Mayor Eric Adams' longtime girlfriend has quietly resigned from her high six-figure position in the Big Apple's education department amid a city investigation into the unofficial first lady's alleged “no-show jobs.” .
Tracy Collins, who was a senior advisor to Superintendent of Schools Melissa Aviles-Ramos, had her last day on the job Nov. 1 and will be retiring on Monday, said Nathaniel Stair, a spokesperson for the city's Department of Education. admitted.
Mr. Collins' salary recently increased to $225,761, according to city data, but Mr. Steer did not say why Mr. Collins left his position.
“M.S. Collins has served public school students for over 30 years as a teacher, principal, and administrator, and we wish her well in her retirement.”
In September, a former DOE employee filed a complaint about Collins and her alleged “truancy” with DOE Ethics Officer Samantha Biletsky, the Conflicts of Interest Commission, the City Schools Task Force, and the City Bureau of Investigation.
The employee also claimed that Collins had rarely been in the office since November 2023 and that his work calendar remained blank.
A former employee reported at the time that coworkers said they had not seen Collins in person since Thanksgiving.
On Friday, the SCI, the city's quasi-independent agency tasked with investigating misconduct and DOE employees and, in some cases, vendors, confirmed to the Post that it was investigating the allegations but could not provide further details. did not go into it.
Biletsky did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Collins, a former DOE teacher, principal and administrator who was promoted after Adams' appointment, is also mentioned in the explosive 57-page federal indictment against Hizuner.
Although she has not been charged with any wrongdoing, prosecutors say the Fort Lee, N.J., resident has traveled extensively with Adams since 2016, including trips to India, Hungary, Turkey, Jordan, Oman and Ghana. It is said that he was doing It accuses the mayor of accepting travel benefits worth up to $123,000.
The former employee's complaint alleges that Collins also failed to disclose these benefits during his annual conflict of interest disclosure.
“It is my understanding that DOE employees are only allowed to work from home two days a week,” a former employee who previously worked in the same building as Collins wrote in an email to Biletsky.
The complaint says investigators should look into allegations that Collins “received more than 100,000 gifts from foreign governments and failed to declare the gifts on his conflict of interest disclosure.”
Collins' work hours and attendance records will also be reviewed to “prove that she took time off during her illegal travels,” according to the complaint.
A few months after Adams became president and appointed David Banks as president, Banks promoted Collins to vice president for school leadership and senior advisor to Desmond Blackburn, who has since resigned.
At the time, Collins received a 23% increase in pay to $221,597 a year.
Aviles-Ramos took over as chancellor after Banks resigned amid a federal investigation surrounding City Hall leaders and Adams allies.
Adams has pleaded not guilty.
