First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, center, sits next to Mayor Eric Adams at a City Hall news conference in New York on Sept. 17, 2024. Wright, a longtime ally of Adams, has resigned from her post, according to people with knowledge of the matter, making her the seventh senior official to leave the administration during a time of crisis in New York City government. (Karsten Moran/The New York Times)
- First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright resigns amid federal investigations, becoming the seventh top official to leave Mayor Adams' administration.
- Wright’s exit follows resignations of her husband, David Banks, and his brother Philip, both under federal scrutiny.
- Maria Torres-Springer is expected to replace Wright, as 69% of NYC residents call for Adams’ resignation, per Marist poll.
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NEW YORK — Sheena Wright, a longtime ally of Mayor Eric Adams, has resigned from her post as first deputy mayor, according to people with knowledge of the matter, making her the seventh senior official to leave the administration during a time of crisis in New York City government.
Wright is expected to be replaced by Maria Torres-Springer, the mayor’s current deputy mayor for housing, economic development and workforce, according to those people. One of the people said Wright planned to serve until the end of the month. Adams is expected to make the announcement before his regular Tuesday media availability.
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“We are grateful for First Deputy Mayor Wright’s years of service to the city and all she has done to deliver for children, families, and working-class New Yorkers,” Adams said in a statement that was expected to be circulated Tuesday. “She is an exceptional leader who assembled a strong team and constantly demonstrated a bold vision for this city.”
News of Wright’s departure comes two weeks after federal prosecutors unsealed a five-count corruption indictment against the mayor.
It also follows the resignation announcements of her brother-in-law, Philip Banks, the deputy mayor for public safety, and her husband, David Banks, the schools chancellor.
On Sept. 4, federal investigators seized the phones of both men, Wright, and several other senior administration officials. With Wright’s resignation, all of those people have since stepped down or announced plans to.
The departures seem to reflect the administrative housecleaning that Gov. Kathy Hochul — as well as some of Adams’ advisers and allies — have sought as four federal investigations have enveloped City Hall and cast doubt on the viability of Adams as mayor.
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69% of New York City Wants Adams’ Resignation
Sixty-nine percent of New York City residents want Adams to resign, according to a poll released Friday morning by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
A majority of Black New Yorkers, who have traditionally composed Adams’ base, echoed that sentiment, according to the poll.
“It’s hard to imagine how Mayor Adams could be faring any worse in the court of public opinion,” Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist Institute, said in a statement. “Not only do New York City residents think he has done something illegal, but they think he should resign or have Gov. Hochul start the process of removing him from office.”
Wright’s departure has been anticipated for days.
It seemed presaged on Sept. 26, the day the indictment against Adams was unsealed, when the administration issued an executive order that established a more detailed chain of command if neither the mayor nor Wright were able to perform duties.
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In that scenario, “all such functions, powers or duties of the mayor” would be delegated to the deputy mayor for health and human services, Anne Williams-Isom, the order said.
The weekend after the executive order, Wright and Banks got married on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Theirs had been a yearslong relationship and the wedding was said to have been long in the works. But their marriage may also allow them to decline to testify against one other in court, a right known as spousal privilege.
Banks to Leave Sooner Than Expected
A few days after the wedding, Banks announced that he would depart the administration sooner than expected. Instead of leaving Dec. 31, he will now step down Oct. 16.
Wright had been a scarce presence at City Hall in recent weeks. But she has played a prominent role in the administration since its inception, serving as the chair of the mayor’s transition committee, then as his deputy mayor for strategic initiatives.
In January 2023, Adams elevated her to the role of first deputy mayor, from which she oversaw the daily operations of city government.
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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
By Dana Rubinstein and William K. Rashbaum/Karsten Moran
c. 2024 The New York Times Company
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