The chief counsel for the City of New York and Mayor Eric Adams, Lisa Zornberg, announced plans to resign late Saturday night.
“I am deeply grateful to Mayor Adams for giving me the opportunity to serve the city, and I strongly support the work he has done and continues to do for New Yorkers,” Zornberg said in a statement.
Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor, was appointed by Adams to her role in July 2023.
“We appreciate all the work Lisa has done for our administration and, more importantly, the city over the past 13 months,” Adams said. “These are hard jobs and we don’t expect anyone to stay in them forever. We wish Lisa all the best in her future endeavors. The other senior members of the counsel’s team will remain in their roles to ensure the office continues to fully operate without issue, and we expect to name an acting chief counsel in the coming days.”
No further detail about the sudden weekend announcement was given.
Zornberg worked on behalf of the city and was not Adams’ personal attorney, but did function as counsel to the mayor offering legal and strategic advice to city hall.
She has been present at the mayor’s weekly press briefings and has fielded questions about several ongoing federal investigations.
Zornberg did not explain the reason for her abrupt departure, but the timing is notable, coming a week after federal investigators seized the devices of several senior Adams administration officials and as details emerged in a broadening series of corruption probes.
At the time, Zornberg released a statement saying “investigators have not indicated to us the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation. As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has repeatedly made clear that all members of the team need to follow the law.”
Adams has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said he is cooperating with the investigations.
No charges have been filed.
