NY Democrats grapple with whether to remove Adams from City Hall

New York Democrats are grappling with how best to handle New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) as calls mount for his resignation amid fallout from the Justice Department moving to drop corruption charges against him.

On Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) met with the city leaders to discuss a “path forward” for the city’s leadership amid the growing scandal surrounding Adams. Hochul’s summit came on the heels of the resignation of four of the city’s deputy mayors. Additionally, New York City’s Comptroller Brad Lander (D) threatened to call for a meeting to possibly remove Adams if he cannot prove his ability to govern.

The developments have piled onto the expectation that Adams’s ouster is inevitable, whether it takes place before or after the city’s mayoral primary in June.

“The die appears to have been cast for months now, though he is Trumpy in his tenacity,” said Jon Reinish, a New York-based Democratic strategist, referring to Adams.

Many political observers and analysts have for months expected Adams to no longer be the mayor by the end of 2025, when his current term concludes, given the legal and political obstacles he’s faced. Even as he and some others have argued that he shouldn’t be counted out in the primary, given his 2021 victory and support among key groups, his prospects for reelection have seemed dim.

An Emerson College/The Hill/PIX11 poll of a hypothetical Democratic mayoral primary showed Adams trailing former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) by 33 percent to 10 percent. Cuomo is expected to jump into the race soon.

“Nothing that he has done or how he has handled this situation is helpful in a primary toward running for reelection,” Reinish said, pointing not only to present scandal Adams faces but other issues like public safety and immigration.

“We have a lot of issues all of which are going to figure heavily in the Democratic primary and are very much top of mind to voters,” he said. “Voters are so angry about the status quo in New York.”

Adams seemed likely to stay in office following his indictment in September, at least until his trial happened in April, as Adams ignored the initial wave of condemnations of his conduct and calls for him to step down.

But the never-before-used power to remove a sitting mayor of New York City has received attention in recent days, with some critics calling for Adams to be forced out if he doesn’t resign and with Hochul signaling possible openness to it.

Adams has received widespread condemnation from city leaders over the Justice Department asking to drop the charges against him. Former U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon said it amounted to a “quid pro quo” in which the case would be ended in exchange for the mayor helping the Trump administration with its immigration priorities. Adams has denied this deal, calling the accusation “silly.”

State law and the city charter each lay out ways for the mayor to be removed from office.

The simpler way seems to run through the governor’s office. Hochul could begin the process of removing Adams by presenting him with charges that she deems justify his removal.

That would allow him to be suspended from office for up to 30 days. He would have an opportunity to defend himself against the charges, and after that, Hochul could then decide whether to reinstate him or permanently remove him. If Hochul were to go down this path, she would be New York's first governor to exercise the office’s removal powers.

“In the 235 years of New York State history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly,” Hochul said in a statement Monday announcing her meeting with city leaders. “That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.”

Alternatively, a group of local officials, designated as the inability committee, could potentially gather to vote on whether Adams is unable to execute his responsibilities. The committee is made up of the corporation counsel, city comptroller, city council Speaker, a deputy mayor whom the mayor chooses and the longest-serving borough president, according to the city charter.

Four out of the five members must vote in favor to declare the mayor unable to discharge their duties. Two-thirds of the city council then would need to vote within 21 days in favor of removing the mayor to complete the process.

Kayla Mamelak Altus, the press secretary for the mayor's office, told The Hill in a statement that Adams has been "clear that his loyalty is solely" to his constituents, adding that he's "always available" to speak with Hochul about delivering for New Yorkers.

"Despite this investigation and case, we’ve simultaneously broken housing records, created the most jobs in the city’s history, provided for hundreds of thousands of longtime New Yorkers and migrants, built unprecedented public spaces, and made our city safer at every level," she said. "As we have said, all deputy mayors remain in their roles for the time being to ensure a seamless transition and we are actively working to find their replacements. Just like it does every day, our city continues to move forward."

New York Democratic strategist Trip Yang said Hochul is under some pressure to act and is an “extraordinarily important” part of the conversation about what happens, but she doesn’t make rash political decisions.

