NYC Mayor Adams’ top lawyer, communications director leaving administration this summer: sources

Mayor Adams’ top lawyer and communications adviser are expected to step down from their posts in a few months — a shakeup that comes on the heels of multiple high-profile departures from the administration late last year.

Brendan McGuire, who has served as Adams’ chief counsel at City Hall since day one, and Max Young, his communications director, are both expected to head for the door at some point this summer, three sources familiar with the matter told the Daily News on Friday.

Exact dates for their exits are not yet set, and neither of them have jobs lined up at the moment, the sources said. Both men are expected to play roles on Adams’ 2025 re-election campaign, according to Politico, which first reported the departures.

Adams press secretary Fabien Levy declined to comment.

One of the sources familiar with the moves said both Young and McGuire only “committed to doing a year or two” in the administration.

“They set up their teams, they got them into a good place,” the source said.

Neither McGuire nor Young have previously said publicly that they only planned to stay on for a set period of time.

After word came out last fall that former chief of staff Frank Carone and First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo were resigning by the end of 2022, Adams administration insiders made similar claims about the two top officials having only planned to work for the mayor for the first portion of his term.

McGuire, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, has been a fixture at press conferences held by the mayor in recent months, especially ones involving thorny legal issues.

“That’s why I brought my lawyer with me,” Adams joked at a Nov. 29, 2022 press conference after being asked if he could legally hospitalize homeless people against their will. McGuire then stepped in and answered the question.

McGuire, who prosecuted arms dealers as a fed, has also helped Adams’ team negotiate labor contracts with municipal unions and crafted criminal justice policy, among a slate of other issues.

Young, who used to work for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer before joining Adams’ team, has mostly played a behind-the-scenes role in the administration, overseeing major policy announcements while leading City Hall’s communications team.

A City Hall insider suggested the departures of Young and McGuire are big losses for the mayor.

“Max and Brendan are two of the mayor’s top gatekeepers,” the insider said. “They know all the secrets.”