One day shy of his first 100 days in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was hit with his first potential political scandal.
A lawsuit filed by a subordinate of a woman Mamdani appointed to run the city’s department of probation — and clean up ethical messes from the previous administration — claims she was fired for blowing the whistle on an “intimate relationship” between her boss and the agency’s top attorney, according to Politico.
And Mamdani himself is already facing public questions about it.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday by now-former city Department of Probation chief investigator Ebony Huntley.
According to the New York Post, Huntley claimed that the Department of Probation Commissioner Sharun Goodwin was engaged in a personal relationship with Wayne McKenzie, the agency’s general counsel.
NYC probation staffer was sacked for blowing whistle on alleged tryst between Mamdani appointee and top aide: suit https://t.co/sbXvxYWljk pic.twitter.com/SBblQEwKTZ
— New York Post (@nypost) April 10, 2026
According to Politico, Huntley learned of the relationship from an anonymous complaint.
The complaint, received in late March, said that the relationship “may present a conflict of interest and impact impartial decision-making,” according to Politico. The alleged relationship was in place before McKenzie was hired as general counsel, according to the New York Post.
The allegation was accompanied by other complaints, such as accusing the agency’s human resource director, Zenia Melendez, of engaging in “verbal and physical violence” targeting staff members.
“Collectively, these concerns have created a workplace environment where employees feel uneasy, discouraged from speaking openly, and uncertain about their job security,” the complaint said, according to Politico.
“Many employees simply want to perform their duties in a professional setting without fear of retaliation or favoritism. If the goal is to move the Department of Probation forward, there is a strong need for leadership that reflects professionalism, objectivity and accountability.”
After she forwarded the complaint to the city’s Department of Investigation, Huntley apparently discussed the matter with an attorney in her own department. The attorney said he was going to inform McKenzie about the complaint, over Huntley’s objections.
The next day, according to Politico, Huntley was called into a meeting McKenzie organized. There, McKenzie said he could not trust her and that she was being fired, according to Politico.
Huntley maintains she was only doing her job.
“I did what I was supposed to do,” she told Politico. “I didn’t do anything wrong and I definitely shouldn’t have been fired.”
She is asking for unspecified monetary damages, according to Politico. However, the New York Post reported that Huntley maintains the firing cost her $170,000-a-year salary for the city.
Mamdani himself was questioned about the case at an unrelated news conference on Friday, the day that marked his 100th in office since his Jan. 1 inauguration.
“I take any allegations of misconduct incredibly seriously,” Mamdani said, according to the New York Daily News.
“I’m not going to be weighing in on any ongoing investigation. However, New Yorkers should rest assured that there is an investigation.”
According to a Politico report from January, Goodwin was named to head the Department of Probation amid accusations that the previous commissioner — an appointee of now-former Mayor Eric Adams — mismanaged the department and used it as a source of jobs for her family and friends.
At the time, Mamdani said he had appointed Goodwin to the post because of her commitment to “fairness,” along with “efficiency and excellence.”
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