Frank Carone, Eric Adams’ chief of staff, visiting Israel with NYC delegation

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ chief of staff, Frank Carone, is in Israel this week and is planning to attend an event with President Joe Biden, who’s also in Israel for an official state visit. The city’s delegation for the trip also includes Mayor’s Office of International Affairs Commissioner Ed Mermelstein and Joel Eisdorfer, a senior adviser to the mayor. Carone and company are meeting with “elected officials, business and industry leaders and our American colleagues in government” and “discussing smart cities, public safety and security, food policy, and he is looking at how we can bring more businesses back to New York City and rebuild the city as an international hub of innovation,” City Hall press secretary Fabien Levy told City & State. He said Carone’s hotel and flight were paid for by the city, but he’s paying for his own local transportation and meals. Asked if the Conflicts of Interest Board approved the trip, Levy said it was vetted by the office of the counsel to the mayor. This is Carone’s third international trip this year on official business. He went to South Korea earlier this month, but the city did not pay for anything. And he visited Sweden for the World Dyslexia Assembly in April, where the city paid for his airfare, but Carone personally covered the hotel and meals.

Adams himself has a penchant for international travel. In his previous roles as state senator and Brooklyn borough president, he took official trips to South Korea, China, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel and Senegal. He visited the Dominican Republic and Ghana at the end of 2021, after being elected as mayor, but he has not yet traveled abroad as mayor – despite many domestic trips.