Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s new director of appointments resigned from that post Thursday over antisemitic comments she made on Twitter more than a decade ago.
Catherine Almonte Da Costa sent in her resignation Thursday afternoon, hours after the past comments came to light.
“I spoke with the Mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized, and expressed my deep regret for my past statements. These statements are not indicative of who I am,” she wrote in a statement Thursday.
“As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused. As this has become a distraction from the work at hand, I have offered my resignation,” Da Costa continued.
Da Costa launched her career in city government at the Office of Appointments and was supposed to lead the administration’s efforts to recruit top talent, according to a Wednesday press release.
In a statement, Mamdani said he accepted her immediate resignation.
“Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I accepted,” the mayor-elect wrote.
Mamdani has announced several other administration appointments this week, naming Jahmila Edwards as his director of intergovernmental affairs on Wednesday and Sherif Soliman as his director of the Office of Management and Budget on Thursday.