With help from Jason Beeferman

Yusef Salaam spent 12 Thanksgivings wrongly convicted of rape and assault.

He’ll spend this holiday gathered with family to honor the arc that led to his City Council election victory earlier this month.

“There’s definitely a lot to be thankful for and also a lot to plan for as well as we think about the needs of our community,” the Harlem Democrat told Playbook, stressing “how grateful that folks are, including myself, when we can have things like clean water and a place to rest our head.”

Salaam was imprisoned for nearly seven years for an attack on a Central Park jogger he didn’t commit.

Five more years passed before his conviction was overturned, and he and the four other young Black and Latino men long disparaged as the Central Park Five became the Exonerated Five.

His next chapter begins as he prepares to take his place in the City Council.

The newcomer bested experienced elected officials to represent a seat of Black political power. He was recruited to run by Manhattan Democratic Party chair Keith Wright but he won with his backstory, his messaging as a motivational speaker and his post-incarceration journey to become “better, not bitter.”

Salaam had moved to Georgia but returned to the neighborhood that raised him. As he campaigned in Harlem, he was widely recognized and warmly greeted as “Brother Yusef” and “Dr. Salaam.”

In an interview, he described himself as a progressive Democrat eager to begin shaping policy through the lens of his personal experiences.

People may know his story but do they know him as a person? Playbook asked.

“Absolutely not,” Salaam responded. “One of the challenges of being in a political space is, unfortunately, it almost seems like I’m a miracle, and therefore I can make miracles happen.”

But progress can’t be made without community, he said.

“We need places that we can afford and opportunities for us to be able to plan in safety,” he said.

Salaam also reflected on the American justice system, saying people were made to believe his conviction and incarceration was an “anomaly” when it is not. He underscored a theme in his life: self-realization.

“It’s an opportunity for us to say, ‘We can’t just be out in the streets marching for justice and crying for justice,’” he said. “We have to begin to groom ourselves to assume those leadership positions, so that in the halls of power, our voices are echoed.” — Emily Ngo

PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off for Thanksgiving and Friday, but we’ll be back in your inboxes next Monday.

IT’S TUESDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.

WHERE’S KATHY? Making an announcement in Manhattan on online radicalization and social media.

WHERE’S ERIC? Attending an awards ceremony at Ramaz Middle School, holding a media availability session and distributing produce at the Funk Flex Thanksgiving Giveaway.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “People love me as mayor, so they have the right to do whatever they want when they love their mayor.” — Mayor Eric Adams when asked why people should contribute to his legal defense fund amid the FBI probe into his 2021 campaign.

ADAMS’ COALITION HOLDING: Something any potential challengers to Adams need to consider — how will they pull from his coalition of labor unions, Black and Latino voters, and big business?

And despite Adams’ phone and campaign documents getting seized in an FBI investigation, and another year of budget cuts, all three legs seem to be standing behind the mayor.

“Nobody likes the distraction of a federal investigation. But so far, that’s all it is. A distraction,” said Kathy Wylde, the leading lobbyist for big business with the Partnership for New York City. “He’s somebody that is sending the right messages to business, and they support him.”

Big unions like the Hotel Trades Council — which spent more than $1 million supporting Adams in 2021 — are also making it clear they are still backing the Democratic mayor.

He “continues to be a blue-collar mayor who supports working families, as our members elected him to be. Nothing that we’ve seen in leaked press reports have accused him of any illegal behavior nor have they impacted his standing as a champion for working New Yorkers,” President Rich Maroko said in a statement provided to Playbook.

Manny Pastreich of 32BJ — another major union that backed Adams in 2021 — said in a statement that working New Yorkers “deserve a mayor who prioritizes their needs, from labor protections to affordable housing. Eric Adams has championed these causes from his first day in office, and for that our 80,000 members in New York are grateful.”

Politicians representing major Black and Latino constituencies have also defended the mayor and downplayed the investigation, as POLITICO reported last week. Adams’ team said then more public support would be coming, and here it is. But unions and business leaders are nothing if not transactional, and these quotes suggest support could always be reassessed if federal investigators turn up more. — Jeff Coltin

WORK PERMIT APPROVAL: Federal officials are making steady progress in processing work authorization for migrants in New York City — a step Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul have said will make newcomers self-sufficient.

More than 2,200 work permits have been approved as of Monday, according to data provided to Playbook by a White House official.

The figure comes out of about 3,000 people who submitted their applications for Employment Authorization Documents, or EADs, through clinics supported by President Joe Biden’s administration in recent weeks, the official said.

Hochul’s administration, meanwhile, has invested $50 million in casework and legal services for migrants. Her office has said that in total, with state-run efforts, more than 4,800 work permit applications have been filed in New York City.

“We’re grateful to be partnering with the White House and city officials to secure work authorization for as many eligible migrants and asylum seekers as possible, and are pleased this latest effort has seen success to date,” a Hochul spokesperson said.

