy M. Mastro, Jonine L. Bernstein". The New York Times. 1994-05-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  5. ^ "Press Release Archives - #410-96 - Randy Mastro to be Deputy Mayor for Operations". www.nyc.gov. 1996-08-28. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b Barry, Dan (1998-06-29). "Top Giuliani Aide Is Leaving City Hall". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  8. ^ Glaberson, William (1989-03-14). "U.S. and Teamsters Reach Accord That Avoids a Racketeering Trial". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  9. ^ Olen, Helaine (1995-10-20). "N.Y. Crackdown Causes Big Stink at Fulton Fish Market : Dispute: City contends it is ridding firms with alleged ties to organized crime. Those displaced plan to sue, citing slander and violation of civil rights". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  10. ^ Raab, Selwyn (1995-02-01). "To Fight Mob, Giuliani Proposes Takeover of Fulton Fish Market". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  11. ^ Goldenberg, Sally; Rubinstein, Dana (2013-11-04). "The Giuliani deputy who helped de Blasio". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "Villainous lawyer Randy Mastro set to become Eric Adams corporation counsel in NYC". New Jersey Globe. 2024-04-17. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  14. ^ Boria, Ashley (2024-04-17). "5 things to know about Randy Mastro". City & State NY. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Nessen, Stephen; Campbell, Jon (2025-01-04). "NYC congestion pricing expected to start Sunday over NJ objections". Gothamist. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  20. ^ Mays, Jeffery C. (2025-03-20). "Eric Adams Picks Randy Mastro for First Deputy Mayor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  21. ^ May 21, Elizabeth KimPublished; 2025Share (2025-05-21). "Eric Adams' top deputy is running NYC without a computer and having a ball". Gothamist. Retrieved 2025-06-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ Woods, Amanda (2020-11-03). "Cops release surveillance video of vandals tagging NYC lawyer's home". Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  24. ^ "Mayor Adams Appoints Randy Mastro As First Deputy Mayor". The official website of the City of New York. 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
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