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Tracey Collins, Mayor Eric Adams’ romantic partner, has quietly retired from a senior position at the Education Department amid allegations that she didn’t show up to work and failed to disclose luxury travel benefits.
Collins — who received a significant promotion and a roughly $50,000 raise after Adams took office in 2022 — wrapped up her last day of work on Nov. 1, a department spokesperson confirmed.
Her retirement comes after a former department employee tipped off city investigators that Collins “has had a no show job,” according to a complaint obtained by Chalkbeat and first reported by the New York Post. The former employee, who requested anonymity, said Collins had not appeared at work since last Thanksgiving.
A spokesperson for the Special Commissioner of Investigation confirmed they received the complaint and are “looking into the matter.” The city’s Department of Investigation is also reviewing the allegations, according to the Daily News, which first reported Collins’ retirement. A DOI spokesperson declined to comment.
Some evidence seems to back concerns about Collins’ absence. In the eight months after being promoted as a senior advisor in the Division of School Leadership, about three-quarters of the days on her work calendar were empty, according to records first revealed by Chalkbeat.
Her calendar showed about 40 scheduled meetings and events, including “hot heat” sessions to review superintendent performance, a one-on-one sitdown with a school food leader, and meetings with officials managing the influx of migrant students.
Officials at the Education Department’s public records office said this week they could not provide more recent versions of Collins’ daily schedule until February, despite initially indicating the records would be provided Nov. 5. (The department regularly ignores its own deadlines for responding to public records requests.)
Collins could not be reached for comment. Education Department spokesperson Nathaniel Styer did not say why she retired.
“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,” Styer wrote in an email. He noted that her responsibilities included “strategic planning, making recommendations on agency priorities, and providing advice and support to senior leadership.”
Collins was thrust into the spotlight through the mayor’s federal indictment last month. She allegedly benefitted from tens of thousands of dollars in travel perks from Turkish officials who sought to influence Adams, according to the indictment. Those benefits were not listed on Collins’ financial disclosure forms as required, Politico first reported. Adams also omitted them.
Collins has not been charged with any crimes connected to that investigation. A spokesperson for the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board said they could not confirm whether the agency is looking into the matter.
Questions about Collins’ role at the Education Department began swirling soon after she landed a promotion in 2022, where she earned about $221,000 as a senior advisor.
Along with other non-union Education Department officials, Collins recently got a pay bump, bringing her salary to nearly $253,000, records show.
Collins moved this summer from the Division of School Leadership to be a senior advisor for the deputy chancellor of family and community engagement — a role occupied at the time by Melissa Aviles-Ramos. Aviles-Ramos was appointed schools chancellor last month after David Banks abruptly stepped down under pressure from the mayor. (Banks’ electronic devices were seized in September by federal investigators, though he has not been accused of wrongdoing.)
Collins isn’t the only Education Department official related to Adams. The mayor’s sister-in-law also got a job in the school system, earning a significant pay bump. Still, Adams has rejected any suggestion that his relationship with Collins helped her win a promotion and has defended her work ethic.
“There was a job vacancy. She filed for it. Being the significant other of the mayor should not stop your track,” he previously told reporters. “Tracey does her job and she does it well.”
Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.
