Mayor Eric Adams continues to face several storms, to which was added on Tuesday the confirmation of the resignation of the commissioner of health, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, a key player in his administration.
This is the third high-ranking official to step down from the municipal government in just three weeks, adding fuel to the chain of calls by Democratic leaders for Adams to also resign.
There are also rumours that other senior officials may also be leaving their positions on the council, following the announcement by David Banks, the Chancellor of Education, that he will take his retirement in December.
In this regard, it should be clarified that the City’s top doctor, who took office with the challenge of overcoming the after-effects of COVID-19 in the Big Apple, and faced the outbreaks of monkeypox and the challenges of the epidemic of mental health problems, is not on the list of any federal investigation.
He gave the reason for his resignation as his personal need to have “much more time to spend with his family.”
“My wife and three young children have served alongside me, bearing the weight of my absence and carrying so much. I am grateful for their love and have decided that now is the time to support them and their well-being,” he said in a statement.
Will return to the classrooms
Prior to becoming Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Dr. Vasan was President of Fountain House, a nonprofit organization focused on mental health, and a Professor of Public Health at Columbia University, a position to which he plans to return full-time.
Regarding her achievements in this department, she told local media about the HealthyNYC initiative, a strategy to increase life expectancy, her efforts to reduce New Yorkers’ medical debt, and her initiatives to improve access to reproductive health.
“New York City is in a stronger position on health,” he said.
Unlike the other officials, who left Adams’ team immediately, Vasan will remain in office until the end of the year.
More resignations?
According to municipal and local media sources, other senior and middle-level officials could follow in the footsteps of the highest municipal health authority.
In early September, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward Cabán resigned from his post amid an influence-peddling scandal involving his twin brother.
Lisa Zornberg, one of the mayor’s top legal advisers, also resigned days later, because according to The New York Times (TNYT), “she was unable to convince Adams to fire Timothy Pearson, a senior adviser to the president, whose phones were also confiscated.