City’s Top Housing Official Steps Down in Wake of Mayor’s Trump Dealings

First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, who oversees the city’s housing and economic development work, announced plans to resign alongside three other top City Hall officials.

Four of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ deputy mayors, including top housing official Maria Torres-Springer, resigned Monday amid ongoing turmoil at City Hall over the mayor’s dealings with President Donald Trump.

The tumult comes a week after Trump’s Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop their corruption and bribery case against the mayor, saying the indictment interferes with Adams’ ability to cooperate with the president’s immigration enforcement efforts.

The officials stepping down include Torres-Springer—who oversees the city’s housing, economic development and workforce initiatives and was appointed first deputy mayor in October—as well as Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, Anne Williams-Isom, who oversees health and human services, and Chauncey Parker, who heads up public safety.

“Due to the extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families, we have come to the difficult decision to step down from our roles,” the group said in a joint statement published by the New York Times.

Their resignations sparked renewed calls for Adams, who is facing re-election this year, to resign himself. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove the mayor from office, said the departures raised “serious questions about the long-term future of this Mayoral administration.”

The governor said she would meet with city leaders Tuesday to discuss “the path forward.”

“I recognize the immense responsibility I hold as governor and the constitutional powers granted to this office. In the 235 years of New York State history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly,” Hochul said in a statement Monday. “That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.”

Last week, Trump’s Justice Department filed to dismiss the corruption charges against Mayor Adams, who was indicted in September for allegedly accepting bribes—including illegal campaign contributions and luxury travel perks—from Turkish nationals during both his time as mayor and as Brooklyn borough president. Adams has denied the accusations.

In asking to dismiss those charges, federal officials cited the case as disruptive to Adams’ ability to assist in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The president has vowed to carry out mass deportations, and recently signed a law that expands the type of crimes for which noncitizens can be arrested and detained—even if they haven’t been convicted.

Following the Justice Department’s order, the mayor met with Trump’s border czar and agreed to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to operate on Rikers Island.

In a statement on Monday, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams—who previously characterized the DOJ’s dropped charges as an “apparent quid pro quo” —said the flurry of resignations signals that the mayor “has now lost the confidence and trust of his own staff, his colleagues in government, and New Yorkers.”

“He now must prioritize New York City and New Yorkers, step aside and resign,” she said.

In a resignation announcement obtained by the New York Times, Torres-Springer said the decision to step down was not one she took lightly. “I carry with me the hope that you will view this decision as one also made out of love,” she wrote.

Torres-Springer has been closely involved in the Adams administration’s housing plans, including the recent passage of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, which updates the city’s zoning code to make it easier to build residential projects.

She stood with the mayor at a housing-related announcement just last week, where Adams praised her work.

“No portfolio impacts this housing initiative more than Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, what she has done throughout this administration of continuously landing the planes of challenging housing initiatives, finding the space, and ensuring that we continue to build,” the mayor said.

Adams told Politico Monday that he was “disappointed” to see the four deputy mayors go. “But let me be crystal clear: New York City will keep moving forward, just as it does every day,” he told the outlet.

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