Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan will jump off the Titanic at City Hall months ahead of schedule.
He is scheduled to retire on Friday rather than at the end of the year, officials said, but the move comes as a group of top officials in Mayor Eric Adams' administration come amid heightened federal scrutiny and the historic indictment of Mr. Hizzoner. This is the latest leaked work.
In a statement released Tuesday, it said Vasan's premature departure was due to unspecified family reasons.
“Due to the increasing urgency of these needs, we have decided to move up our departure date to this Friday, October 18th,” he said.
Michelle Morse, the city's chief medical officer, will serve as interim health commissioner while city officials search for a replacement.
Vasan began his term in 2022 as the coronavirus continues to rage in the city. Since then, he has overseen efforts to highlight the dangers of social media for young people, drawing criticism for crushing small mental health day centers.
Vasan, who has no connection to any known investigations into city employees, announced he would step down in late September but would remain in office long enough for Adams to find a replacement.
His resignation was one of at least 11 senior officials to leave City Hall after federal authorities raided multiple employees on Sept. 4.
Although most of those departures were officials under surveillance, a few unsullied civil servants appear to have seized the opportunity to ride out the troubles of the Adams administration (one source previously described the administration as the “Titanic”). was calling).
School Superintendent David Banks, one of the officials affected by the federal investigation, will also end his term this week.
Banks' last day will be Wednesday, after which he will be succeeded by Deputy Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, a former English teacher and Bronx school superintendent.
