A City Hall spokeswoman said that Chief Counsel Eric Adams resigned on Saturday without giving any prior notice.
After just over a year on the job, Lisa Zornberg resigned, and several federal investigations are ongoing against senior administration figures. The deputy mayor for communications, Fabien Levy, announced her immediate resignation.
Zornberg left without providing much of an explanation in her resignation letter, which was issued by the mayor's office.
"I am tendering my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position," stated the letter.
The sudden resignation highlights legal issues involving the mayor and his inner circle and creates a large vacuum in the administration.
Zornberg's job as chief counsel included defending the mayor in the midst of a federal corruption probe into his 2021 campaign. She also served as an advisor to him on important matters of policy, such as how to handle the refugee problem.
Her resignation follows the resignation of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban two days earlier and the seizure of his phones as part of an unrelated federal inquiry one week later. The phones of other senior Adams officials, such as deputy mayor for public safety Phil Banks, chancellor of schools David Banks, and first deputy mayor Sheena Wright, were also pilfered.
Zornberg worked for many years as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney's Office, which is currently looking into a number of city officials, before coming to City Hall. According to a biography released along with her appointment, she also worked in white collar defense at a private business before taking on the role of general counsel.
In a statement, Adams expressed his gratitude for Zornberg's efforts.
He stated, "We don't expect anyone to stay in these jobs forever because they are hard."
"We expect to name an acting chief counsel in the coming days," he continued, adding that other senior members of Zornberg's staff "will remain in their roles to ensure the office continues to fully operate without issue."
Adams did not show up in person for any public appearances after testing positive for COVID on Monday. He made statements on Thursday that effectively announced Caban's departure.
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