What the Hell Is Going on in New York Mayor Eric Adams’ Administration?
Something gnarly is festering in the highest ranks of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration — and things might be coming to a head.
On Saturday night, Adams’ top legal counsel Lisa Zornberg abruptly quit. “It has been a great honor to serve the City,” she wrote in a letter announcing her decision. “I am tendering my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position.”
Zornberg’s exit was the latest harbinger of doom for an administration currently subject to four sprawling and ongoing federal corruption investigations affecting some of the city’s most prominent officials.
Last week, the FBI raided the homes of several top Adams administration officials in an unprecedented escalation of the scrutiny surrounding the mayor’s highest-ranking allies. It is unclear if the raids were all connected to a single investigation, but those targeted included First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor Philip Banks, and Schools Chancellor David Banks. Authorities also seized electronic devices belonging to Adams’ adviser Timothy Pearson, and issued a slew of subpoenas to other members of his administration.
The feds seized New York City Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban’s electronics a week earlier, leading to Caban’s resignation last Thursday. Devices belonging to Caban’s chief of staff, two precinct captains, and Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, were also seized. Adams, a former police officer, was publicly close to the father of the Caban twins, and Edward Caban rose quickly through the ranks of the NYPD. Authorities are probing allegations that James Caban has been exploiting his connections to the commissioner in service of his nightlife business ventures.
“Edward Caban concluded that this is the best decision at this time. I respect his decision and I wish him well,” Adams said of the police chief’s decision to step down.
Other members of the Adams administration are being investigated in connection to separate allegations of a bribery scheme potentially involving Terence Banks — a consultant and fundraiser for Adams as well as the brother of Philip and David Banks.
According to the New York Daily News, Zornberg’s decision to leave the administration came after Adams refused advice to fire Pearson and other administration members embroiled in the probe whose identities were not immediately clear.
Adams himself has not escaped the interest of federal authorities. Last year, authorities raided the home of the mayor’s chief fundraiser and seized Adams’ electronic devices in connection with a third probe investigating claims that the mayor’s campaign laundered illegal donations from the Turkish government during his 2021 campaign.
The mayor has insisted that he doesn’t care about the optics of having his top allies under the feds’ microscope, and will continue to cooperate with authorities as he manages the city.
“I say over and over again, as a former member of law enforcement, I’m very clear. We follow the rules. We make sure that we cooperate and turn over any information that is needed and it just really would be inappropriate to get in the way of the review while it’s taking place,” Adams told CBS New York earlier this month.
No charges have yet been leveled against Adams or members of his inner circle, but the high-profile arrests on Monday of two former New York City Fire Department fire chiefs, Brian Cordasco and Anthony Saccavino, on charges of corruption and bribery are bringing renewed attention to the web of scandals surrounding Adams, and the perception that he doesn’t have a handle on the city government.
In a press conference on Monday, Adams attempted to distance himself from the arrest of the two former fire chiefs, telling reporters that the alleged scheme started “under another administration,” and had no bearing on the problems plaguing his own.
Adams also denied the existence of a “Deputy Mayor for Operations (DMO)” list outlining construction projects to be fast-tracked by the mayor’s office. The alleged list has been a document of interest in authorities’ investigation into Adams.
The avalanche of criminal investigations is compounding New Yorkers’ frustration with the already unpopular mayor and starkly contrasts with the “tough on crime” stance taken by the administration. For some local lawmakers, enough is enough.
On Friday, Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher wrote on X that New York City deserves “a new mayor. A mayor who cuts education, library budgets, and parks, who surrounds himself with criminals and alleged corruption up to the very top, does not deserve our trust.”
“A corny attitude is not real charisma, not when he’s actively harming everyone in our city. The good news is we don’t have to wait — the mayor should resign,” she added.
https://twitter.com/EmilyAssembly/status/1834570294326911191
State Sen. Julia Salazar backed Gallagher, writing: “Several FBI investigations and too much harm done to the best city in the world. Time to step aside and allow for new leadership.”
In a Monday statement, Queens City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán wrote that “Adams leads with corruption and mismanagement. At least 15 of his associates are under investigation. If his track record of cutting critical services and empowering NYPD abuses wasn’t enough: it is more clear than ever that Eric Adams is unfit to govern. New Yorkers deserve better.”
“It is time for him to resign,” she wrote.
Adams is not having it, telling reporters on Monday that the lawmakers calling for him to step down didn’t put him in office — the voters did. “I was elected by the people of this city, and I’m going to fulfill my obligation to the people of this city,” he said.
Admit the administrative chaos, Adams is also facing what it shaping up to be an intense battle to secure a second term in the city’s 2025 mayoral election. At least one prominent city official, City Comptroller Brad Lander, has already declared that they will challenge the mayor for his seat.
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