Mayor Eric Adams quietly issued an executive order late Thursday assigning powers to a subordinate if First Vice Mayor Sheena Wright is unable to perform her duties — just weeks after the FBI raided her home.
The new order shifts Mr. Wright's responsibilities to Deputy Mayor Ann Williams Isolm, who is currently involved in a federal investigation that has been at the center of a series of high-profile resignations involving City Hall. Not targeted.
As the mayor's right-hand man, Wright oversees the city's Budget and Finance Department, as well as the Citywide Administrative Services Department, the city's recruiting and hiring agency, and the Office of Policy Planning, the government's policy arm.
The new Adams order, issued around 7 p.m., will draw attention as Mr. Hizner launches a public defense against five shocking criminal charges before surrendering to authorities in court on Friday. During that time, it was under the radar.
“If the First Deputy Mayor is unable to perform any such functions, powers, or duties, or if the First Deputy Mayor waives in writing the mandate contained herein, all such functions, powers, or duties of the Mayor shall be waived. “Duties are hereby delegated to the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services,” reads Executive Order 45, posted on the city's website.
The move comes just weeks after Ms. Wright's elegant home on West 143rd Street in Harlem was raided and her cellphone seized. She lives there with her husband, similarly embattled city schools principal David Banks, who also has a home in Queens that was also raided by FBI agents. His mobile phone was also seized.
The law enforcement action marked a surprising escalation in the swirling federal investigation into Adams. The exact purpose of the attack remains unclear.
“Mr. Sheena has not resigned or taken a leave of absence,” City Hall Representative Allison Mather said Friday of the mayor's move the night before. “When the mayor and deputy mayor are both penniless, establishing a clear line of succession for continuity is simply good governance.
The Adams administration has repeatedly dismissed concerns about how it will be able to operate day-to-day life while fending off a dizzying amount of federal investigation.
Two days before the order was issued, Mr. Banks announced that he was resigning as university president. Melissa Aviles-Ramos will take over the position at the end of December.
At the official event to name Mr Banks' successor, the principal shifted the spotlight from himself to his long-time girlfriend, Mr Wright.
“To the love of my life, who has helped me immeasurably and immeasurably, I want to say that a person can write whatever they want to write. I know my truth,'' he said before hugging Wright.
