Adams’s Top Deputy Mayor Resigns, Intensifying Wave of Departures

Sheena Wright, the first deputy mayor of New York City, became the seventh senior leader to leave the administration in the past few weeks.

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.

Ms. Wright is expected to be replaced by Maria Torres-Springer, the mayor’s current deputy mayor for housing, economic development and work force, according to those people. One of the people said Ms. Wright planned to serve until the end of the month. Mr. Adams is expected to make the announcement before his regular Tuesday media availability.

“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,” Mr. Adams said in a statement that was expected to be circulated on Tuesday. “She is an exceptional leader who assembled a strong team and constantly demonstrated a bold vision for this city.”

News of Ms. 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 B. Banks III, the deputy mayor for public safety, and her husband, David C. Banks, the schools chancellor.

On Sept. 4, federal investigators seized the phones of both men, Ms. Wright, and several other senior administration officials. With Ms. 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 Mr. Adams’s advisers and allies — has sought as four federal investigations have enveloped City Hall and cast doubt on the viability of Mr. Adams as mayor.

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Sixty-nine percent of New York City residents want Mr. 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 made up Mr. Adams’s 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 Governor Hochul start the process of removing him from office.”

Ms. Wright’s departure has been anticipated for days.

It seemed presaged on Sept. 26, the day the indictment against Mr. Adams was unsealed, when the administration issued an executive order that established a more detailed chain of command if neither the mayor nor Ms. Wright were able to perform duties.

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, Ms. Wright and Mr. Banks married on Martha’s Vineyard. 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.

A few days after the wedding, Mr. Banks announced that he would depart the administration sooner than expected. Instead of leaving on Dec. 31, he will now step down on Oct. 16.

Ms. 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.

“I am grateful to Sheena for her incredible dedication to New Yorkers and to the city we all love, not only at City Hall but during her decades-long career of service,” said Richard R. Buery, the chief executive of Robin Hood, a nonprofit group that fights poverty, who worked with Ms. Wright on a plan under Mr. Adams to make child care more affordable.

Mr. Buery, who spearheaded the creation of universal prekindergarten under Mayor Bill de Blasio, credited Ms. Wright for “her efforts to reduce costs and increase access to child care for families across the city.”

In January 2023, Mr. Adams elevated her to the role of first deputy mayor, from which she oversaw the daily operations of city government.