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Mayoral Counsel Maya Wiley To Leave Post, Take Over As CCRB Chair

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayoral counsel Maya Wiley will soon be leaving her post to take over as chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

Wiley will leave her Mayor's office post July 15. In addition to heading up the CCRB, Wiley 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.

"I am deeply grateful to Maya Wiley for her dedicated service on behalf of this administration," Mayor de Blasio said in a statement. From her advocacy for minority and women-owned businesses to her expansion of broadband access for low-income neighborhoods, Maya has played a foundational role in many of this administration's most significant accomplishments."

De Blasio said Wiley had been a strong asset to him and to First Lady Chirlane McCray the whole time he has been mayor.

"I look forward to working with her as Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, where I know she will continue working as a champion of justice and public safety," de Blasio said in the statement.

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."

The previous CCRB chairman, Richard Emery, resigned in April – a day after being sued by the executive director of the board.

The executive director of the watchdog agency filed a lawsuit against Emery on Tuesday alleging he used a gender-based slur against her and was undermining her authority.

"Had a police officer made remarks similar to Mr. Emery's on two occasions, that officer would have been harshly disciplined. The next CCRB chairperson should be held to the same high standards that police officers are. Our hope is that whoever replaces him will be a fair-minded and reasonable person who has a basic respect for police officers and the difficult job that they do," Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said in a released statement.

Emery had also come under scrutiny because his law firm represented some clients who were suing the city police department.

The CCRB investigates claims of misconduct by police, but the NYPD has the final say on whether discipline is imposed.

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