On Monday, February 17th, four senior aides of New York City Mayor Adams, including the deputy mayor in charge of Chinatown real estate and economic development Maria Torres Springer, and the deputy mayor in charge of health and public services Anne Williams Isom, announced their resignations. Community members expressed that their resignations are a good thing for the Chinatown community and for the mayor himself.
Democratic Party candidate for the 65th District B, Wang Di, said that setting aside the right or wrong of the mayor, the resignation of the deputy mayor alone is a “great relief” to the community. Wang Di believes that first deputy mayor Springer has been using her authority since Mayor de Blasio’s era to take actions unfavorable to Chinatown, such as opening homeless shelters and hindering the opening of Park Road; during Mayor Adams’s term, she also sidelined the mayor. “The current state of Park Road in Chinatown is directly related to the control of the first deputy mayor,” Wang Di said, expressing his satisfaction with Springer’s departure.
Community leader Yu Jinshan of the Democratic Party’s 65th District D also stated that several long-standing unresolved issues in the Chinatown community are related to the policies of the first and second deputy mayors. “Our entire Liu Jing Plaza (Shi Lin Shiguo), the entire plan for Park Road is directly the responsibility of the first deputy mayor,” he said, referring to the “Chinatown Connections” project, which aims to widen Liu Jing Plaza, build new arches, and beautify Park Road. In the progress update meeting held in January 2025, the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced the decision to keep Park Road closed.
“I always believe that the improvement of Park Road and its opening can coexist,” Yu Jinshan said. He questioned the deputy mayor’s actions, which he believes are not conducive to the mayor’s re-election and create a division between the Chinatown community and the mayor. “For over 20 years, the city government has never said that Park Road will not be opened, this is the first time,” he noted.
In addition, in January, the city government also announced a new plan for the Chinatown Prison. Yu Jinshan believes that this move has caused dissatisfaction among all community members opposed to the prison. In his personal judgment, Yu Jinshan believes that “the mayor is willing to negotiate with us on all matters, whether he agrees or not is one thing, but at least there should be consultation.”
Regarding the construction of the homeless shelter at 91 East Broadway, it is related to the second deputy mayor Anne Williams Isom, who oversees New York City’s human resources and social welfare. “We have been to the city government many times, and have had meetings in the presence of the mayor and Deputy Mayor Isom. Mayor Adams instructed her to negotiate with our community regarding the matter of 91 East Broadway,” Yu Jinshan explained.
“Every time we negotiate with the city government, we hit a wall, showing that this deputy mayor has completely ignored the mayor’s intentions,” Yu Jinshan said. He believes that the resignations of the four deputy mayors present a good opportunity for Mayor Adams to prepare for his re-election and reorganize his entire leadership team for a fresh start.
Will there be a gap in government operations with all deputy mayors suddenly resigning? Yu Jinshan said, “No, because although deputy mayors are responsible for certain matters, the city government has many people who can handle it.”
Currently, Mayor Adams is under immense pressure, but Yu Jinshan believes that his legal obstacles have been removed, and many support his cooperation with ICE to combat criminal immigrants jeopardizing public safety.
As for whether Governor Hochu will intervene to dismiss Mayor Adams, Yu Jinshan said it’s “hard to say.” He believes that Hochu and Adams’ interests are tied together.
“If Adams is in crisis, then the current Governor may also face a crisis,” Yu Jinshan said, pointing out that former Governor Cuomo’s recent participation in the mayoral election could potentially win, making Hochu possibly more willing to see Adams as the mayor of New York City.