UPDATE: On March 7, Mayor Eric Adams appointed four new deputy mayors. Suzanne Miles-Gustave, former acting commissioner of New York’s Office of Children and Family Services, was named deputy mayor for health and human services. Also appointed were Jeffrey D. Roth, Kaz Daughtry and Adolfo Carrión Jr.
Anne Williams-Isom — an influential child welfare leader who has overseen many of the city’s recent reforms — joined three other top officials in resigning from the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams today. The departures are the latest defections since President Trump’s Justice Department moved to dismiss federal corruption charges against the embattled mayor.
In an evening email, Williams-Isom confirmed that she had co-signed a joint resignation letter with First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. The letter, posted by The New York Times, calls the deputy mayors’ time in the Adams administration “the greatest honor and privilege of our lives.”
“We have worked each day with the singular mission of improving the lives of New Yorkers and strengthening the physical foundation of the city we love,” it reads. “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 resignations follow demands by Trump appointees that the criminal charges against Adams be dropped so the mayor can support the president’s sweeping policies ramping up immigration enforcement, and focus on his re-election. That has caused turmoil within the Justice Department. One of the prosecutors who resigned in protest declared it “a breathtaking and dangerous precedent to reward Adams’s opportunistic and shifting commitments on immigration.”
The city’s democratic leadership is also expressing mounting outrage at the unprecedented intervention, with one local congress member calling it “outright extortion.” Late today, Speaker of the New York City Council Adrienne Adams called on the mayor to resign, according to numerous news reports. Gov. Kathy Hochul praised Williams-Isom and the other officials who are stepping down, indicating she is now considering removing Adams from office under a never-used state law.
“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,” the governor’s statement reads. “That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored. Tomorrow, I have asked key leaders to meet me at my Manhattan office for a conversation about the path forward, with the goal of ensuring stability for the City of New York.”
Observers say the cascading crisis is shaking the foundations of independence at the federal law enforcement agency. But Adams has remained defiant, insisting on his innocence and suggesting the Biden administration and the justice department’s New York-based prosecutors are politically motivated. He and his attorney have also denied there was any “quid pro quo” with Trump officials in exchange for his case being dropped last week. On Monday, the New York Post reported he delivered remarks to a Brooklyn church that characterized accusations against him as a blizzard of lies amounting to “a modern-day ‘Mein Kampf.’”
The Trump-appointed Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, issued an eight-page letter Thursday admonishing the staff prosecutors who resigned for “insubordination and apparent misconduct,” and citing “well-founded concerns regarding weaponization, election interference, and the impediments that the case has imposed on Mayor Adams’ ability to govern and cooperate with federal law enforcement to keep New York City safe.”
Williams-Isom, a former leader of the renowned Harlem Children’s Zone, was named deputy mayor for health and human services weeks before Adams was inaugurated in January 2022. She has since overseen a broad portfolio of city agencies including child welfare, homelessness, mental health and domestic violence-related services. The deputy mayor has helped lead New York City’s response to the arrival of more than 230,000 migrants — including many parents with young children in tow. She has also been among the outspoken leaders for “narrowing the front door” to the city’s foster care system, which entangles a disproportionate number of poor families and people of color.
“We have worked each day with the singular mission of improving the lives of New Yorkers and strengthening the physical foundation of the city we love. 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.”
Letter SIGNED BY DEPUTY MAYORS ANNE WILLIAMS-ISOM, MARIA TORRES-SPRINGER AND MEERA JOSHI
Working closely with Administration for Children’s Services’ Commissioner Jess Dannhauser, she has supported the city’s efforts to become the first in the state to advise parents of their rights at the outset of CPS investigations, and to expand its Family Enrichment Centers. The nonprofit-run spaces — serving struggling families before they reach a crisis involving CPS — have increased from three to 30 city-wide.
“Ultimately, we want children and families to thrive,” Williams-Isom said in a September press release announcing school-based supportive services. “That means support for young people at every step of the way, but it also means support for parents and guardians along their journey too.”
But her involvement has been interrupted by an ever-mounting number of federal criminal investigations and indictments against Mayor Adams and many of his top staff. The case took an abrupt twist last week, with an unusual court filing by the U.S. Department of Justice: Trump-appointed justice department leaders’ dismissal order sparked the resignation of more than half a dozen federal prosecutors in the agency’s Washington D.C. and New York offices, who refused orders to sign their names to the court motion requesting a Manhattan judge toss Adams’ case.
According to news reports, the four city officials who stepped down Monday in the continuation of departures — including recently appointed public safety deputy mayor Chauncey Parker — were pillars of Adams’ city government, with far-reaching roles. None have been implicated in the numerous criminal investigations into other top City Hall officials, including federal criminal counts of bribery and campaign finance offenses announced in September against Mayor Adams.
A spokesperson for the city’s Administration for Children’s Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Jess Dannhauser, its commissioner who has worked closely with deputy mayor Williams-Isom on child welfare reforms and foster care prevention. City sources who insisted on anonymity told the Imprint the commissioner does not currently plan to resign.
Two heads of private nonprofit groups serving the city’s low-income children and families reached at press time said they weren’t familiar with the circumstances of Williams-Isom resignation beyond news reports, but praised her leadership over the past three years.
“She transcended some of the politics and just made sure the services were as high quality as they could be,” said Bill Weisberg, executive director of the foster care agency Forestdale.
