Less than two weeks ago, Mayor Eric Adams spoke in glowing terms about his relationship with a family that has, for better or worse, helped define his administration.
“The Banks family are my family,” Adams said. “These are not only good public servants, they’re good human beings.”
Schools Chancellor David Banks and his then-partner, now-wife Sheena Wright, who is also Adams’ first deputy mayor, had been among the mayor’s first appointments. He tapped Phil Banks, David’s brother, as deputy mayor of public safety, despite scandals that marred his 27-year NYPD career.
Throughout their time in city government, Adams and his cadre of closest advisers — including the Banks family — have remained fiercely loyal to one another. The mayor stood by his allies as the feds encircled them in recent months, seizing their cell phones and subpoenaing them for information as part of multiple investigations.
But now, a string of departures that include both Banks brothers suggests the bonds may be breaking. David Banks was already scheduled to retire when Adams pushed his last day up. As of Friday, Wright is expected to step down, multiple sources told Gothamist. Next came Phil Banks’ resignation.
Even before Adams was indicted, Wright and David Banks had been expressing frustration with the mayor over policy matters, like the school’s chancellor’s attempt to implement a cell phone ban, according to several people close to senior City Hall officials who were not authorized to speak publicly.
More recently, according to one source, Wright had said she was upset that her husband’s resignation was moved up.
Their departures have come as Gov. Kathy Hochul has been privately urging Adams to clean house.
“We expect changes,” Hochul told reporters last week. “That’s not a secret and changes are beginning.”
On Monday, Politico reported that three more aides to the mayor were also departing. They include two people who have been under federal investigation: Winnie Greco, a senior adviser who served as a liaison with the Chinese community, and Rana Abbasova, an aide who helped connect Adams to the Turkish community.
But the hasty exits by those closest to the mayor have heightened rather than allayed the crisis at City Hall. They have also added up to distractions at a moment when Adams, who is facing federal corruption charges and a recent poll showing that nearly 70% of New Yorkers want him to step down, is trying to project that he is still in control.
“This is a steady drain that makes City Hall much weaker than it has been,” said George Arzt, who served as press secretary for former Mayor Ed Koch.
Adams’ split with former top aides and close confidants who are under federal scrutiny could also further imperil him, according to legal experts.
“If they are in jeopardy for their own conduct, one avenue is to try to cooperate and provide truthful information about a higher up person’s potentially criminal conduct,” said Carrie Cohen, a former federal prosecutor.
Last week, prosecutors told a judge they may bring more charges against the mayor.
In each case, the mayor has painted his aides’ departures as their own decisions, with the exception of David Banks’ accelerated resignation date — which came at the behest of Adams.
Hochul first communicated her demand that Adams thin the ranks upon his indictment. Since then, the mayor’s innermost circle has all but collapsed.
First came Tim Pearson, one of the mayor’s closest advisers, who was at the center of multiple lawsuits and investigations. He submitted his resignation Sept. 30. Two days later, Hochul told reporters that Pearson’s exit was a “good first step” — with an emphasis on the word “first.”
The Banks family resignations soon followed.
As of Monday afternoon, Hochul had not yet indicated publicly whether the latest round of departures is enough to satiate her. A spokesperson, Anthony Hogrebe, said the governor and mayor had “multiple conversations over the past few days.”
“We’re not going to comment on details of those discussions, but the mayor is aware of the governor’s priorities,” he said.
Adams, for his part, pushed back Monday on the claim that the governor was pressuring him to oust aides. He characterized Hochul as a “partner.”
Over the last three years, Hochul and Adams have been significant allies — touting their strong relationship in public any opportunity they get as a way to distance themselves from the dysfunctional relationships prior governors and mayors have shared.
Hochul notably did not call on Adams to resign following his indictment, which accuses him of accepting lavish travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish nationals who would lean on him for favors.
To this point, Adams has been buoyed in part by support from Black civic leaders in New York City who have emphasized his right to due process. Many of them, including the Rev. Al Sharpton and Hazel Dukes, longtime president of the New York NAACP, are also allied with Hochul.
Rev. Kirsten John Foy, founder of a nonprofit group called The Arc of Justice, is among those calling on Hochul to allow Adams to have his day in court. He and other Black leaders have been angered by some politicians who have rushed to call for the mayor to step down, including Rep. Jerry Nadler, the Manhattan Democrat who is the senior member of the state’s congressional delegation.
In an interview with Gothamist, Foy acknowledged Hochul was in a “tight spot.”
“She’s got to show that she cares enough about the governance of New York City, but not overstep and overreach and step out of her lane,” Foy said. “For all — for good, bad, and ugly — Eric Adams is the duly elected mayor of the city of New York, and to just remove him or undermine him in that position also, in effect, nullifies the will of the voter.”