Chief Advisor to Mayor Eric Adams Retires Amid Federal Investigations
Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the chief advisor to Mayor Eric Adams, has retired in the latest high-profile departure in the administration.
“I thank God, first and foremost, for allowing me to serve the city that I love for close to 35 years through volunteerism and employment,” she said in a statement, noting that it was “a bittersweet moment” to leave her role.
She planned to spend more time with her family, including her granddaughter, while still continuing “to do everything in my power to fight for this great city every day as a private citizen.”
Decades with Adams
Lewis-Martin and Adams’ relationship dates back to 1984, when she met him through her husband Glenn Martin, who was at the police academy with Adams.
Before entering politics, Lewis-Martin — who grew up in Brooklyn and is of Bajan and Panamanian heritage — was a public middle school teacher and later worked at Medgar Evers College. When Adams became a state senator in 2008, she was his senior advisor and chief of staff. When he became borough president in 2018, she was a deputy borough president. And when Adams became mayor in 2022, Lewis-Martin was one of his earliest appointments.
Power and Influence
At City Hall, Lewis-Martin wielded unusual power as one of the mayor’s closest confidants. The 63-year-old, who admitted in an interview with NY1 she hasn’t ridden the subway since she was 19, drew ire from street safety advocates after she interfered to roll back two Department of Transportation street safety projects in Brooklyn.
Lewis-Martin was behind the brief cancellation of an open street in Fort Greene temporarily killed before it was reinstated by the mayor, the New York Times reported. THE CITY reported that Adams turned to Lewis-Martin over experts from the Department of Transportation to solicit community feedback on the redesign of McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, ultimately killing the DOT’s original plan for the block and watering down the redesign, following a pressure campaign from a long-term donor and ally.
Subpoena and Investigation
Lewis-Martin’s name had remained above the fray as news reports beginning last November detailed multiple federal investigations into Adams, his campaign and members of his inner circle, eventually resulting in a string of high-profile resignations.
That changed in late September, when Lewis-Martin, the mayor’s friend for nearly four decades and closest handler for his entire career in politics, was intercepted by investigators from the U.S. attorney’s office of the Southern District of New York and the Manhattan District Attorney as she landed at JFK airport returning from a trip to Japan.
She was traveling with a group of around seven other people, her lawyer told THE CITY, including Jesse Hamilton, another longtime Adams ally and the city’s deputy commissioner for Real Estate Services. Her phones were seized and served with a federal grand jury subpoena, she described hours later in a live radio appearance with her personal attorney Arthur Aidala.
“We’re human beings. We are imperfect, but we are not thieves,” she said while denying any wrongdoing. “And I do believe that in the end that the New York City public will see that we have not done anything illegal to the magnitude or scale that requires the federal government and the DA’s office to investigate us.”
Conclusion
Lewis-Martin’s retirement comes amid a tumultuous period for the Adams administration, marked by multiple federal investigations and high-profile resignations. While she will no longer be serving as the mayor’s chief advisor, her legacy and influence on the administration will be remembered.
FAQs
Q: Why did Ingrid Lewis-Martin retire?
A: Lewis-Martin retired amid a federal investigation into the Adams administration.
Q: How long has Lewis-Martin been working with Mayor Eric Adams?
A: Lewis-Martin has been working with Adams for nearly four decades, dating back to 1984.
Q: What was Lewis-Martin’s role in the Adams administration?
A: Lewis-Martin was the chief advisor to Mayor Eric Adams.
Q: What was Lewis-Martin’s response to the federal investigation?
A: Lewis-Martin denied any wrongdoing and stated that she believes the New York City public will see that she and others in the administration have not done anything illegal.
