NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks on Thursday said he was forced to resign earlier than planned by Mayor Adams — a move that comes as Gov. Hochul places pressure on Adams to clear his administration of top officials involved in federal corruption probes.
“Last week, I announced my planned retirement, and I was ready, willing and able to stay in my post until December 31st to conduct a responsible transition for our staff,” Banks said in a statement. “The Mayor has decided to accelerate that timeline.”
Banks had previously announced plans to retire at the end of the calendar year, but will now be stepping down by mid-October, City Hall announced late Wednesday. Deputy Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos will take over as chancellor starting Oct. 16.
Gov. Hochul, who has significant leverage over the mayor as she has the power to boot him from office, has reportedly told Adams to ax top administration officials who are ensnared in sweeping federal corruption investigations. Sources previously told the Daily News that Adams pushed Banks out to meet that demand.
Adams alluded to “conversations with other leaders” as a reason for Banks’ earlier-than-planned resignation.
“To have both Melissa and David there at the same time, it didn’t bring the stability that we wanted,” Adams told reporters Thursday.
Last week, Adams pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish nationals and government officials and carried out favors in exchange.
Hochul has acknowledged reporting that she has privately directed Adams to clean house, and called the resignation of Adams adviser Timothy Pearson on Monday a “good first step.”
“We expect changes. That’s not a secret,” Hochul said at a Midtown press conference Wednesday.
Adams’ administration has been embroiled in escalating federal investigations since the beginning of September, when multiple top aides to the mayor, including David Banks, his fiancee Sheena Wright, who is rumored to be stepping down, and his brother Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, were raided or subpoenaed by the feds. A third Banks brother, Terence Banks, who works as a government relations consultant, was also raided.
