Mayor Eric Adams promoted two of his most senior administration officials as deputy mayors on Monday.
During his weekly “off-topic” press conference, Adams announced promotions for Camille Joseph Varlack, his chief of staff, and Tiffany Raspberry, his director of intergovernmental affairs. Joseph Varlack will retain her current title while also becoming the “deputy mayor for administration,” while Raspberry will now serve as the “deputy mayor for intergovernmental affairs.”
Adams said that in Varlack’s current role, which she has held for two years, she has operated in the unsung role of responding to myriad crises and keeping the city functioning.
“Crises don’t wait for your alarm clock; they become your alarm clock. And long before any of us know about it, Camille is on the scene, navigating the scene and navigating how to move this city forward,” Adams said of Varlack. “I have a great deal of confidence that when I hand her the ball, she is going to get it across the finish line, and I don’t have to micromanage her.”
With her promotion, Varlack will retain her current role as chief of staff while adding additional city agencies to her portfolio, including the Department for Citywide Administrative Services.
Varlack has worn many hats as chief of staff, such as helping lead the city’s effort to provide shelter to over 200,000 migrants since spring 2022 and coordinating the administration’s response to extreme weather.
“My title is new, but my mission remains the same as it has been since day one and across my entire career: to lead with integrity and excellence, to deliver bold, innovative, and results-driven governance that prioritizes the needs of New Yorkers,” Varlack said.
Adams said Varlack’s salary is already equal to that of all other deputy mayors—roughly $280,000 annually—and will remain at that level.
The mayor also praised Raspberry for her ability to negotiate difficult negotiations with other branches and levels of government on behalf of his administration. He said Raspberry, who has served in her role since 2022, has been particularly effective in securing some of his top policy priorities from Albany lawmakers over the past three years.
“What it takes to be a successful intergovernmental affairs person is not only to understand the legislation and the nuances, but one’s ability to land a plane,” Adams said. “Every time we have to go to Albany, every time we have to go to Washington, putting her team together, and she has just really done what was needed.”
Raspberry will get a raise from her current salary of $260,000 a year to the level made by deputy mayors, Adams said. Kayla Mamelak, a mayoral spokesperson, said the size of both Raspberry’s city agency portfolio will also increase, but could not immediately provide further details.
The intergovernmental affairs head was in the running for an external affairs job at Fordham University, according to a report from the Daily News, but was not selected for the role.
The elevation of both Varlack and Raspberry follows a wave of high-level City Hall departures during the fall that followed Adams’ indictment on federal corruption charges.
