October 5, 2024
First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who had her home raided by federal investigators in September, is expected to resign this month.
As the investigation into New York City Mayor Eric Adams continues towards an inevitable resolution, a sixth member of his administration is expected to resign.
First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who had her phone seized and her home raided by federal investigators in September, is expected to resign at some point in October, CNN reports.
Wright, who previously faced scrutiny from The Gothamist due to her role on the NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) procurement board which awarded a $154 million contract to her now brother-in-law, Terence Banks, would become the sixth member of the Adams Administration to resign over the investigation into Adams upon her resignation.
Currently, Adams is facing five federal counts of bribery, corruption, wire fraud, and soliciting and accepting donations from foreign nationals. At his arraignment hearing on Sept. 27, Adams entered a not guilty plea.
In addition to the indictment of Adams, there is the distinct possibility that Adams could face additional charges and additional defendants could be added, according to prosecutor Hagan Scotten.
On Oct. 2, at a court hearing, Scotten indicated that the federal government’s case is still being built against Adams and others.
In his statement announcing his departure from his post, New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks, who married Wright in a private ceremony in Martha’s Vineyard on the weekend of Sept. 29, said his timeline had been moved up by the Adams Administration.
“Last week, I announced my planned retirement, and I was ready, willing and able to stay in my post until December 31st to conduct a responsible transition for our staff. The Mayor has decided to accelerate that timeline,” Banks said.
Banks will now leave his position on Oct. 16, nearly two months ahead of his original plan. Banks’ early exit comes mere days after New York Governor Kathy Hochul instructed the mayor to remove aides from his administration who are involved in investigations.
According to Politico, it is likely Adams’ choice to Wright’s husband that was the last straw for her. According to an individual who claimed to be familiar with her thought process, “She’s been unhappy in City Hall for a long time. She always felt undermined by others in City Hall — including by Ingrid — but what just happened to her husband sped up her timeline.”
The marriage of Banks and Wright in late September sparked rumors that the marriage was at least partly motivated by politics, a characterization that Banks refuted in comments he made to Fox 5 reporters.
According to NBC New York, he told reporters for the news station, “I think anybody that would criticize me has probably never been in love,” Banks said. “The reality is that Sheena and I have been together for quite some time. We’ve been planning our marriage for a while.”
According to Banks, he and Wright were motivated to get married due to their parents’ ages and related health issues, “and any suggestion otherwise to me is just ridiculous on its face.”
According to ABC 7, a whopping 69% of New York residents believe that Adams himself needs to resign. In addition to this, 63% of New Yorkers believe that in the event he does not voluntarily resign, Gov. Hochul should start removing him from his position.
In addition to Wright, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, Adams’ senior advisor Tim Pearson, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, and his brother, David Banks, have all been involved in ethics investigations or probes and Lisa Zornberg, Adams’ chief counsel, resigned over the mayor’s initial reluctance to cut ties with his appointees. Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan also announced his intention to step down at the end of 2024.
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