Mayor Adams aide under NYC Council probe didn’t recuse from ex-employer dealings due to ‘miscommunication’

Nate Bliss, a elder adjutant to Mayor Adams, didn’t recuse himself for years from metropolis authorities business dealings with his ex-employer — and is present blaming the slipup connected a “miscommunication” with the city’s morals agency, the Daily News has learned.

Bliss, who’s facing a City Council probe implicit his ties to his ex-employer, Taconic Partners, wrote successful a missive to Council investigators past Friday that 4 days earlier helium near Taconic to articulation Adams’ medication connected Jan. 24, 2022, helium contacted the Conflicts of Interest Board.

Bliss, main of unit to First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, wrote his speech focused connected whether helium needed to recuse himself from engaging successful his authorities capableness with Taconic, which has important metropolis authorities concern interests. Specifically, helium wrote helium disclosed to COIB helium planned to portion astatine City Hall proceed holding involvement successful a Taconic-managed existent property concern fund.

“I was advised that a wide struggle did not beryllium and that nary ceremonial recusal was necessary,” helium wrote successful the missive obtained by The News.

Public Health Lab successful Manhattan. (Google Maps)

But Bliss wrote helium present believes “there was a miscommunication with COIB” successful 2022 astir “the nature” of his money involvement due to the fact that helium got antithetic proposal erstwhile helium reached backmost retired past period — aft NBC4 archetypal reported connected it.

“[I] was advised that I should formally recuse myself from immoderate engagement successful immoderate Taconic project,” helium wrote of a Jan. 22 speech with COIB. “I person and volition proceed to heed that guidance.”

Bliss didn’t elaborate connected the alleged 2022 miscommunication, and Adams’ bureau wouldn’t comment. COIB Executive Director Carolyn Miller declined to remark specifically connected Bliss, citing confidentiality rules.

As first reported by The News, the Council Oversight and Economic Development Committees launched the Bliss probe past week aft it emerged that his leap from Taconic to City Hall happened little than 3 months earlier Adams’ medication picked Taconic to execute “Innovation East,” a large redevelopment of the city’s Manhattan nationalist wellness lab.

In an archetypal Jan. 27 request, the committees asked Bliss to, among different matters, furnish records astir which properties the Taconic concern money is invested successful and however overmuch wealth Bliss has been paid by it since joining the administration.

Besides disclosing the recusal matter, Bliss wrote successful Friday’s missive helium hasn’t received wealth from the money since 2022 due to the fact that his “carried interest” successful it is portion of a Taconic “compensation package” that lone generates a instrumentality upon liquidation. He said helium doesn’t cognize erstwhile that whitethorn happen.

He wrote the money has invested successful six properties — 4 successful Manhattan, 1 successful Westchester County and 1 successful New Jersey — but didn’t place them. He did accidental the laboratory Taconic’s acceptable to redevelop isn’t 1 of them.

Council Oversight Committee Chairwoman Gale Brewer told The News Wednesday she appreciated Bliss’ speedy response, but said helium near questions unanswered.

“We request to cognize what these different properties are,” Brewer said of the six buildings.

Mayor Adams.

Brewer besides called it “strange” Bliss was archetypal told to not recuse. “We request to cognize if determination was a alteration successful the benignant of accusation helium was providing [to COIB],” she said.

Under local law, metropolis officials are barred from moving connected issues related to backstage entities they clasp fiscal involvement in. Miller, the COIB enforcement director, besides said officials indispensable by instrumentality recuse themselves — not instrumentality meetings, person documents oregon beryllium copied connected emails — astir issues involving companies they person fiscal relationships with, and COIB tin levy fines for violations.

Bliss’ missive says helium has had “no engagement portion astatine City Hall with immoderate task involving” Taconic.

Taconic, though, listed Bliss successful filings arsenic a lobbying “target” past twelvemonth arsenic it sought to unafraid permits for Innovation East, which would crook the First Ave. lab into a 500,000 square-foot “life sciences hub.”

Referring to the lobbying disclosure, Bliss wrote helium “can find nary record, nor bash I callback immoderate treatment oregon gathering regarding this oregon immoderate different Taconic project.”

The entity that officially picked Taconic for Innovation East was the Economic Development Corporation, which Bliss helps oversee arsenic main of staff. The EDC said past week Bliss didn’t enactment successful that selection.

Besides being main of staff, Adams appointed Bliss successful 2022 to seat the Land Development Corporation, an entity that indispensable yet motion disconnected connected the Innovation East project.

Adams spokeswoman Liz Garcia said Bliss’ recusal volition screen immoderate LDC enactment connected Innovation East.

All but 1 of LDC’s different 4 members enactment astatine the EDC oregon nether Torres-Springer, with respective of them reporting to Bliss. Garcia wouldn’t accidental if those members volition request recusals.

Before immoderate LDC moves, the Council needs to o.k. a zoning exertion undergirding Innovation East, and a vote’s expected adjacent week.

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams‘ bureau said the Council tin by instrumentality lone see “land usage merits” of Innovation East arsenic portion of adjacent week’s ballot and that immoderate “conflicts of involvement concerns” indispensable beryllium handled by committees.