Staff Exodus Hits Mayor Bill De Blasio's Administration
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio was suffering from a new headache Thursday, as his office was struck by a major staff exodus.
As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, de Blasio's team is already under state and federal corruption probes, and now, his counsel and chief legal adviser is among those who have left.
Mayoral counsel Maya Wiley will leave her Mayor's office post July 15. She will take over as chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board and will also serve as Henry Cohen Professor for Management and Urban Policy and Senior Vice President for Social Justice at The New School, the Mayor's Office said in a news release Wednesday.
What was probably one of Wiley's most unforgettable moments as the mayor's chief legal adviser was when she devised a strategy to help keep communications with unpaid political consultants by calling them "agents of the city."
She also helped craft the administration's response to the ongoing city corruption probes.
And Wiley is not the only one leaving. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd is retiring after a one-month medical leave, and Nilda Mesa, the director of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, is also resigning.
And social media director Scott Kleinberg quit after just eight weeks on the job, and put out a scathing post.
"Well, that was fast. I moved to NYC for a dream job and that's not what I got. I tried to stick it out, but it was impossible. I don't even know the word quit, but for the sake of my health and my sanity, I decided I needed to do just that. Now, for the first time in my life, I'm unemployed. It hasn't been easy, and I'm turning to you for help," he wrote on Tuesday.
All this followed the recent departure of press secretary Karen Hinton.
CBS2's Kramer spoke to a number of people who worked for former mayors. Some said this level of change and disruption is very unusual, but others said not so much.
In the not-so-much camp was NYU professor Mitchell Moss, a onetime adviser to former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"City government is a very demanding place to be," Moss said. "It's good for a city government to have fresh blood, especially as they enter a reelection year."
Team de Blasio is insisting that the administration will be fine, including its response to the corruption probes.
"We have a very strong team that Maya had led," said mayoral spokesman Phil Walzak.
Wiley released a statement expressing gratitude for the opportunity to work with de Blasio.
"I'm grateful to the Mayor for the privilege of serving him and this city I love as his Counsel, and for all that we've accomplished to improve broadband access, expand contracts for women and minority-owned businesses, and increase women's leadership roles," Wiley said in the statement. "I'm excited to begin as chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, an essential City institution that plays a critical role in providing fair, ethical and objective investigations."
But New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Union President Patrick Lynch was not excited about the choice at all. He called the appointment politically motivated.
"By appointing a top aide to lead the CCRB, Mayor de Blasio has effectively removed all impartiality from the critical cases involving police officers that come before this so-called 'independent agency,'" Lynch said in the statement. "While Ms. Wiley no doubt wanted to leave a City Hall caught in the middle of multiple investigations, this appointment is another example of an administration that puts politically-motivated tactics ahead of fairness, and demonstrates once again its increasingly hostile attitude towards the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our city."
As for Kleinberg, Walzak said, "A job like this at City Hall, which very fast-paced; long hours; very rigorous – it's not for everybody."
Walzak said of Kleinberg, "We wish him well," which Kramer said may be City Hall speak for, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
