Despite travel ban, Adams heads to Missouri to meet with NYC tech contractor

Mayor Eric Adams speaks during in-person media availability at city hall Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Manhattan, New York.

Mayor Adams jetted to Missouri on Wednesday to tour the offices of a local tech company that does a significant amount of work for the city — a trip that comes even as a ban on taxpayer-funded out-of-state travel remains in place for municipal government officials due to budgetary concerns.

Charles Lutvak, a spokesman for Adams, said the mayor’s trip to St. Louis is being exempted from the travel ban because it’s considered “essential.”

As a result, Adams and Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser, the only city official accompanying him, are getting their airfare and other costs associated with the trip covered by city taxpayers, Lutvak told the Daily News.

Adams’ public schedule for the St. Louis visit included a 4 p.m. tour of the headquarters of World Wide Technology and a 6:30 p.m. appearance at a jazz gala, where he’ll receive an award.

Since Adams took office, World Wide Technology, or WWT, has been awarded two city contracts worth nearly $400 million, procurement records show. The contracts relate to computer system integration and IT purchasing services WWT is providing city agencies, the records say.

Adams’ schedule notes WWT is a minority- and women-owned business enterprise, or M/WBE, and holds the city’s largest M/WBE contract. The visit to the company’s headquarters will include discussions about “creating a more supportive environment for M/WBEs in New York City,” the schedule says.

In addition to airfare, city funds are being used to pick up the tab for a one-night hotel stay in St. Louis for both Adams and Fraser because Lutvak said there were no flight connections available to get them back to New York on Wednesday night. They’ll return to the city early Thursday, he added.

Lutvak didn’t immediately say how much the trip will cost.

The ban on nonessential out-of-state travel for city officials was implemented by Adams in September.

Along with the ban, he ordered deep budget cuts across all city agencies, including a government-wide hiring freeze, arguing the spending reductions were needed to offset the billions of dollars his administration has spent on caring for newly-arrived migrants.

Since then, Adams has ordered nearly all agencies to slash spending by a cumulative 10%. He was initially supposed to enact another 5% trim to all agency budget in April, but announced Wednesday he’s calling that off.

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