'Racist Remarks' Made By Mayoral Appointee Decried By BK Leader

BROOKLYN, NY — A Park Slope leader joined immigrant rights advocates speaking out against Mayor Eric Adams' choice to appoint a former City Council Member, whose been criticized for cultural insensitivity, to his administration.

"I cannot in good conscience support someone who has made comments pitting one group against another or someone who has actively fought in the Council to restrict the rights of immigrants," wrote Park Slope's Council Member Shahana Hanif in a public letter to the mayor.

In her letter, Hanif, who chairs the Council's Immigration Committee, demanded that Adams reconsider Laurie Cumbo's appointment as the new Cultural Affairs commissioner, pointing to Cumbo's opposition to a non-citizen voting bill on the basis that many immigrants voted for Donald Trump in 2020.

Cumbo later clarified her remarks, writing in a Medium post that the bill — which was passed by the Council but is now tied up in court — will "dilute" the power of Black voters — a claim that Hanif said aligns with the could-be commissioner's history of pitting groups against each other.

"Her view seems to be that one people's empowerment can only come at the expense of another's, which is wrong and deeply problematic," Hanif wrote, pointing to other racially insensitive and anti-Semitic remarks that the Council Member made during her eight-year tenure in local government (both of which she has since apologized for).

Cumbo, however, said that her professional background sets her up to successfully lead the cultural affairs agency, which directs millions of city dollars to arts organizations and non-profits.

Before serving as a Fort Greene Council Member, Cumbo studied art in college and graduate school, worked in museums, taught at the Pratt Institute, and founded the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Arts in Bed-Stuy.

"Every single moment in my life.... has led me to this incredible opportunity to further serve the city," she said following her appointment. "We will center the arts in New York’s economic recovery and bolster the educational and cultural experiences of every New York City student from Pre-K to CUNY."

While Adams and other arts leaders praised Cumbo's appointment, others criticized her previous remarks, especially those that are seen as anti-immigrant.

Luis Miranda Jr. — a political strategist and the father of Broadway and film director Lin-Manuel Miranda — said he couldn't support her appointment on the basis of her "anti-immigrant statements," Politico reported.

Former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito also criticized her appointment, calling Cumbo an "affront to the Latino community."

Natalia Aristizabal, deputy director of one of the city's largest immigration advocacy groups, Make the Road New York, told The City that Cumbo's appointment is part of a pattern to appoint "intolerant political loyalists instead of listening to our communities."

Cumbo is just the latest Adams appointee to come under scrutiny: in February a large coalition, including City Council Members, pushed back against two Adams appointments, citing anti-gay-marriage statements that both had made in the past.