The health commissioner chosen by Mayor Eric Adams to lead New York City out of the Covid pandemic tendered his resignation on Monday, becoming the third top official to depart the administration this month amid multiple federal investigations of the mayor’s inner circle.
The commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, a mental health expert, cited a desire to spend more time with his family in his decision to step down, which takes effect early next year.
“As anyone with a family — or a chosen family — knows, you are never alone in service. My wife and three young children have served alongside me, bearing the brunt of my absence and shouldering so much,” Dr. Vasan said in a statement. “I’m grateful for their love and have chosen that now it is time to support them and their well-being.”
A City Hall spokesman, William Fowler, said Dr. Vasan’s departure was not related to the federal investigations, and the commissioner affirmed that in a brief interview.
“I’m so far away from that world, and my focus has been on the health of the city,” Dr. Vasan said of the investigations. “I don’t think anyone wants to see that kind of environment around us, because we want our mayor and the administration to be successful, because we want the city to be successful.”
Mr. Adams praised Dr. Vasan’s tenure.
“His expertise as a mental health expert, coupled with his training as a public health professional, have proven indispensable to our city over the past two and a half years as we’ve handled rising Covid rates, mpox outbreaks, and a mental health crisis both on our streets and in our schools,” the mayor said in a statement.
The resignation reflects the mounting pressure facing Mr. Adams and his administration, and underscores concerns about the mayor’s ability to retain and attract top staff and remain focused on governing the largest city in the country amid at least four separate criminal investigations of his campaign and closest advisers.
Earlier this month, Edward A. Caban, who had his phone seized by federal agents, resigned as police commissioner at the request of City Hall. Lisa Zornberg, the mayor’s chief counsel, resigned days later, in part because she was unable to persuade the mayor to fire Timothy Pearson, a senior adviser to Mr. Adams whose phones were seized earlier this month by federal authorities.
Federal authorities also seized the devices of Philip Banks III, the deputy mayor for public safety; Sheena Wright, the first deputy mayor, who is charged with the day-to day management of a government with nearly 300,000 employees; and Ms. Wright’s partner, David Banks, the schools chancellor.
Before becoming the health commissioner, Dr. Vasan was the president of Fountain House, a New York-based nonprofit focused on mental health, and a professor of public health at Columbia University.
Dr. Vasan served as co-chairman of the health committee on the mayor’s transition team. Mr. Adams often cited the work of Dr. Vasan and Fountain House as a model for the city when it came to dealing with mental health.
The post As Investigations Swirl, Another Adams Official Resigns appeared first on New York Times.
