Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday quietly issued an executive order that establishes an operating plan in case both the mayor and his first deputy are unable to perform their duties.
The order broadens the power of deputy mayor for health and human services, Anne Williams-Isom, who spearheaded work on the migrant crisis, in the event that first deputy mayor Sheena Wright vacates or is unable to do her job.
A previous version of the rules made clear that if Adams couldn’t perform his duties, the first deputy mayor could act in his place. The new order adds that if both are indisposed, “all such functions, powers or duties of the Mayor are hereby delegated to the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services.”
The new order, which was first reported by City & State, comes as Adams fights to stay in office amid calls for his resignation in the wake of federal corruption charges and multiple ongoing investigations. Prior to the mayor’s indictment, a wave of high-profile officials left his administration. Adams pleaded not guilty on Friday.
The move may signal that the administration is being pressured to install a clear transition plan in the face of Adams’ legal and political crisis.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove the mayor, has not called for Adams to resign. But in a statement on Thursday, she said the mayor needed “to take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well-served by their leaders.”
Reached by phone, Williams-Isom said she had already been informally assigned to assume the duties of mayor in the event Adams and Wright were both out of town or indisposed. She described the change as “pro forma.”
“Legally, it was supposed to be in an executive order,” she said.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wright has faced intensifying scrutiny since earlier this month, when she was among the key administration officials who had their phones seized by federal agents. Wright’s partner, Schools Chancellor David Banks, announced Tuesday that he would retire at the end of the calendar year — and halfway through the school year.
Wright has long been considered a close adviser to the mayor. After Adams won the November 2021 election, she headed his transition team. She was initially appointed as deputy mayor for strategic initiatives and became first deputy at the end of 2022, when Lorainne Grillo resigned from the position.