Mayor Adams’ longtime girlfriend quietly retires from high-ranking $253K DOE role amid city probe into alleged ‘no-show’ gig
Mayor Eric Adams’ longtime girlfriend has quietly retired from her high-ranking six-figure position in the Big Apple’s education department amid a city probe into the unofficial first lady’s alleged “no-show job.”
Tracey Collins, who had been working as a senior adviser to Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, served her last day on Nov. 1, with her retirement effective as of Monday, city Department of Education spokesperson Nathaniel Styer confirmed.
Styer did not specify why Collins left her plum position, for which her salary was recently raised from $221,597 to $252,977, according to city data.
“Ms. Collins served public school students for over 30 years as a teacher, principal and administrator, and we wish her the best in her retirement,” he said.
In September, a former DOE employee filed complaints about Collins and her alleged “no-show job” with DOE ethics officer Samantha Biletsky, the Conflicts of Interest Board, the Special Commissioner of Investigation for city schools and the city Department of Investigation.
The employee also alleged Collins had rarely appeared in the office since November 2023, and her work calendar had remained empty.
Co-workers said they hadn’t seen Collins in person since Thanksgiving, the ex-employee reported at the time.
On Friday, the SCI — a city agency tasked with investigating misconduct by DOE employees and vendors — confirmed to The Post it was probing the allegations but did not go into detail.
Biletsky did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Collins, a former DOE teacher, principal and administrator who was promoted after Adams took office, is also referenced in a bombshell 57-page federal indictment against Hizzoner.
While she hasn’t been charged of any wrongdoing, the Fort Lee, NJ, resident was described as taking trips to India, Hungary, Turkey, Jordan, Oman and Ghana with Adams starting in 2016, among other luxury jaunts, according to prosecutors who accuse the mayor of accepting travel perks worth up to $123,000.
Collins is also alleged to have not disclosed these perks in her annual conflicts of interest disclosure, according to the ex-employee’s complaint.
“It is my understanding that DOE employees are only permitted to work from home two days a week,” the former staffer who previously worked in the same building as Collins wrote in an email to Biletsky.
Investigators should look into Collins allegedly “accepting gifts in excess of 100K from a foreign government and not declaring said gifts on her Conflicts of Interest disclosure,” the complaint states.
Collins’ time and attendance records also must be examined to “verify that she put in for vacation while she took all of those illegal trips,” according to the complaint.
Several months after Adams took office and named David Banks schools chancellor, Banks promoted Collins to senior adviser to the deputy chancellor of school leadership, then Desmond Blackburn, who later quit.
Collins at the time received a 23% raise to $221,597 a year.
Aviles-Ramos took over as chancellor after Banks stepped down amid the federal probe that has encircled several top City Hall officials and Adams allies.
Adams has pleaded not guilty.
