Former controversial corrections chief Louis Molina gets administrative post with Mayor Adams

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday tapped his former correction commissioner Louis Molina to lead the city’s hiring and management agency after its last boss recently stepped down.

Adams appointed Molina, who currently serves as assistant deputy mayor for public safety, as the next head of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) on June 3. The agency’s last commissioner, Dawn Pinnock, announced in April that she is resigning from the post at the end of June.

Molina will be stepping into his third role in the Adams administration, after being shifted from Department of Corrections commissioner to the newly created role of assistant deputy mayor for public safety in October. That move came amid heavy criticism from criminal justice advocates and elected officials of Molina’s handling of the city’s jails, which saw over two dozen detainees die during his tenure.

Even so, Adams, who counts Molina as a longtime ally, has continued to sing his praises and give him new posts in the administration.

“Louis Molina is a proven and dynamic leader who has used his decades of experience, across multiple agencies, to make government run better and improve the way we serve New Yorkers,” Adams said in a Monday statement. “I could not think of a more deserving or equipped leader to serve our administration in this critical role.”

In addition to hiring and recruiting, DCAS is in charge of training; managing 55 city buildings; and purchasing goods and services.

Molina’s appointment as DCAS commissioner follows his unsuccessful attempt to become police commissioner of Oakland, CA. He said he is “eager” to get back to leading a Big Apple city agency.

“I’m eager to help New Yorkers follow their dreams like I once did and discover their own passion for city service, and I am eager to, once again, lead a dedicated group of public servants who work hard to deliver for our city every day,” Molina said.

During his time as corrections commissioner, Molina came under heavy fire from Steve Martin, the federal monitor overseeing Rikers Island. The monitor alleged in several damning reports during Molina’s time leading the Corrections Department that he obfuscated violence and unfavorable statistics at the island jail complex.

The mayor has long defended Molina’s tenure, arguing he actually reduced violence and improved conditions on Rikers Island since taking it over from former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration at the end of 2022.

Additionally, Adams maintains that the issues with Rikers far predate his or Molina’s times running the jail.