NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is set to award a coveted contract to run Central Park’s Wollman Rink to real estate giant Related Companies, which beat out a bid by the Trump Organization.
The draft agreement making its way through the city’s approval process comes amid reporting, including by POLITICO, that Adams is entertaining job offers with the Trump administration and Related as incentives to abandon his long-shot bid for reelection. The incumbent’s departure from the race would improve independent candidate Andrew Cuomo’s chances against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, though new public polls showed Mamdani with sizable leads over Cuomo.
The scandal-scarred mayor has denied being formally offered jobs and insisted he is staying in the race for mayor. A Related spokesperson said the company has never offered Adams a position, paid or unpaid.
But the bidding process for the concessionaire contract at Wollman Rink has been underway since well before the June primary. Related’s bid was considerably higher than the Trump Organization’s, according to a person familiar with the process granted anonymity to speak freely about sensitive city business.
The New York Times first reported that the Trump Organization is set to lose its bid to run the rink.
The 20-year contract is set to begin in 2027.
Related currently operates the ice skating rink with Equinox and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, who pull an average $13.8 million in revenues each year from the site, Crain’s New York Business has reported.
The city-owned Wollman Rink holds sentimental value for President Donald Trump, who reopened it in the 1980s and whose company ran it for several decades afterward.
A decision on the draft agreement is set to be made at a mid-October Franchise & Concession Review Committee hearing.
“The Adams administration follows a well-established, New York City charter-mandated process for negotiating and awarding concessions,” City Hall spokesperson Sophia Askari said in a statement. “While we are continuing to work through this process for Wollman Rink, as we do with all of our concession contracts, the Adams administration has been clear that we will always prioritize the needs of New Yorkers and make the best use of taxpayers dollars.”
