Who has left the Adams administration?

New York City government may have a deep bench, but an increasing number of Mayor Eric Adams’ starters are leaving the field. In the last month alone, amid sprawling federal probes into his inner circle, the city’s police commissioner and City Hall’s top lawyer have abruptly resigned, and the schools chancellor and health commissioner have announced plans to leave in the coming months. Politico New York reported that the city’s emergency management commissioner, Zach Iscol, told people he was leaving too, but Iscol said after the story was published that he decided to stick around. 

At a press conference on Sept. 24, Adams brushed off a question about how he would hire people amid an onslaught of bad headlines for the administration. “People come in and out of government,” he said, characterizing some of the recent departures as regular turnover. “Dr. Vasan has been here three years – that is some wear and tear on you.” Adams downplayed the multiple top positions vacant or soon to be open, saying, “we have a deep bench,” he said.

These are some of the major departures from Adams’ administration. 

Schools Chancellor David Banks

New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks couldn’t be more enmeshed in the Adams administration – his partner is first deputy mayor, his brother is deputy mayor for public safety, and his other brother is linked to a company that won a lucrative DOE contract. Earlier this month, all four, including the chancellor, were raided or had devices seized by federal agents amid sprawling probes into members of the mayor’s inner circle. No one has been accused of wrongdoing, and no charges have been filed.

But in the middle of the most tumultuous moment in the Adams administration yet, David Banks submitted his resignation to the mayor, as first reported by Pix11 on Sept. 24. Banks’ resignation letter notes that his plans to retire were first discussed with Adams earlier this year, when Banks told him that he planned to do so by the end of the calendar year. City Hall has not answered a question about when that meeting took place.

Banks’ letter said that he is retiring as of Dec. 31. He was appointed to the position in January 2022.

Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan

On Sept. 23, Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan announced he would step down by January 2025, saying he needs to spend more time with his family. “I’m grateful for their love and have chosen that now it is time to support them and their well-being,” he said in a statement. City Hall denied that Vasan’s departure was linked to ongoing federal probes. The timing of the announcement came shortly after Adams’ chief counsel Lisa Zornberg and his former Police Commissioner Edward Caban stepped down. Vasan has not been touched by any reported federal investigations. 

Vasan served as city health commissioner beginning in early 2022 at the start of Adams’ tenure and helped navigate the city through the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic and through an outbreak of the Mpox virus. He was outspoken about the negative impacts of social media on teens. He came into the role aiming to focus on mental health as the former leader of a nonprofit called Fountain House, which provides services to people with mental illness. 

Police Commissioner Edward Caban

Police Commissioner was also visited by federal authorities in the September sweeps, and just over a week later, on Sept. 12, stepped down as the city’s top cop after a little over a year on the job. Multiple outlets have reported that Caban faced pressure to step down from City Hall, which Adams has denied. But Caban’s resignation is one of the only recent ones to explicitly reference the distraction of the federal scrutiny. “The news around recent developments has created a distraction for our department, and I am unwilling to let my attention be on anything other than our important work, or the safety of the men and women of the NYPD,” Caban wrote in his resignation letter.

Caban’s twin brother James also had his phone seized by the feds, who are reportedly looking into whether he profited in his consulting business from his connection to his brother.

Edward Caban was appointed police commissioner in July 2023, replacing Keechant Sewell.

Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg

Adams has characterized these recent exits as turnover typical in any four-year administration, but there was nothing typical about City Hall Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg’s abrupt resignation, which was announced by City Hall to only a handful of media outlets late on a Saturday night. Zornberg’s resignation letter on Sept. 14 stated that she had “concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position.” Adams has declined to comment on conversations he had with Zornberg leading up to her resignation, and has declined to comment on reports that her exit was prompted by his refusal to get rid of officials who have come under federal scrutiny, including Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, senior adviser Timothy Pearson and Winnie Greco, director of Asian Affairs.

Zornberg was appointed in July 2023, replacing former chief counsel Brendan McGuire. Since news broke in November 2023 that federal investigators were looking into Adams’ 2021 campaign – and as additional investigations into his inner circle have more recently surfaced – Zornberg often fielded and intercepted questions about those probes from the press to the mayor, usually declining to comment.

Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh

The FDNY’s first-ever woman commissioner announced she was calling it quits on July 13 after a decade with the department. In a Medium post, she said she decided she needed to spend more time with her family, and she left the department on Aug. 7.

She was appointed in February 2022, replacing Daniel Nigro, and she was soon faced with an internal rebellion in the form of multiple lawsuits from fire chiefs who claimed discriminatory demotions. Like former Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, who was also the first woman in her role, Kavanagh reportedly struggled with being micromanaged by other Adams administration officials, including Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks. Kavanagh has not been touched by reported federal investigations. 

Adams said at the time that City Hall made it clear to Kavanagh that she “could have kept this position for as long as she wanted,” and thanked her for her service.

Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix

The head of the New York City Law Department officially resigned in May 2024, after first being appointed to the position in January 2022, at the beginning of Adams’ term. Politico New York reported that Hinds-Radix, a former judge, left the post following disputes with City Hall, including Hinds-Radix’s resistance to the notion of the Law Department defending Pearson in multiple sexual harassment suits against him, as opposed to Pearson having to seek his own representation.

Adams’ effort to replace Hinds-Radix with Randy Mastro failed; corporation counsel is intended to represent city government as a whole, and the appointment is one of few positions subject to City Council confirmation. Mastro had little support in the council, and withdrew his nomination before the council had a chance to vote on the matter in early September. Adams has yet to nominate someone else for the position.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell made it a year and a half before resigning in June of 2023. The first woman police commissioner was reportedly fed up with meddling from Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Banks and from Adams. City Hall denied intervening in the New York Post: “The Police Commissioner has Mayor Adams’ full support and she . . . is trusted to lead her agency,” they told the paper. The last straw reportedly came after Sewell attempted to discipline Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey. The cop oversight Civilian Complaint Review Board had found that Maddrey abused his authority to void the arrest of a former cop, and Sewell attempted to dock some of his vacation days for it. Sewell has not been touched by reported federal investigations. She was replaced by Edward Caban, who resigned after about a year.  

Department of Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich

In the first corruption scandal to rock his administration – and one of the first major departures in general – Building Commissioner Eric Ulrich resigned in November 2022, shortly after it was reported that the Manhattan district attorney’s office was questioning him in relation to an illegal gambling probe. Ulrich, a Republican former City Council member, was later indicted on a 16-count felony including charges of conspiracy and bribe-taking in September 2023.