Timothy Pearson, an advisor to the New York mayor, has left his job as an executive at Resorts Worlds New York City Casino. This resignation follows reports that he was collecting salaries from both the casino and the Adams administration.
Pearson, also a retired Police Department Inspector, had been hired as the Mayor as Advisor for Public Safety under an arrangement that allowed him to keep both his job at the casino and collect his police pension. This arrangement came under scrutiny when the New York Times reported on Pearson’s multiple sources of income.
Mayor officials had declined to say how much he was being paid for the Advisory position, while critics said he was using a loophole by collecting his government salary through the Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Officials working for city agencies are not permitted by state law to simultaneously collect a city pension and the EDC exposed this ‘loophole’ arrangement in May 2022.
Pearson served as Security VP and Senior Adviser for Resorts World from May, at a time when the casino was recovering from the pandemic and seeking to expand its operations. However, watchdogs flagged his dual positions as a potential conflict of interests.
John Kaehny, Executive Director of Reinvent Albany, a government ethics watchdog, described Mr Pearson’s exit from the casino job as a positive development. Kaehny commented: “It reduces the conflict of interest that he had,” as he may have been privy to government information that would allow Resorts World to undercut other casino bidders.
Resorts World issued the following statement regarding Pearson’s departure: “Tim is a distinguished hero who served the city for many years as a leader at NYPD.
"Tim used those same skills to keep our facility and community safe for over a decade. We support his decision to lend his expertise to the city in its pursuit of making our streets safer and we wish him well.”
