Maria Torres-Springer Among 4 NYC Deputy Mayors To Resign Over Adams-Trump Cooperation

Several of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ top aides resigned Monday, including his right hand in charge of real estate, housing and economic development. 

First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker all submitted their resignations Monday, a spokesperson for Adams confirmed to Bisnow.

The quartet will remain in office as they work to transition their duties to other members of Adams' administration.

The resignations came in the wake of the Department of Justice's decision to drop its felony charges against the mayor so that Adams could help implement the Trump administration's immigration policies.

“Due to the extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families, we have come to the difficult decision to step down from our roles,” Torres-Springer, Williams-Isom and Joshi said in a joint statement.

Torres-Springer replaced Sheena Wright as first deputy mayor in October, shortly after federal prosecutors indicted Adams for bribery and Gov. Kathy Hochul instructed Adams to replace aides implicated in multiple corruption investigations. 

She oversaw the City of Yes zoning overhaul's passage through the New York City Council last fall, negotiating with lawmakers and the state for crucial funding to get the bill — allowing for around 80,000 new homes to be built in the city — over the finish line.

Torres-Springer previously served as deputy mayor for housing, economic development and workforce and continued overseeing the administration’s real estate portfolio and strategy in her role as first deputy mayor.

She also was president of the NYC Economic Development Corp. and commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

“Maria Torres-Springer, Anne Williams-Isom, Meera Joshi, and Chauncey Parker are extraordinary public servants who have been vital to our work reshaping New York City,” Adams said in a statement. “I am disappointed to see them go, but given the current challenges, I understand their decision and wish them nothing but success in the future.”

The deputy mayors met with Adams on Friday night in the hours that followed the Department of Justice announcing it would drop its corruption investigation into Adams, Politico reported. On Sunday, another meeting was held where the three expressed their intention to resign, WNBC reported.

Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove on Feb. 10 ordered that the charges be dropped, telling prosecutors in the Southern District of New York that he was making the decision “without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based.” 

However, it took another week for a motion to be filed as several top New York City prosecutors and officials within the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C., chose to resign instead. 

The motion, ultimately filed Friday night by a D.C.-based DOJ attorney, is in front of Judge Dale Ho in Manhattan federal court. As of Monday morning he had yet to sign the motion, The New York Times reported. 

Adams was accused of knowingly accepting illegal campaign contributions and free international trips from the Turkish government, then fast-tracking approval for a 36-story Turkish consulate on the East Side of Manhattan. The matter was set to go to trial in April.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander sent a letter to Adams requesting that the administration develop and present a detailed contingency plan no later than Feb. 21 for the city's operations in the wake of the exodus, citing an “extraordinary leadership vacuum.”

If that plan isn't presented, Lander stated that he will seek to convene a meeting of the Inability Committee, which may vote to remove the mayor from office. A growing list of politicians have called for Adams to resign or for Hochul to remove him from office.

Sasha Jones contributed to this story.