New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday, Oct. 8, that Maria Torres-Springer, deputy mayor for housing, economic development, and workforce, is the new first deputy mayor, replacing former First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who resigned on Tuesday, as reported.

The news comes amid the ongoing turmoil at City Hall surrounding the recently announced federal bribery charges brought against Adams, which has shaken the Adams administration to its core, and follows past raids by federal agents on the homes of various Adams administration officials, and a slew of recent resignations. The mayor pled not guilty to the charges on Sept. 27 and has moved to dismiss the case.

City Hall officials said Torres-Springer assumes oversight of the first deputy mayor portfolio, providing strategic direction and operational and budgetary oversight for the City of New York. They said the new first deputy mayor will continue to manage her housing and economic development portfolio “given its significance to the administration’s agenda.”

City Hall officials said Wright played a “critical role in launching and co-chairing the Adams administration’s successful gun violence prevention task force, helping to stabilize the City’s budget, and reimagining the City’s early childhood education system. They said Torres-Springer led ambitious and record-breaking efforts to accelerate the city’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and make strides against the housing and affordability crisis.

They said highlights of this work included regaining the nearly one million jobs the City lost during the pandemic more than a year ahead of schedule; launching a blueprint to create accessble career pathways and a more inclusive economy, driving down Black and Latino unemployment by nearly 30 percent, developing the “Get Stuff Done” plan to accelerate the pace of housing production, driving back-to-back, record-breaking years for producing and connecting New Yorkers to new, affordable homes, advancing the Public Housing Preservation Trust “to unlock billions of dollars for comprehensive renovations for thousands of NYCHA residents;” and advancing the administration’s historic three “City of Yes” initiatives to modernize the City’s zoning code to promote sustainability, support small businesses, and build more housing.

They said as deputy mayor for housing, Torres-Springer has overseen “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery,” the city’s jobs recovery, efforts to support small businesses with the “Small Busness Forward” executive order, and the “New” New York panel’s “Making New York Work for Everyone” action plan, as well as moving projects in Willets Point and on Governor’s Island forward.

They said Torres-Springer worked previously as vice president of U.S. programs at the Ford Foundation, where she oversaw the foundation’s domestic grant making, and made historic investments to support racial equity, workers’ rights, voting rights, and arts and culture across the country.

They said as commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), Torres-Springer focused on the production of housing for the city’s most vulnerable communities, while also launching several new programs to protect tenants’ rights. They said she led the implementation of Housing New York, a five-borough, 12-year plan to create or preserve 300,000 affordable homes; and she steered the financing of approximately 60,000 affordable homes.

Earlier in her career, as president and CEO of the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC), they said Torres-Springer led the implementation of the new citywide ferry service and made major investments in key sectors of the city’s economy. They said she also spearheaded several neighborhood revitalization plans. Prior to that, as commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), they said Torres-Springer prioritized efforts to raise wages and support women-owned and immigrant-owned businesses and worked to prepare New Yorkers for 21st century jobs.

They said Torres-Springer earned her bachelor’s degree in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale University and a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She will report directly to Adams.

Rev. Al Sharpton had some words of praise for the outgoing first deputy, saying, “Sheena Wright has helped steer New York City through one of its most challenging times in more than a generation. Whether it was in her preliminary role overseeing strategic initiatives or as first deputy mayor over the last two years, Sheena is someone who regularly engaged the Black and Brown communities that now make up a majority of New York’s population, listened to us, and sought to respond to our needs in real time. She was part of a contingent that showed the power a Black woman can have when placed in a seat of power, and I wish her well as she embarks on her next chapter.”

On Torres-Springer’s latest appointment, among others, Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of Partnership for New York City, said, “The mayor has made a wise choice in appointing a seasoned professional and skilled manager as first deputy mayor. We have worked closely with Maria during three mayoral administrations and know she has the capabilities and character required to lead during a time of crisis.”

Wylde also offered some words of praise to the former first deputy mayor, saying, “Sheena Wright has drawn on her deep connections to all sectors of our complex city to advance equity and inclusion in city policies and programs. She played a key role in the healing process that allowed the city to emerge stronger from the pandemic and deserves our heartfelt appreciation for her service.”

Meanwhile, Manny Pastreich, president, 32BJ SEIU said, in part, of Torres-Springer’s appointment, “Her extensive experience in government and leadership in addressing the urgent need for additional housing for working New Yorkers and her support for a strong economy with good jobs speaks to her commitment to the success of our great city. New Yorkers deserve this type of leadership to manage the city’s critical operations at this moment.”