Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams has appointed former journalist Pat Smith as interim chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, a move that could immediately create a political challenge for democratic socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
The New York Post reported that Smith's appointment fills the CCRB's top role as the Adams administration prepares to leave office.
Smith previously served on the board and was one of three members who voted in support of officers involved in the fatal shooting of Win Rosario, a Queens man who struggled with mental illness.
Smith is not expected to enact major changes in the final weeks of the Adams administration.
His appointment sets up a decision for Mamdani, who will have to replace Smith after taking office on Jan. 1, 2026, if he wants his own leadership at the oversight agency.
Replacing Smith could draw criticism from police unions, which supported his appointment.
Mamdani will enter office with a strained relationship with those unions.
During his campaign, he revised earlier statements viewed as critical of law enforcement.
He also faced scrutiny for suggesting that the CCRB should have final authority in disciplinary cases instead of the police commissioner.
Since naming Jessica Tisch as his choice for police commissioner, Mamdani has not clarified whether he still supports that shift.
The CCRB has 15 members who vote publicly on potential disciplinary charges based on investigative findings.
The chair guides the agency's public direction and oversees more than 200 staff members but holds only one vote in disciplinary matters.
Adams' appointment of Smith follows other late-term moves by the exiting mayor that could affect his successor.
In October, Adams began reshaping the city's Rent Guidelines Board by adding several members viewed as friendly to property owners.
Those appointments could complicate Mamdani's campaign pledge to pursue a rent freeze for stabilized apartments.
Unless successfully challenged in court, the board changes could delay a freeze on rent increases for at least two years.
Mamdani's transition team will include Mysonne Linen, a rapper and social justice activist who previously served seven years in state prison for armed robbery.
Linen, 49, was named to the transition team's criminal legal system committee in a late November posting on Mamdani's transition website.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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