Mamdani's administration has its first serious scandal

A New York City employee says she was fired after she reported an anonymous complaint about her boss, Commissioner Sharun Goodwin, and the agency’s general counsel, Wayne McKenzie.

The story centers on Department of Probation investigator Ebony Huntley, who alleged that Goodwin had a “prior intimate relationship” with McKenzie that would “present a conflict of interest and impact impartial decision-making,” according to Politico.

Huntley also alleged that human resources director Zenia Melendez had a history of “verbal and physical violence” toward staff members. The whistleblower said she followed the required process when she submitted the complaint to the city’s Department of Investigation, which informed her that it was looking into the matter.

But the day after she submitted the complaint, she was called into a meeting with McKenzie, who said, “I cannot have a person like Ebony working for me. Effective immediately, you are terminated.”

But that wasn’t the end of the story. Huntley responded to her firing with a wrongful termination lawsuit. She told a reporter, “It’s sh*tty, because I did what I was supposed to do.”

This is the first major scandal to hit Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, even after he promised to bring a “new era” of clean and transparent government after years of corruption allegations under his predecessor, Eric Adams.

Mamdani said he takes “any allegation of misconduct incredibly seriously” but did not comment on the details while the investigation proceeds. “I’m not going to be weighing in on any ongoing investigation. However, New Yorkers should rest assured that there is an investigation.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Probation told Politico the agency is “committed to fostering a professional, respectful and accountable workplace for all employees” and that the “allegations in this lawsuit will be duly addressed as the legal process runs its course.”

Also, the department said Goodwin and McKenzie “will have no role or oversight to any potential investigation to avoid any conflict and to preserve independence.”

Other than the Huntley lawsuit, the Mamdani administration has faced other controversies in its first 100 days. These involve key appointees and policies. Catherine Almonte Da Costa, who the mayor appointed as director of appointments, resigned only a day after she was announced. It happened after antisemitic comments she made on social media ten years ago surfaced.

Thank you for following Brain Flushings. If you really want to help support my work here, you can Buy Me A Coffee or click on the ads alongside this page--it really helps. You can even subscribe to Brain FLushings--it's free.

Tweet

Another Day, Another Antisemite in the Democrats' Big Tent

Happy whatever day it is, dear friends. The commies in the Democrat Party never cease to amaze with their tolerance for the most vile bigotry, as long as it's aimed at the right people, of course.

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's brand-new director of appointments, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, who was just tapped on Wednesday and had previously been an executive assistant to the ever-popular Bill de Blasio, bolted from her gig Thursday afternoon after some rather colorful anti-Semitic posts from her past came to light.

"Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and [Mamdani, aka Smiley] accepted," Dora Pekec, the mayor-elect's transition team spokesperson, said in a statement to Jewish Insider.

The offending gems, dating back to 2011 and 2012, were dug up by the Judge Street Journal. 

Naturally, once the story hit, the account vanished faster than a Democrat's principles when power's on the line. Screenshots preserved the classics, though: "Money hungry Jews smh," Da Costa posted on X in January 2011, according to screenshots."Woo! Promoted to the upstairs office today! Working alongside these rich Jewish peeps," this anti-Semitic slut posted in June 2011.

In June 2012, Da Costa wrote that the "Far Rockaway train is the Jew train," a reference to the neighborhood's sizable Jewish population.

Da Costa's resignation statement tried to clean up the mess: she "spoke with the Mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized, and expressed my deep regret for my past statements. These statements are not indicative of who I am. As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused. As this has become a distraction from the work at hand, I have offered my resignation."

The Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey wasn't in a forgiving mood, and why should they be? They blasted the posts on X before the resignation: they "echo classic anti-Semitic tropes and otherwise demean Jewish people."

"We appreciate Da Costa has relationships with members of the Jewish community, but her posts require immediate explanation, not just from Ms. Da Costa, but also from the Mayor-Elect," the ADL said in a statement.

This little scandal drops right as Jewish leaders are already side-eyeing several of Mamdani's transition picks, wondering if the incoming mayor, who hits City Hall on Jan. 1st, is serious about combating the skyrocketing anti-Semitism that's become the Left's favorite pastime.

One of the bigger eye-rollers is Tamika Mallory, ex-Women's March boss who got booted amid her own anti-Semitism drama, now slotted for a shiny new community safety committee.

Shocking, I know. 

In Democratville, old tweets about "money hungry Jews" are just a speed bump on the road to power, until they're not. But hey, at least she has Jewish kids now, so that's all fixed, right? 

The modern Left's moral compass continues to spin like a weather vane in a hurricane.

If you like Brain Flushings and want to Buy Me a Coffee, I would appreciate it, as it supports my work. Obviously, there is no pressure but I certainly wouldn't stop you. Imagine, you could be the first on your block to do that and your friends will thank you . . . for some reason.

Tweet