“You could go the inability committee route. You could also go the route of the governor removing the mayor, both of which would be unprecedented,” he said.

Yang argued, as others have, that Adams should be removed as a matter of restoring trust in local government.

The resignations of the four deputy mayors, Maria Torres-Springer, Anne Williams-Isom, Meera Joshi, and Chauncey Parker, added a new level of turmoil to the scandal surrounding Adams. Three of the four deputy mayors explained their departures in a statement, alluding to the “extraordinary events of the last few weeks.”

Reinish called the exits “a pretty devastating blow.”

“Those are the grown-ups behind the scenes that keep s‑‑‑ running, who keep New York functioning while the mayor has been so otherwise occupied,” Reinish said.

Yang said Torres-Springer was particularly responsible for stabilizing the government the past few months.

“The lack of public confidence in city government and delivery of city services to 8.3 million New Yorkers is what is most alarming here,” he said. “That has to be more important than any one individual's political career.”

Those resignations triggered the comptroller to publicly call on Adams to prove he was still able to lead as mayor. Lander gave Adams a deadline of Friday to respond with his plan to appoint interim deputy mayors and key staff and a timeline for “stabilizing” his administration.

“In the absence of a contingency plan, the resignation of four or more deputy mayors, and the chaos created by the Justice Department’s actions regarding indictments against you, may well constitute inability to govern,” he told Adams. “Should your office be unable or unwilling to formulate such a plan promptly, I will seek to convene a meeting of the Inability Committee.”

Yang noted that at least two of the members of the inability committee, including Lander, seem to be open to moving forward. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams called for the mayor's resignation Monday.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, the longest-serving borough president, told Spectrum News on Tuesday that the mayor may need to “step aside” if he can’t send a straightforward message that he’s “going to stand with us to preserve” the city’s values.

But he raised questions about if the inability committee could remove Eric Adams, saying that legal experts would say that the committee was created for a mayor’s physical incapacities, not political or legal issues.

“Right now, Eric Adams is still breathing,” Richards said. “So, that will be up to legal scholars to determine."

Updated at 5:16 p.m. EST.

Topics

Democrats grapple for response on education as GOP charges ahead

The Democratic Party is having to take a hard look at its education strategy as Republicans move aggressively on the issue with satisfaction in public education at its lowest point in decades. ...
The Hill - 3d
What to expect from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul as she weighs removing Eric Adams from office

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul met with top political leaders on Tuesday to weigh removing New York City Mayor Eric Adams from his position amid a corruption scandal. CBS News crime and public safety ...
CBS News - 1d
Expert weighs in on NY governor's potential move to remove NYC mayor

New York Mayor Eric Adams is under increasing pressure to step down after four top officials in his administration resigned over allegations of a quid pro quo with the Trump administration. Adams ...
CBS News - 2d
Carville: Hochul a 'dolt' for not removing Adams

Democratic strategist James Carville blasted Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) for not moving swiftly to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) following criminal accusations of bribery, corruption and ...
The Hill - 2d
3 men claiming to be from DOGE show up at SF City Hall, demand records

San Francisco city officials are investigating after three men who claimed to be from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) showed up at City Hall on Friday demanding records from offices ...
CBS News - 4d
DeepSeek banned from NY state government devices

New York State is prohibiting the China-based artificial intelligence application DeepSeek from government devices. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced on Monday state government employees are ...
The Hill - Feb. 10
Global cities grapple with how to cool ‘urban heat islands’

Climate change has made tackling damaging temperature disparities increasingly urgent
Financial Times - Feb. 11
German city scarred by Nazi past grapples with rise of far right

Pforzheim is a microcosm of migration and economic debates boosting AfD ahead of Germany’s federal elections
Financial Times - Feb. 11
Ocasio-Cortez says Adams 'must be removed'

Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) publicly urged New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) to resign on Thursday, echoing previous calls to remove him from leadership following his federal indictment on ...
The Hill - 6d