An Adams spokesperson also lauded the partnership, but said the city “on its own, has helped submit over 11,000 additional applications for asylum, TPS and work authorization.” — Emily Ngo

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: Adams’ administration wants to cut its spending on migrants by 20 percent — and fresh off last week’s 5 percent cuts, they’re asking almost every agency to propose another 5 percent spending deduction by Dec. 8.

Police, fire and sanitation are exempted from this round of cuts, which will be reflected in the January preliminary budget, Budget Director Jacques Jiha said in a letter to agencies posted by the New York Times.

The city will be looking to save on staffing, and the services offered to migrants, City Hall said, but the Budget Office will be diving in for the specifics. The city may also find savings by decreasing shelter population projections. The Adams administration has started making residents leave shelter and reapply to stay every 30 or 60 days.

“Our state and federal partners can help stave off these cuts by providing the funding necessary to support vital city services,” a City Hall statement said in part. The hardball may be working — Hochul said Monday she was talking to her budget team about how to help. — Jeff Coltin

More from the city:

— Before nearly 100 random attacks in New York City, the mentally ill homeless people who committed them were failed by a system that keeps making the same errors. (The New York Times)

— The “improper” behavior a top city official recently informed the FBI of centers on claims City Hall staffer Rana Abbasova tipped colleagues to “delete” their text exchanges hours after the feds raided her New Jersey home. (New York Daily News)

— High-end sushi restaurant JoJi, partly owned by Adams-allied real estate firm SL Green, got on the fast-track list for fire safety inspections. (The City)

ADDRESSING RETAIL THEFT: Hochul’s veto of a bill Friday to create a 15-member task force on retail theft may not be the final word on the issue.

The Retail Council of New York State signaled Monday the issue may see new life next year when the state Legislature returns to Albany.

The group’s president, Melissa O’Connor, said in a statement retail stores are “extremely disappointed” the governor vetoed the measure.

But at the same time, O’Connor was told the issue won’t die with the task force bill.

“I spoke with Governor Hochul at length to discuss the need for immediate action and an effective, collaborative response to this problem,” O’Connor said. “She made it abundantly clear that retail theft prevention will be a priority for her administration, and we look forward to working with her to achieve results.”

Hochul rejected the creation of the task force along with dozens of other proposals creating commissions and task forces. In a veto message, Hochul said the state budget did not include funding for the creation of the proposed commissions. — Nick Reisman

More from Albany:

— A mid-level appellate court has reinstated the Department of Health’s power to quarantine someone to control a highly contagious disease. (Times Union)

— The state’s top court upheld a city law that bans police chokeholds. (POLITICO Pro)

— Child care centers are facing a crisis as federal funding is drawing to a close. (LoHud)

— The new Long Island casino project could be caught up in the court system for years. (Newsday)

— See how much New York’s top-paid state employees make. (Times-Union)

— The NYPD is spending $500 million to phase out its unencrypted radio system, but police transparency advocates and journalists say public access to scanners is crucial for New Yorkers. (New York Times)

MEDIA MOVE — Jamie Weinstein has started hosting The Dispatch’s podcast on Mondays. The longtime conservative journalist used to host “The Jamie Weinstein Show” podcast and is an alum of the Daily Caller.

WEEKEND WEDDING — Noah Chaimberg, founder and CEO of Heatonist, on Saturday night married Allison Zuckerman, a contemporary pop artist, at a ceremony and reception at the Harmonie Club in Manhattan. The two first met in the elevator of their apartment building. Pic … Another pic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Liana Baker, managing editor of the Bloomberg U.S. deals team, and Jeffrey Kleeblatt, an executive director at Morgan Stanley, on Nov. 8 welcomed Lexi Madelyn Kleeblatt, who came in at 6 lbs 12 oz with a full head of hair. Pic … Another pic

OUT & ABOUT — Political consultant and Man About Town Trip Yang celebrated his 35th birthday at Pioneer Bar in Midtown Manhattan Monday night. SPOTTED: Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Gale Brewer, Assemblymembers Grace Lee, Steven Raga and Alex Bores, state Sen. Brian Kavanagh, Breeana Mulligan, NYIC’s Murad Awawdeh, Assembly candidate Melissa Rosenberg, Mon Yuck Yuh, Ashley Meza, the Carpenters’ Megan Wylie and Kevin Elkins, Miranda Goodwin-Raab, Alana Sivin, Alana Pilar Cantillo, Howard Graubard and Albert Suh.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) … ABC’s Rick Klein … Bret Stephens … Valerie Berlin of BerlinRosen … Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League … Shawna Shepherd … Walmart’s Alexis Weiss … Gabriel Panek … Max Abelson … Dan Cadel … Anthony Randazzo

(WAS MONDAY): Julie Hyman Schnee … David Einhorn

—Basement apartments are illegal, but the mayor is hoping to change zoning and building codes to legalize them and boost the housing supply. (Crain’s New York Business)

— Hotel room rates in New York City are skyrocketing as holiday tourists descend on the Big Apple and many hotels are busy housing migrants. (The City)