NYC First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright resigns. Community affairs liaison Mohamed Bahi indicted
NEW YORK -- New York City First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright is resigning, continuing a wave of departures from indicted Mayor Eric Adams' administration.
Adams confirmed Wright's resignation Tuesday afternoon. Reports first started to surface that she was stepping down on Friday. Wright did not answer CBS News New York's questions as she left City Hall that afternoon.
"She's a great New Yorker, and I thank her and I wish her well in her future endeavors," the mayor said Tuesday. "One of the biggest endeavors she has is she's married now. So I say congratulations to you and, Sheena, job well done, you make us all proud."
Sheena Wright being replaced by Maria Torres-Springer
The mayor also said Maria Torres-Springer, the deputy mayor for housing, economic development, and workforce, will be elevated to take over Wright's position as first deputy mayor. In his announcement, he touted her "ability to remain calm during rough seas."
"I'm really proud to announce -- I keep saying how deep our bench is -- and I'm proud to announce the continued importance of the work with a woman that's respected both in private industry and in public industry. I'm elevating to the position of first deputy mayor Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer," he said.
Torres-Springer has more than 20 years in city government under different agencies and administrations. She called the appointment "humbling."
"It's a very complex time in our city, but I think that my priorities are very simple," she said. "Working with the mayor, those priorities are to focus on the work, to support the incredible leaders we have across City Hall and all of the agencies, and more importantly to stand shoulder to shoulder with the 300,000 public servants who continue to work tirelessly to deliver services and to improve lives."
Muslim community liaison Mohamed Bahi indicted
Confirmation of Wright's departure comes as Mohamed Bahi, the mayor's liaison to the Muslim community, was indicted by federal investigators.
Bahi is charged with witness tampering and destruction of evidence in connection with an investigation of unlawful contributions to the 2021 mayoral campaign. The complaint alleges Bahi tried to delete messaging apps from his cellphone when officers came to his house to execute a search warrant.
The mayor was questioned repeatedly about allegations by the feds that Bahi told a businessman involved in collecting the illegal contributions that he had spoken with "Official-1," believed to be the mayor, and advised the businessman to lie to federal investigators.
"I would never instruct anyone to do anything illegal or improper. The only instruction I give people all the time is follow the law," Adams said.
The mayor told reporters, including CBS News New York political reporter Marcia Kramer, "Mohamed Bahi was one of the top Muslim liaisons even before joining the mayor's office. I always found him to be thoughtful. I always found him to be willing to go into all the communities. But what he has done to really bring down the noise in some of the conflicts that we're seeing today, I think the record will speak loudly for what he's committed.
"His attorney can speak for his case. I know he delivered for New Yorkers and I thank him for that," Adams added.
Bahi was released on $250,000 bond.
Bahi resigned Monday, along with Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III and Director of Asian Affairs Winnie Greco. Sources also said Rana Abbasova, who had been on leave, has been terminated.
The mayor admitted that some of the personnel changes he has made may have come from suggestions made by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"Had a great conversation with the governor over the weekend. She gave me some suggestions. We implemented some of her suggestions. And at the same time, people were saying, 'Eric, I want to do other things with my life,' like DM [Philip] Banks," Adams said Tuesday.
However, the mayor bristled at the idea the governor told him outright who to pick to replace Wright, even as he announced that Torres-Springer, the woman who has developed the mayor's housing plan, would be Wright's replacement.
The mayor said, "Government is hard," adding, "I must make sure that I buffer my team from the inability to do the work."
Departures from NYC Mayor Eric Adams' administration
Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and senior advisor to the mayor Timothy Pearson are also among those in Adams' inner circle who have stepped down.
Schools Chancellor David Banks, who recently tied the knot with Wright and is brothers with Philip Banks III, announced he would be retiring at the end of the year, but he later said the mayor "decided to accelerate that timeline," moving his final day up to Oct. 16.
This all happened after Adams was indicted on campaign finance, bribery and conspiracy charges on Sept. 26. Adams pleaded not guilty, and he has repeatedly stated that he has no plans to step down.
On Sept. 4, federal authorities raided the homes of a number of city officials, including Wright, Caban, the Banks brothers and Pearson, and seized their cellphones.
