Four deputy mayors under New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned Monday amid the Justice Department’s dropping its corruption case against him and his cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
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 have announced their resignation.
In a statement, Mr. Adams said he is “disappointed to see them go, but given the current challenges, I understand their decision and wish them nothing but success in the future.”
He said that “New Yorkers owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for their service to our city.”
Ms. Torres-Springer, Ms. Joshi and Ms. Williams-Isom said in a statement that “serving as deputy mayors has been the greatest honor and privilege of our lives.”
“We have worked each day with the singular mission of improving the lives of New Yorkers and strengthening the physical foundation of the city we love,” they wrote. “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.”
Mr. Parker shared a similar sentiment in his statement, saying “serving as deputy mayor for public safety under Mayor Adams has been an honor of a lifetime.”
None of the four mayors elaborated on the specific reasons for resigning, beyond referring to “the extraordinary events of the last few weeks.”
Mr. Adams had a Zoom meeting with the four deputy mayors on Sunday and sources told The New York Post that the meeting was an attempt to convince them to delay their possible exits from the administration.
The deputy mayors originally shared their intentions to resign during an in-person meeting last week at Gracie Mansion. They aired their concerns about serving in Mr. Adams’s administration after the controversy surrounding the plans to drop the case against the mayor.
The resignations come as the Justice Department formally asked a federal judge on Friday to drop the criminal case against Mr. Adams. It was under the direction of and signed by acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.
Over a half-dozen department lawyers resigned over the request instead of having their name attached to the motion.
“The acting Deputy Attorney General has determined, pursuant to an authorization by the attorney general, that dismissal is necessary and appropriate, and has directed the same, based on the unique facts and circumstances of this case,” the department lawyers said.
Mr. Adams was indicted in September, under the Biden administration, on wire fraud, bribery and solicitation of campaign contributions from a foreign national charges. He pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Bove had said the prosecution had “appearances of impropriety and risks of interference with the 2025 elections in New York City.”
He also argued that the case would interfere with Mr. Adams’s ability to run New York City and cooperate with federal immigration efforts.
The dismissal has caused a flurry of resignations. Danielle Sassoon, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, and Hagan Scotten, an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan, resigned Thursday instead of moving to dismiss the case.
Mr. Adams has struck a deal with Mr. Trump’s border czar Tom Homan to permit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials back into Rikers Island, the city’s largest jail.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.