Phil Banks, Mayor Eric Adams’ scandal-ridden deputy mayor for public safety, is the latest Adams administration member to head out the City Hall revolving door.
Banks tendered his resignation Sunday, making him the latest City Hall big wig to depart the administration after Mayor Eric Adams’ historic indictment on federal corruption charges, the mayor confirmed during a Monday morning TV interview.
The deputy mayor departs following weeks of mounting pressure on him to exit his position in the wake of federal raids on him and several other top City Hall staffers early last month, the New York Post first reported. Adams has reportedly been looking to clean house of high-ranking administration officials who are under federal scrutiny at the behest of Gov. Kathy Hochul as he attempts to show he can still effectively manage the city following his indictment late last month.
In a Monday morning NY1 interview, Hizzoner confirmed that Banks, his long-time friend from when they served in the NYPD together, will be leaving the position he has held since early 2022. He casted the move as Banks’ decision, while praising the outgoing deputy mayor’s tenure.
“We spoke yesterday and we spoke again this morning, and he stated that he wants to transition onto some other things with his life and he does not want to be a constant burden on the work that we’re doing with this city and I accepted his resignation,” Adams said. “I wish my good friend well.”
According to published reports, the feds are eyeing Banks for potentially directing city contracts to companies represented by his brother Terence Banks’ consulting firm, the Pearl Alliance. He has not formally been accused of wrongdoing.
Banks was one of Adams’ most controversial hires, due to his resignation as the NYPD’s chief of department after being named an unindicted co-conspirator by federal prosecutors in a sweeping city government bribery scandal in 2014. In his role, Banks oversaw the city’s public safety agencies, including the Fire Department and Department of Correction, and was also rumored to have acted as the NYPD’s shadow commissioner.
The deputy mayor is the seventh top Adams staffer to put in their papers in the weeks since the most recent explosion of federal activity around the administration began. Phil Banks’ departure follows those of former Senior Adviser Tim Pearson, who left his position last Monday, and his brother — Schools Chancellor David Banks — whose set to leave the Education Department next Wednesday.
David Banks was originally planning on leaving by the end of the calendar year, but his departure date was suddenly moved up last week — a move that he said was at the mayor’s behest.
Also expected to soon leave the upper ranks of Adams’ administration is First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who is also David Banks’ longtime partner.
While several outlets reported last week that Wright could depart as soon as Friday, City Hall has yet to formally announce that she is stepping down. The mayor, while speaking to reporters a couple of times over the weekend, vehemently denied that Wright had already resigned, while not disputing reports that she is expected to.
When asked about the wave of resignations on NY1, the mayor played them off as regular turnover, while insisting he has a whole roster of qualified individuals ready to fill those positions.
“Look at my bench, we’re not leaving vacancies open,” Adams said. “People want to be in government, and we’re going to continue to fill those positions. We have a list of people from our transition team that are ready to come into every position.”
The mayor’s moves to rid his administration of potentially problematic top staffers comes as he is fighting calls that he resign himself. However, a new Marist College poll last week found that a staggering 69% of New Yorkers think Adams should step down.
