Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch is used to delivering somber briefings at murder scenes or stiffly reciting statistics about falling crime rates.
Cracking jokes? Not so much.
But there she was on Thursday night, in the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan, gamely winning laughs from a high-powered crowd gathered at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner that also included her boss, Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Dressed in white tie, as expected for guests on the dais, the mayor grinned as Ms. Tisch, who wore a simple navy blue dress, opened with a joke about calls from the Democratic Socialists of America for Mr. Mamdani to fire her.
“You know things have gotten a little hot for me this week,” Ms. Tisch said. “Just in case — anyone hiring?”
She took the opportunity to highlight the city’s falling crime rate and the “nobility of policing” in a speech that was at times earnest and self-deprecating. A billionaire heiress whose family owns the Loews Corporation, she poked fun at her wealth and hinted humorously at the discomfort that came with the hostility from Mr. Mamdani’s allies on the left.
“There is a lot of talk these days that the mayor’s friends don’t like me,” Ms. Tisch said. “That is simply not true. President Trump and I get along great.”
Ms. Tisch, 45, was not exactly out of her element at a fancy dinner on Park Avenue, where guests were asked to pay $5,000 each for a seat near the city’s power elite.
Those assembled gave her a much friendlier reception than the protesters who heckled Ms. Tisch and Mr. Mamdani on Oct. 8, when they both briefed the media after the shooting of a Dominican man in the Marble Hill neighborhood by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The man, Oscar Belgal, was shot as he tried to flee from the ICE officers, who surrounded his car, as his 5-year-old son sat in the back.
New York police officers, who are prohibited from cooperating with ICE on immigration enforcement, went to the scene in response to 911 calls and reports of the gunfire and drove Mr. Belgal, who had been shot in the neck, to the hospital.
But protesters, angry that Ms. Tisch had referred to Mr. Belgal’s criminal record, screamed “complicit” at Mr. Mamdani, and in the days that followed, the D.S.A. called on him to fire Ms. Tisch.
In response, on Tuesday, the mayor said: “Jessica Tisch is the police commissioner. I have no plans to change that.”
On Thursday night, Ms. Tisch took the dais to loud applause and a standing ovation. Mr. Mamdani, who also sat on the dais one row below her, received scattered cheers and boos, even though guests had been told ahead of time that “applause alone” should welcome those announced to the dais.
But Mr. Mamdani appeared not to notice as he smiled, put his hand over his chest and bowed gently before taking his seat.
They joined dozens of other high-profile guests on the dais, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Chuck Schumer and various chief executives and billionaires like Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, and Ken Langone, a co-founder of Home Depot and a Republican megadonor.
It was the 81st anniversary of the charity dinner, which has been a stop for presidential candidates ever since 1960 and long a must for mayors and other prominent politicians — as well as an event where jokes, sharp and corny alike, can expose grudges and tensions.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the former archbishop of New York and leader of the Police Department’s chaplains’ unit, was the keynote speaker at the dinner, which is named for a four-term Democratic governor of New York, the first Roman Catholic to become a major party’s presidential candidate.
In a serious moment, Cardinal Dolan talked about the rise in attacks against Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers in the city and the fear of immigrants. He called on the audience to unite against prejudice, reminding them of the anti-Catholic discrimination Mr. Smith had faced in parts of the country during his presidential run.
Ms. Tisch, who was given the “Happy Warrior” award, a reference to Mr. Smith’s nickname, was introduced by Jim Gaffigan, a comedian who acted as master of ceremonies.
“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable up here living on an N.Y.P.D. salary,” Mr. Gaffigan said, turning to Ms. Tisch.
She made a similar joke during her speech, thanking her father, James Tisch, the chairman of the board of Loews Corporation, who was also on the dais and who she said was a great believer in public service.
“Mostly, I think he’s thrilled to get at least one of his children off the family payroll,” Ms. Tisch said.
The post At High-Powered Dinner, Lots of Love for Tisch, Less for Mayor appeared first on New York Times.
