Mayor Eric Adams is close to picking a permanent NYPD commissioner, The Post has learned — one of several City Hall positions left unfilled due to a staggering exodus of top staff amid encircling federal scrutiny.
Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch and former NYPD bigwig Ben Tucker are top contenders for the job, according to sources, who said the announcement could come by next week.
The NYPD commissioner job is arguably the highest-profile position in Adams’ administration without a permanent head — but it’s far from the only one.
At least 10 top city officials have resigned, been forced out or fired during the past month — on top of a trio of high-profile departures over the spring and summer.
Adams has maintained the exits have nothing to do with his historic federal indictment or the Sept. 4 raids on several officials, including many who subsequently left his administration.
Replacements have been lined up for a handful of positions, such as first deputy mayor and health commissioner, but these high-level positions either have interim leaders or are entirely empty:
NYPD Commissioner
Scandal-scarred Commissioner Edward Caban stepped down Sept. 12, a week after federal agents seized his electronic devices as part of what sources said was a corruption probe investigating potential influence peddling.
Adams quickly lined up former FBI official Tom Donlon to fill the top cop job on an interim basis. But the mayor’s hopes of using Donlon’s reputation to rebuild the NYPD’s image were arguably dashed when federal agents raided Donlon’s home on the search for decades-old documents.
An internal committee has been scouring NYPD insiders and outsiders for potential candidates, and Tisch and Tucker have emerged as contenders, sources said.
Tisch, who held several civilian positions in the NYPD, would be the department’s second female top cop — and has long been floated as commissioner material.
Tucker, a longtime NYPD vet, himself has twice been considered for — and twice lost the promotion to — the commissioner position.
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety
Phil Banks this week resigned from his deputy mayor for public safety job after weeks of pressure from probes that ensnared him, his longtime friend Adams and two of his brothers, including soon-to-depart schools Chancellor David Banks.
But losing a deputy mayor for public safety might not be a huge loss.
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The position had not been used by a Big Apple mayor since David Dinkins in the 1990s.
Banks’ appointment by Adams was controversial from the get-go because of his role as an unindicted co-conspirator in an NYPD bribery scandal.
His tenure was contentious as well, as insiders said he acted like a shadow police commissioner whose sidelining of Adams’ first NYPD top cop Keechant Sewell frustrated her so much that it played a part in her resignation.
Senior Adviser
The senior adviser position held by Tim Pearson, who resigned effective Oct. 4, also while under federal scrutiny, was more-or-less created for Adams’ pal.
Pearson’s spot working for City Hall while on the Economic Development Corporation’s payroll had been created for former NYPD chief Terence Monahan under Mayor Bill de Blasio, but entailed entirely different responsibilities.
Adams gave Pearson a portfolio that included overseeing security deals for migrant shelters.
Sources said Pearson is being eyed by the feds for allegedly interfering with picking contractors in exchange for kickbacks.
Such accusations also arose in an April lawsuit that contended Pearson told workers in the office that he was looking to line his own pockets.
“Where are my crumbs?” he said, according to the lawsuit.
Asian Affairs Director, Muslim Community Liaison, Senior Adviser on South Asian and Muslim Affairs, Director of Protocol for International Affairs
A quartet of community liaisons — Winnie Greco, Rana Abbasova, Mohamed Bahi and Ahsan Chughtai — were forced out or quit in recent days.
Three of them — Greco, the mayor’s Asian Affairs Director; Abbasova, director of protocol for international affairs; and Bahi, a community liaison to the Muslim community — have been linked in various ways to the corruption case against Adams.
Chughtai served as senior adviser on South Asian and Muslim Affairs.
All received their cushy government gigs after working on Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign or were holdovers from his days as Brooklyn borough president — a practice of patronage for friends and allies that didn’t start with Hizzoner.
Health Commissioner
City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan recently said he’d step down at the year’s end.
Vasan has not been tied to any of the known investigations into city officials.
He said he’d stay on while Adams searches for a successor.
Corporation Counsel
Sylvia Hinds-Radix left her job as the administration’s top lawyer in April — and Adams has struggled to fill the empty corporation counsel position since.
Hinds-Radix was pushed out after she raised concerns over having New York City rep the mayor in his sex assault lawsuit.
But her prospective replacement — Randy Mastro — ultimately dropped his bid after a brutal grilling by City Council members over his role in former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration showed he couldn’t get the votes.
Adams nominated Muriel Goode-Trufant for the job, but she still awaits a Council vote.
Civilian Complaint Review Board Chair
Outspoken NYPD watchdog head Arva Rice resigned her post in July, following months of pressure from the Adams administration to step down.
Rice served as interim chairwoman for the Civilian Complaint Review Board since 2022, believing at first she would be a full appointment.
But Banks asked her to step down, creating a standoff that ended with her resignation.
The watchdog position remained unfilled since.
High-level replacements
Adams has replacements lined up for onetime power couple and newlyweds First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Schools Chancellor David Banks.
Both Banks and Wright had their home raided by the feds.
Afterward, Banks announced he’d resign at the year’s end — a departure Adams sped up to appoint Melissa Aviles-Ramos, who’ll take over Oct. 16.
Wright, who was upset by Banks’ ouster, herself was forced out.
Longtime government official Maria Torres-Springer will take over Wright’s job, Adams announced this week.
Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg — who sources said resigned after unsuccessfully pushing for the ousters of Pearson and Greco — has been replaced by Allison Stoddart.
— Additional reporting by Joe Marino
