After 20 years of public service, on Tuesday, Maria Torres-Springer began a new chapter. Mayor Eric Adams named Torres-Springer the city’s first deputy mayor. 

Torres-Springer is stepping up to now manage day-to-day operations of city government. She sat down for her first interview as first deputy mayor with NY1, reflecting on the moment the mayor shared the news. 

“I took an oath to serve the people of this city and to leave no neighborhood behind. And so it was a moment to really reflect on that, and also a moment that I hope means something for women, and in particular for young girls and girls of color,” she said. “I take this responsibility of public service very seriously. For me, it’s always been an act of faith and of love.”

NY1 asked Torres-Springer about morale among senior members of the Adams administration. In recent weeks, the mayor was indicted, and more than half a dozen senior staffers have left City Hall. 

“We of course feel the weight of the moment. It is a complicated time,” she said. “But our jobs are simple. We serve the people of New York.”

A top priority for Torres-Springer: generating 100,000 new homes across the five boroughs over the next 15 years through the “City of Yes” zoning reform proposal. 

“It will facilitate the conversion of office space to residential housing, which we think is a very positive thing, to building the type of of housing in three to five stories along commercial corridors near transit, the housing that New Yorkers are used to,” she said.

The City Council will begin hearings on the “City of Yes” zoning proposals later this month. In a statement Tuesday, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said zoning reform alone will not be enough to meet the needs of the current housing crisis.

“We look forward to other components, strategies that they, that the Council and the speaker really believe we should be focusing, on because from day one, this has been my number one priority.” Torres-Springer said. 

Torres-Springer believes reforming the city’s zoning laws is also about addressing discriminatory housing policies of the past. The City Hall rotunda is currently home to an interactive exhibit, “Undesign the Red Line,” created by Braden Crooks. 

“Understanding that history allows us to transcend that history,” Torres-Springer said. 

In her previous role at City Hall, Torres-Springer helped steer the city’s COVID-19 recovery. As first deputy mayor, she will play a key role in overseeing the city’s budget.