New York City Mayor Eric Adams appoints new deputy mayor in charge of public safety 

A new public safety deputy was appointed Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, whose longtime confidant had the job until last week and is among at least nine aides nudged out by scandal.

Chauncey Parker, the new deputy, replaced Phil Banks, Adams' friend and a former NYPD chief, who last month had his phone seized by the FBI in one of at least four investigations of Adams and his circle.

Parker's elevation is just the latest personnel change at City Hall, carried out at the behest of Gov. Kathy Hochul, who wants Adams to get rid of scandal-scarred aides.

Banks, whom Adams appointed in 2022 despite Banks having previously been an unindicted coconspirator in a corruption scandal several years ago, quit last week. Banks did not submit a resignation letter, Adams spokesman Fabien Levy said.

Parker is a longtime government official who has been in management jobs at the NYPD, city and state and served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District prosecutor's office. 

"He was the deputy under Deputy Mayor Banks, and now to elevate him to this position, he continues to say what I have been saying over and over again. Our bench is deep," Adams said.

Since the mayor was indicted in late September on corruption charges, aides have been resigning at a rate unprecedented in modern municipal memory.

The deputy mayor for public safety helps oversee police, fire, probation, emergency management, criminal justice and jails.

Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams from office, has pushed him to oust aides touched by the various federal investigations. 

Since Adams' indictment, Hochul has wielded a heavier hand on Adams' personnel choices. 

"I want New Yorkers to know we are watching this situation closely, and it was important" that Adams "clean house from a lot of individuals and bring in new talent," she said Tuesday, speaking at an unrelated event at the Deer Park Fire Department, where she announced funding for fire training facilities and a new firefighters museum to be built in the community.

Hochul said she aimed to work at "restoring confidence, calming the situation down, but we are here watching the situation very carefully."

Parker said his focus was on the most dangerous people in the city, particularly those involved in gun violence, who are "the small number who do a vastly disproportionate number of crimes."

"A handful of people. But they're out on gun violence and then they get arrested for another gun violence," Parker said at his appointment news conference, before reporters peppered Adams with questions about the corruption scandals and his campaign for reelection. 

Separately Tuesday, Adams' health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, announced he is hastening his resignation. Vasan, who said in September he'd leave in several months, said his decision was unrelated to the scandals. Vasan has not been linked to any of the investigations and has said he wants to spend more time with his family.

With John Asbury

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.