With his administration in turmoil, Eric Adams downplays staff departures

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams’ police commissioner resigned amid a federal corruption investigation, City Hall’s top attorney abruptly quit on a Saturday night and the city’s health commissioner stepped down Monday.

And his schools Chancellor is planning to resign, weeks after his phone was seized in a federal investigation.

But on Tuesday Adams insisted this is a normal turnover despite the growing list of legal investigations surrounding City Hall.

“People come in and out of government,” Adams said at his weekly, wide-ranging press conference. “Dr. Vasan has been here, he’s going to be here for three years. Three years! That’s some wear and tear on you. And when you look at others who have been here three years, into this administration, they come, they serve, they produce a great quality product, and then you go on. Being in government, and being flooded, constantly, it wears on you.”

As POLITICO first reported, Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan submitted his resignation Monday, citing a desire to spend more time with his wife and three children.

Meanwhile Adams’ corporation counsel left in June, and his fire commissioner in August. Emergency Management Commissioner Zack Iscol recently considered leaving but said he’s changed his mind. And a community affairs staffer was fired after being accused of shaking down a bar owner in a corruption scheme.

Meanwhile, Adams continues to reiterate his confidence in embattled aides. On Tuesday he defended two fellow retired police officers caught up in corruption probes — Sheriff Anthony Miranda and senior adviser Tim Pearson.

City investigators are looking into whether Miranda traded donations to his fraternal organization in exchange for leniency or pocketed cash seized from illegal weed shops, according to published reports. POLITICO broke news of that investigation.

“Why would I not have confidence in him? I’m not understanding the question,” Adams said when asked Tuesday. “The guy’s closed down 1100 smoke shops” and “handled over $78 million in illegal cannabis. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in him.”

And while Adams has faced increasing pressure from his inner circle to fire Pearson, who is under city and federal investigations, and has been sued four times for sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, the mayor defended his record renegotiating migrant contracts for cost savings.

City Hall did not immediately provide examples of specific contracts, even after Adams said his office would make them available.

Adams’ 2021 campaign and inner circle are facing several investigations. Federal agents are probing his campaign’s ties to Turkey and five other countries. They seized the mayor’s electronic devices on a street in Manhattan last year. And they have raided the homes or seized the phones of at least eight political and government aides as they probe potential corruption.

Given the turnover, Adams was also peppered with questions about the status of top appointees, including Interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon and chief adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin.

Adams downplayed federal investigators taking documents from Donlon’s home on Friday, saying it was “a private matter that he was dealing with. “He had nothing to do with his role as police commissioner.” Adams declined to say how long Donlon would lead the department, or whether he’s in the running for the permanent job, just saying that “We’re going to make sure we have the right fit,” and that “all eligible people are being considered .”

Lewis-Martin was absent from his typical position at Adams’ left hand for the second Tuesday in a row. But the mayor waved away any speculation, blaming “folks who are constantly trying to find another story,” explaining that she “was on a long-needed vacation.”

As a counterpoint to departures, Adams said people were eager to join his government, noting that he’s bringing in two new employees as “part of leadership.” One, Rory Whelan, is a regional vice president for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, but the two have known each other since Adams was a state senator, and Whelan was a legislative staffer.

Whelan didn’t respond to a request for comment. Adams didn’t name the other hire, and City Hall didn’t respond when asked.

After another week of reporting on federal subpoenas served to his staffers and allies, and further requests from investigators about his communications with foreign governments, Adams shed little light on his thinking.

“Trust me when I tell you, I would love to give you a whole list of my thoughts on this. I’m a very opinionated person. It’s just not appropriate to do that,” he said, citing the ongoing investigation.

And he was defiant when asked if he’ll have to resign.

“Resign, on my part?” Adams said. “I’m stepping up, not stepping down. “I have a city to run, that I’ll continue to run.”