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A prominent white-collar attorney running for New York City mayor has unveiled an ambitious plan to transform the Department of Investigation into a more powerful anti-corruption agency with prosecutorial authority.
The proposed “Citywide Department of Public Integrity” would employ specialized anti-corruption prosecutors and establish a dedicated NYC Corruption Court, according to mayoral hopeful Jim Walden’s vision.
NYC mayoral hopeful Jim Walden wants to fight City Hall ‘corruption’ with overhauled ‘Integrity’ agency https://t.co/Q82uF1nTee pic.twitter.com/rmTQXjdgZx
— New York Post Metro (@nypmetro) January 4, 2025
“This reimagines DOI and turn it into something more like the [U.S.] Department of Justice,” Walden told The Post.
Walden plans to pursue legislation expanding the agency’s jurisdiction to include felony cases, as current regulations limit it to misdemeanor prosecutions. His proposal includes offering immunity to whistleblowers who cooperate with investigations.
The revamped agency would maintain its independence, but with a significant change: its commissioner would serve a fixed 10-year term instead of serving at the discretion of the mayor and City Council.
Walden, who combines experience as a federal prosecutor with extensive work representing officials in New York political cases, is currently involved in litigation connected to federal bribery charges against Mayor Eric Adams.
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Now, I'm running for NYC mayor to bring that same fight for fairness, transparency, and accountability to our city government. Let’s build a… pic.twitter.com/hJDZ68bA2d
— Jim Walden (@jimfornyc) January 4, 2025
“23 years of suing agencies and seeing corruption all over the place and then living through three-and-a-half years of a federal investigation into [former Mayor] Bill de Blasio and an indictment of Mayor Adams,” Walden cited as motivation for his proposed reforms.
The Brooklyn Heights resident, who entered the mayoral race two months ago, is positioning himself as a non-partisan independent candidate, following former Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s strategy of appealing to both conservative and liberal voters.
While lacking Bloomberg’s vast wealth, Walden has initiated his campaign with a substantial personal investment of $500,000.
