Meet Tracey Collins, Mayor Eric Adams’ low-key girlfriend: they made their red carpet debut at the Met Gala, and now she’s in headlines thanks to his corruption scandal

Sep 30 , 2024

New York Mayor Eric Adams with his girlfriend Tracey Collins, who has come under the spotlight after Adams’ indictment on corruption charges. Photo: Getty Images

She’s the New York Department of Education’s senior adviser, but an employee there claims she has hardly been at the office since last year

Tracey Collins, the partner of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has remained relatively low key over the years. Now she’s found herself thrust into the limelight after Adams became the first sitting New York mayor to face criminal charges while in office.

This month, Adams was charged with five criminal counts including wire fraud, conspiracy, bribery and soliciting campaign contributions from foreigners, per CNN.

So, who is Adams’ girlfriend Collins – and how has she been implicated in the scandal?

Eric Adams and Tracey Collins have a low-key relationship

Eric Adams and his girlfriend Tracey Collins, who has generally flown under the radar until recently. Photo: Getty Images

The couple have famously kept their relationship out of the spotlight, attending only a handful of public events together. While Collins joined Adams at his mayoral inauguration in January 2021, she did not appear on his campaign trail or attend any of his victory parties at the time.

They did make a rare appearance together at the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York though, where they shared a video together on Adams’ X (formerly Twitter) account. “Hanging out here at the Macy’s Parade. Beautiful day for weather. Tracey likes the balloons,” said Adams. “Love them!” Collins responded, while wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving.

What does Tracey Collins do for work?

Tracey Collins, Eric Adams and members of Gotham FC wait for the ball to drop during New Year’s Eve in Times Square on December 31, 2023 in New York. Photo: Getty Images

Collins started her career as a school administrator for New York’s Department of Education in 2008, per the New York Post. She was later appointed as the DOE’s senior adviser to the deputy chancellor for school leadership.

“She gets up at dawn to run the largest school system in the United States,” Adams wrote in his vegan lifestyle book, Healthy at Last: A Plant-based Approach to Preventing and Reversing Diabetes, claiming Collins worked “12 hours a day. She never gets a break.”

However, her role has been questioned recently after it was revealed she had accompanied Adams on luxury trips to India, Jordan, Hungary, Oman, Turkey and Ghana since 2016, per the New York Post. Prosecutors are accusing the mayor of accepting private travel perks worth up to US$123,000, with his partner allegedly benefitting.

In September, a former DOE employee filed complaints about Collins with a DOE ethics officer, questioning if she had declared the travel perks as required by the company. The employee also claimed Collins’ work calendar was empty and that she has hardly been at the office since last year.