Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday tapped Allison Stoddart as City Hall’s new chief counsel, and said he plans to nominate Muriel Goode-Trufant as the city’s next corporation counsel.
Stoddart, who has served as chief of staff in the Office of the Chief Counsel since Adams took office, will step into the role vacated by Lisa Zornberg, who abruptly resigned last month.
What You Need To Know
- Mayor Eric Adams has tapped Allison Stoddart as City Hall’s new chief counsel. Stoddart will step into the role vacated by Lisa Zornberg, who abruptly resigned last month
- Adams also said he plans to nominate Muriel Goode-Trufant as the city’s next corporation counsel. Adams’ previous nominee, Randy Mastro, withdrew his nomination last month
- Adams’ announcements came less than a week after he was indicted on federal corruption charges, and followed a wave of resignations within his administration
Stoddart will assume the role effective immediately, Adams said.
Goode-Trufant, a more than 30-year veteran of the city’s Law Department, has been serving as acting corporation counsel since the summer, Adams said. She will undergo a confirmation process before she can assume the role.
Adams’ previous nominee for corporation counsel, Randy Mastro, withdrew his nomination last month, blaming City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams for leading what he described as an “anything but fair” nomination hearing.
Mastro’s bid for the position was met with skepticism by members of the City Council, who grilled him for hours in late August about his controversial legal work and his past as an ex-Giuliani aide.
Sylvia Hinds-Radix served as the city’s top lawyer until this past May, when she submitted her resignation letter to Adams, who appointed her to the role in January 2022.
Adams’ announcements Tuesday came less than a week after he was indicted on federal corruption charges, and followed a wave of resignations within his administration.
Adams on Tuesday maintained his innocence as he fielded a barrage of questions from reporters at his weekly question-and-answer session. He did so while standing alone at a podium, without his top-ranking officials flanking him, as they usually do.