Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes denied she wrote or authorized an op-ed that appeared under her name in the Amsterdam News in October during a contentious City Council hearing Friday on her two-year tenure.
Holmes, a former NYPD chief appointed by Mayor Adams to the probation post in March 2023, claimed in a City Council budget hearing the op-ed was written by Mercury Public Affairs and submitted without her knowledge or approval and she said her agency lawyer is aware. The firm quickly disputed her claim.
In the hearing, Council Member Amanda Farias quoted from the Oct. 10, 2024 op-ed, which was about her plans to reduce recidivism, at length in which she asserted the agency was somewhat behind the times.
“What policies were found to be outmoded and how is that to be determined?” Farias asked.
“That is not my op-ed,” replied Homes. “That is an op-ed that was written by Mercury, a vendor.
“It was never approved by me, never edited by me and released without my permission. My general counsel is aware of it and the Law Department is aware of it.”
Amsterdam News Managing Editor Damaso Reyes told The News the op-ed was received from Mercury managing director Michael Nitzky, who told them Holmes had written it. Mercury is a large public affairs and political consulting firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C. and 12 other cities.
“We worked closely with the commissioner and her team to help craft and submit the op-ed in question,” a Mercury spokesperson said.
The op-ed was the product of weeks of interaction between Holmes, her staff and Mercury, a source familiar with the op-ed said. Probation even provided the picture of Holmes that accompanied the op-ed, the source said.
That odd exchange was followed by sharp questioning from Council Member Lincoln Restler over Holmes’ broader record and the contents of a Daily News article published Friday about the large-scale turnover throughout the agency and several hiring decisions.
“Under your leadership, since you’ve joined the agency, the Department of Probation is in dire straits,” Restler said. “Since you’ve come into office, six of the 32 most senior staff remain. That is a level of brain drain that has huge negative impacts on the agency.”
The News reported there was an inquiry into Holmes’ role in the hiring of a doctor she knew and that she had hired a gynecologist as an assistant director and three members of a single family within 11 months.
“There is no nepotism,” Holmes said, denying any wrongdoing and saying she does not do the hiring.
Holmes could be seen scoffing and shaking her head as Restler told her he is “deeply concerned about your management” of the DOP, citing high attrition rates, staff shortages and other trends.
At one point, Farias had to remind Holmes to answer the questions yes or no as Restler had requested.
Just six of the top 32 officials on the agency’s organizational chart remain from early in her tenure, The News reported. The article also reported that 288 people had quit the agency under her tenure out of 394 who had left. Of the 213 she hired, just 46 were probation officers. The rest were in administrative posts.
Meanwhile, Restler said there has been a 30% drop in the number of probation officers – from 949 in 2020 to 658 to date. The decline in staff has been cited by the probation officers union as a major problem facing the agency.
Holding up a thick stack of papers, Restler also told Holmes he receives letters from anonymous DOP employees every week who are raising concern about the job she’s doing.
She was also asked why she pushed for all probation officers to carry guns on the job. “We have to keep our probation officers safe,” she replied.
Ellen Moynihan contributed to this story