NYC Mayor Adams took tickets to Knicks game, Billy Joel concert from Madison Square Garden, documents show
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams accepted between $1,000 and $6,000 worth of gifts from the Madison Square Garden business empire last year as the entertainment giant continues to hold significant financial interests before his administration, according to new records.
Adams' latest financial disclosure, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Daily News, shows the gifts came in the form of free tickets for a May 2024 New York Knicks game and a July 2024 Billy Joel concert.
Under local law, elected officials can't accept gifts from corporate entities engaged in business with the city government, including MSG, which holds various financial interests before the city, including matters related to tax breaks.
However, there's an exception to that rule under which an elected can take freebies like sports tickets if they're accepted in connection with an official action.
In his disclosure form, Adams wrote he took the Knicks courtside ticket, listed as having a value between $1,000 and $5,000, in order to do 'an interview about the Knicks's importance to the city.' He also wrote he took the Billy Joel ticket, valued between $50 and $999, in order to give Joel a Key to the City.
Adams' office didn't return requests for comment Friday on the gifts. The Conflicts of Interests Board, which enforces city ethics laws, declined to comment, citing confidentiality protocols.
Government ethics expert John Kaehny said the gifts to Adams appear legal, given the reasons he stated for accepting them. However, Kaehny argued the law should be amended to sharply restrict how elected officials can accept gifts in such scenarios.
'It should have been done away with a long time ago,' he said. 'It's totally inconsistent with the spirit of the laws.'
Besides tax break issues, MSG relies on the city government to approve the operational permit it needs to run its famous arena. That permit is up for renewal in 2028.
Also last year, James Dolan, MSG's top executive, his family members and business associates pumped more than $60,000 into Adams' reelection campaign coffers and legal defense trust, which the mayor uses to cover millions of dollars in lawyer fees he racked up as part of his federal corruption indictment.
Additionally, Randy Mastro, Adams' new first deputy mayor, recently raised eyebrows from ethics experts after The News first reported that he will, at the same time as he's working at City Hall, continue to serve as MSG's defense attorney against a lawsuit brought against it by NBA legend Charles Oakley.
Just on Wednesday, Mastro — who says he has received an OK from the conflicts board to continue representing MSG — was in Manhattan Federal Court for a discovery hearing in the Oakley case.
Mastro told The Daily News the hearing lasted about an hour and a half and that there's still no resolution in the case.
Asked whether he needed to formally clock off city government time in order to attend the hearing in the middle of a workday, Mastro said: 'I am always on the clock and always on call.'
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