Eric Adams’ $1B hotel deal for migrants — whose numbers are dwindling — sure comes with stink

What is Mayor Eric Adams thinking? He and his folks signed off on a nearly $1 billion contract with the hotel industry for migrant and homeless accommodations — even as the migrant crisis abates, and they close shelters around the city.

Worse, the contract wasn’t even competitively bid.

Talk about sweetheart deals during an election year.

As The Post reports, City Hall’s $929.1 million deal with the Hotel Association of New York City will cover the cost of hotel rooms for migrants and other homeless “clients,” even as the city is phasing out emergency migrant shelters and encampments, such as at Randall’s Island and Floyd Bennett Field.

Perhaps the most iconic symbol of the city’s migrant-shelter crisis, the Roosevelt Hotel, is set to close as soon as next week.

So where’s the logic of a new no-bid contract?

Team Adams says that, despite the dwindling numbers of migrants under President Donald Trump, the city’s shelter population remains at a high of 86,000 — far above normal levels.

But then why close sites? Could it be to provide an excuse for HANYC to find rooms?

And why a no-bid contract, guaranteeing higher prices? Surely proper planning would’ve left enough time for competitive bidding.

The cost isn’t the only problem: The move takes “a bloc of hotel rooms off the tourist market while people complain the city’s hotel room costs are so high,” notes policy-expert Nicole Gelinas.

Then again, the hotel industry can be a powerful political ally during an election season — bringing in hefty votes and cash for favored candidates.

And Adams, whose bid for reelection has been rocky, to say the least, seems desperate for support.

Recall how Gov. Kathy Hochul similarly used the COVID “emergency” to award hundreds of millions for COVID test kits to a top political donor.

As City Council Member Julie Menin noted in The Post, “emergency” contracts in New York too often last well past their emergencies, even as they skirt proper vetting, making them subject to abuse and corruption.

Menin is sponsoring legislation to crack down on the practice. Good.

Still, even without legislation, there’s no excuse for this seemingly fetid hotel deal.