Sheena Wright has resigned from her position as one of Mayor Eric Adams’ appointees to the board of the New York City Housing Authority, THE CITY has learned.
Wright, one of several top Adams’ aides caught up in ongoing federal investigations of corruption at City Hall, put in her resignation letter from the board on Tuesday — a day before it voted on a controversial plan to demolish three developments in Manhattan and replace them with mixed-use housing.
Her resignation from NYCHA came nearly a month after she stepped down from her position as first deputy mayor, and nearly two months after federal authorities visited the Harlem home she shares with her husband, then-Schools Chancellor David Banks, and seized both of their phones.
Wright is one of three NYCHA board members appointed by Adams, along with Greg Belinfanti and chair Jamie Rubin. Both participated in the Wednesday vote on the demolition/replacement project for Fulton Houses and Elliott-Chelsea Houses in the Chelsea neighborhood. Wright did not.
The Fulton project has generated anxiety about being displaced among the 5,000 tenants who live in these developments. The developers picked by NYCHA, the Related Companies and Essence Development, have assured them no tenant will be displaced and, in nearly all cases, no building will be taken down before a new one goes up next door for tenants to move into. A small number of residents will be temporarily relocated to hotels during the transition.
Wright’s resignation leaves a vacancy Adams must fill. The mayor’s press office did not respond to THE CITY’s questions about when Adams will announce her replacement on the seven-member board.
Instead mayoral spokesperson William Fowler stated, “Former First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright served New Yorkers well in her role as a NYCHA board member, delivering free internet access to public housing residents and helping guide the transformation of NYCHA developments for the better. We thank her for her service.”
Three other board members, Victor Gonzalez, James McCoy and Raymond Miller, are NYCHA residents. Board member Paula Gavin was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
