Frank Carone
Chief of Staff to the Mayor of New York City
In office
January 2022 – December 2022
MayorEric Adams
Preceded byEmma Wolfe
Succeeded byCamille Joseph Varlack
Personal details
Born1969 (age 54–55)
Canarsie, Brooklyn
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic Party
Alma materBrooklyn Law School
CommitteesMuseum of Modern Art

Frank Carone (born 1969) is an American political figure and lawyer. Known for serving as Chief of Staff for New York Mayor Eric Adams in 2022,[1] he has also served as lead counsel[2] to the Brooklyn Democratic Party.[3] He was involved in political campaigns such as Adams' successful bid for Brooklyn borough president in 2013,[1] and also supported Adams' 2021 bid for New York Mayor as his lawyer, fundraiser, and adviser.[4][5]

Appointed Chief of Staff in January 2022, according to Crain's New York Business, Carone was "instrumental in forming the administration's policy."[6] At the start of 2023, he formed the consulting firm Oaktree Solutions.[7] Previously on boards such as the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission,[8] he is currently a board member of the Museum of Modern Art.[9]

Early life and education

Born in Canarsie, Brooklyn[7] in 1969, Carone grew up in the Canarsie neighborhood. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1993 to 1995, and received his Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School.[1]

Career

He first became involved in Brooklyn politics through the Thomas Jefferson Club in Canarsie, where he met Frank Seddio, his future business partner.[8] In 2008 they formed a firm that merged with the New York law firm Abrams Fensterman in 2011.[1] In 2011, Carone was named counsel[8] to the Brooklyn Democratic Party,[8][3] serving as their "top lawyer", according to the New York Times.[2]   By 2019, he was known in the press as a "longtime ally" of then Brooklyn Mayor Bill de Blasio. That year, an eminent domain deal between de Blasio's administration and the Podolsky family came under scrutiny for potential conflicts of interest, as Carone was assisting the Podolsky family as counsel.[10] de Blasio and Carone denied discussing the real estate deal together.[1]

Chief of Staff for Mayor Eric Adams

Mayor of New York City Eric Adams named Carone his Chief of Staff in January 2022. Due to conflict of interest concerns in relation to his legal practice, before becoming Chief of Staff he retired from Abrams Fensterman.[1] Among the projects he worked on were repairing a stretch of waterfront on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway,[11] and in May 2022 he spearheaded[9] New York City's failed bid to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention.[11][7] Carone was also involved a deal to potentially build a New York City Football Club stadium in Queens.[9]

As Chief of Staff, Carone continued to be scrutinized for possible breaches of ethics. For example, Carone's practice of holding official meetings at private clubs and high-end restaurants attracted criticism in the press.[11][3] In May 2022 it was reported that Carone had held investments in Wrap Technologies between 2017 and 2021, and that Adams had praised Wrap Technologies' policing products during that same period. In response to arguments that Carone should have revealed his investments publicly, both Carone and Adams denied they'd conversed about the company together.[2]

Stating that he planned on serving as a chairman on Adams' 2025 re-election campaign,[11] he left his post as Chief of Staff in December 2022.[12][9] Upon retiring from Adams' administration, city law prevented Carone from directly lobbying City Hall for one year.[7] Shortly after Carone retired, New York City Council member Lincoln Restler proposed legislation to extend the one year ban to two years, with Politico writing that among lawmakers, the bill was "widely viewed as a way to limit Carone's influence."[13]

Oaktree

In January 2023[12] he launched Oaktree Solutions.[7] Carone was also "planning to stay involved in politics" by working with Representative Hakeem Jeffries as the politician "looks to take back the House of Representatives."[7] By March 2023, the firm represented clients such as Northwell Health, New York Giants player Saquon Barkley,[12] and the real estate company Durst Organization.[9] In 2023, Carone was working with SL Green on a bid to open a casino in Times Square.[14]

Board memberships

Carone was a member of the Riseboro Community Partnership board from 2011 through 2019[5] and a board appointee to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission in 2011[8] until 2016.[5]

He was previously on the boards of the Kings County Democratic Committee and Hanover Bank.[1] As of March 2023, Carone was the mayor's designee on the board of the Museum of Modern Art.[9]

Personal life

Carone and his wife Diana live in Brooklyn, New York.[8]

In February 2022, he was subpoenaed for documents in a federal civil racketeering suit filed by Geico against several medical clinics. Bloomberg reported that Carone was not named as a defendant.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 G. Fitzsimmons, Emma (December 29, 2021), "Eric Adams Will Name Brooklyn Power Broker as Chief of Staff", The New York Times, retrieved May 28, 2023
  2. 1 2 3 Rothfeld, Michael (May 18, 2022), "As Adams Praised a New Police Tool, a Close Ally Had a Stake in the Maker", The New York Times, retrieved May 28, 2023
  3. 1 2 3 Cruz, David (September 19, 2022), "Frank Carone, Mayor Eric Adams' chief of staff, to leave City Hall at the end of the year", The Gothamist
  4. ↑ Nahmias, Laura (June 27, 2022), "NYC Mayor Aide's Private Schedule Reveals Glimpse Into Adams's Priorities", Bloomberg, retrieved May 28, 2023
  5. 1 2 3 Goldenberg, Sally (May 17, 2022), "Adams' top aide navigates uncharted path on New York ethics issues", Politico, retrieved May 28, 2023
  6. ↑ Pascus, Brian (September 19, 2022), "Adams' chief of staff to leave City Hall", Crain's New York Business, retrieved May 28, 2023
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Goldenberg, Sally (January 5, 2023), "What's next for Frank Carone", Politico, retrieved May 28, 2023
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Goldenberg, Sally (July 16, 2021), "Frank Carone: The well-connected lawyer who has Eric Adams' ear", Politico, retrieved May 28, 2023
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rubinstein, Dana (March 8, 2023), "The Lucrative Post-City Hall Life of an Adams Insider", The New York Times, retrieved May 28, 2023
  10. ↑ Neumann, William (April 4, 2019), "Landlords Get a $173 Million Deal From City as Their Lawyer Raises Funds for de Blasio", The New York Times, retrieved May 27, 2023
  11. 1 2 3 4 Fitzsimmons, Emma G. (September 19, 2022), "Top Aide Who Fueled Eric Adams's Rise Will Resign at End of Year", The New York Times, retrieved May 28, 2023
  12. 1 2 3 Goldenberg, Sally (January 4, 2023), "Adams' chief of staff to launch global consulting firm", Politico
  13. ↑ Anuta, Joe (January 18, 2023), "City Council aims to rein in post-government employment for Adams' top staffer and others", Politico, retrieved May 28, 2023
  14. ↑ Garber, Nick (February 21, 2023), "Mayor's former chief of staff joins SL Green's Times Square casino bid", Crain's New York Business, retrieved May 28, 2023
  15. ↑ Nahmias, Laura (February 3, 2022), "NYC Mayor's Top Aide Subpoenaed as Witness in Racketeering Suit", Bloomberg, retrieved May 28, 2023
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