Mayor Adams issued an executive order Thursday that allows Sheena Wright, his top deputy, to delegate her duties to another senior administration official with the stroke of a pen — an unusual move that comes amid turmoil at City Hall and speculation over whether Wright could be the next to leave the administration.
The order, issued by Adams just hours after news broke that a federal grand jury had indicted him on corruption charges, adds a new section to the rules for senior City Hall staff relating specifically to the first deputy mayor. The new section says that if the first deputy mayor, currently Wright, is “unable to perform” her duties, she can delegate them to Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom simply by putting it “in writing.”
Wright was one of at least five members of the mayor’s inner circle to be raided by federal law enforcement earlier this month, when feds searched the Harlem home she shares with her fiancée, Schools Chancellor David Banks. The feds confiscated both top officials’ electronics in the raid.
Banks announced Tuesday he’d be stepping down from his post at the end of the year, the most recent high profile departure since the probe came to light. Other top officials to exit in recent days include Police Commissioner Edward Caban and Lisa Zornberg, Adams’ chief counsel.
The outgoing chancellor has explicitly denied that his retirement is tied to the federal investigation, and has repeatedly said he has planned to leave for months.
Thursday’s executive order, allowing Wright to hand off her responsibilities to another deputy mayor, comes amid speculation Wright could soon step down, though Adams spokeswoman Allison Maser denied those rumors Friday.
Maser told the The News Wright is not resigning and not expected to take any extended leave. She said the rule change is meant to lend stability to the administration.
“It is simply good governance to establish a clear line of succession, for the sake of continuity, in the instance that the mayor and first deputy mayor are both out of pocket,” Masser said.