For the mayor, one week you can be in and the next you can be out.
In the last week, two top officials — the city’s attorney, Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix, and the city’s interim chair of the Civilian Complaint Review board, Arva Rice — have unexpectedly been shown the door.
What You Need To Know
- In the last week, two top officials have unexpectedly been shown the door
- The city’s attorney, Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix, and the city’s interim chair of the Civilian Complaint Review board, Arva Rice, are leaving amid disagreements with the administration
- For some, the exits, especially Rice’s, are reminiscent of last year’s surprising resignation of former Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell
- The women, once hired for their expertise, are now seemingly at odds for using it to advise the mayor
The surprise departures have raised questions about Eric Adams’ empowerment of women of color and management style.
“It is interesting to see how people are leaving, and they’re not always leaving because they just burnt out or have better opportunities. They’re leaving because they had disagreements with the vision they have versus the vision of not just the mayor, but the mayor and his buddies,” Christina Greer, a Moynihan Public Fellow Scholar and NY1 commentator, said.
Hinds-Radix reportedly is leaving due to her concern over the city representing the mayor in a sexual assault lawsuit.
Rice is departing, in part, over her criticism of a lack of discipline for two police officers involved in the shooting death of a Bronx man, Kawaski Trawick.
The women, once hired for their expertise, are now seemingly at odds for using it to advise the mayor.
“Is he the type of leader that someone can work for or should work for?” Greer asked. “As we see more and more women leaving, [there are] questions of whether or not this mayor knows how to delegate, whether he’s focused, whether he’s assembled the people in the right places to help the city thrive.”
For some, the exits, especially Rice’s, are reminiscent of last year’s surprising resignation of former Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell.
Sewell left after only 18 months on the job, amid reports she was being undermined by the administration.
“We had commissioner Sewell who was also removed, stepped down, under the fire and guise of putting some teeth into the disciplinary nature of how this city deals with police,” Royce Russell, Kawasaki Trawick family’s attorney, said.
But the mayor insists no one is being pushed out.
“I communicated directly with Ms. Rice and told her she does not have to leave the CCRB board,” the mayor said in an interview Thursday morning with “Pix 11’s Morning News.”
Earlier in the week, Adams said “Judge Radix is a longtime friend for many many years. I was at her daughter’s wedding. There is no disagreement.”
In a statement, Deputy Press Secretary Amaris Cockfield defended the mayor.
“As mayor, not only has Mayor Adams appointed a historic number of women, and specifically women of color, to leadership positions, but with half his senior cabinet alone being Black women, it is preposterous to insinuate that the mayor would do anything other than support the women that help him run the city,“ Cockfield said.
It’s unclear when either Hinds-Radix or Rice will leave their post.
