Eric Adams isn’t pushing people out, but he’s also in charge and he’s ‘going to ask them to leave’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is walking a fine line to explain how his administration is coming back together. On one hand, the mayor needs to maintain the appearance of strength and independence. On the other, he has to acknowledge the pattern of departures and investigations.

Since the wave of resignations began, Adams has said that members of his administration have departed on their own accord. The administration was rocked when multiple top aides’ homes were searched by the feds on Sept. 4, and again when the mayor was indicted on Sept. 26. But members of the mayor’s administration have left their jobs to focus on new marriages, family emergencies, desire to retire early and to move on to other opportunities, according to the mayor. Asked on Tuesday about those departures – specifically of administration members who had phones seized by law enforcement – Adams said, “Those individuals were not told, for the most part, that you had to leave. They made a determination. They want to do something else with their life. And that’s where we are.”

Despite those claims, reports emerged that Gov. Kathy Hochul instructed Adams to clean house and get rid of problematic members of his administration who are being investigated. Hochul told reporters this weekend, “I had asked him to work to bring in new blood, and new blood to help stabilize the city, calm it all down, and he’s doing that,” adding that Adams is “working well through the chaos.”

On Tuesday, the mayor recounted a conversation he had with Hochul. “‘Eric, this is what I need, this is what the people of the city need’… The governor never said, ‘Here, this is who you have to hire. This is who you have to appoint,’” Adams said. The mayor never mentioned whether the governor told him who to fire.

Despite suggesting that recent departures have been unrelated to investigations, Adams also said that he’s willing and able to get rid of individuals who are no longer able to do the job they were hired for. “When I no longer have confidence in people, I’m going to ask them to leave,” Adams said. 

The shift in tone was surprising after such a long run of “next step in life” explanations surrounding resignations.

“What I see happening is a reset and a course correct,” said Lupe Todd-Medina, a seasoned political consultant. “Before, it was more about loyalty. What I think we're seeing now is that loyalty can only go so far if it is not benefiting the residents of the city of New York, and it's not advancing the policies that this administration has long championed.”

Adams previously said that he has never pushed anyone out, but the pattern of departures paired with federal investigations tells a different story. 

“These are the terms that allow him to keep his job,” said Basil Smikle, the former executive director of the state Democratic Party. “It needs to happen to make sure that the governor is happy and that there's at least the appearance that the government is running smoothly and that the people in charge of taxpayer dollars can deliver the city services without having these investigations hang over their heads.”

At least one of the mayor’s top administration officials does appear to be leaving on his own accord. The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, has moved his resignation date up by three months to leave by Friday instead of in January due to a “personal urgency,” according to Adams. 

Vasan has not been touched by any criminal investigations, and Adams confirmed that he was made aware of the expedited departure in advance.

Adams also appointed Chauncey Parker to the role of deputy mayor for public safety on Tuesday. 

Parker was previously an assistant to the former Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks, who resigned on Oct. 7 after federal investigators raided his home and seized his personal devices as part of a probe separate from Adams’ indictment.