Gov. Kathy Hochul chaired a series of meetings on Tuesday to discuss one of the most important decisions during her tenure: whether to remove Mayor Eric Adams from the office.
She solicited comments from City Speaker Brad Lander and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. She shared coffee and tea with Rev. Al Sharpton and talked to others via phone or video chat.
She showed no sign that she would make a quick decision about the mayor, who, by chance, only a dozen blocks, refused to answer questions about his future. He put aside the reporter when he explained his rejection rudely.
He said, “Because you are all liars.”
Mr. Adams found himself in crisis again.
The Justice Department's move to dismiss five counts of federal indictments may have eliminated the prospect of his trial when he seeks re-election, but it may have deepened the mayor's political losses.
Prosecutors overseeing the mayor’s case accused Mr. Adams of agreeing to agree with Trump administration officials later last week. She said the mayor will help the president pass immigration enforcement in exchange for leniency in criminal cases.
Mr. Adams would deny Mr. Trump's proposal for tendering, proposing broad condemnation. Calls on his resignation or the removal of the governor has been escalated. The committee of the mayor who talks about business is powerless.
On Monday, Mr. Adams' first deputy mayor, Maria Torres-Stringer, and three other respected deputy mayors announced their resignation. Instead of citing directly the mayor’s cooperation with the Trump administration, deputies mentioned “extraordinary events in the past few weeks.”
Officials are government veterans, the backbone of the government, leading a huge bureaucracy of about 300,000 urban workers, and critical initiatives in the desperate need for housing and improving public safety. Ms Hawkel said the resignations of the four officials raised “serious issues regarding the long-term future of the mayor’s administration”.
“It's an unlimited disaster. Each of these leaders is experienced and talented professionals. Their losses will be Putting the New York City government in a truly unstable position.”
Their departure raised alarms about who operates in the city and whether Mr. Adams could attract qualified candidates, given the chaos around him and his re-election campaign.
Brooklyn City Councilman Lincoln Restler said he was confident that city workers would ensure that trash was picked up and school operations were carried out, but it was impossible to make a “decision that would make any consequences in the city” .
“For many city workers, there is comfort, knowing that long-time government experts like Maria are there to stabilize the ship and avoid the worst dysfunction of Eric Adams and his relatives,” he said. Oversupply and corruption. ” “It's scary without that safety net.”
Mr. Adams did little to do anything on Tuesday's issue, when he had chosen a replacement for the deputy mayor: Kaz Daughtry, deputy police commissioner, with his imitation of social media presence and Known for his close relationship with the mayor. Mr. Duterry will replace Chauncey Parker as deputy mayor of public safety, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Mr. Adams, a Democrat, insists he won't resign and he will run for reelection in the June primary. But his path forward has become increasingly difficult.
Mr Sharpton said after the meeting that the governor has not decided to take action but is awaiting the results of a hearing on Wednesday by Justice Dale E. Ho for revoking federal charges against Mr Adams.
“The governor told me that she will see the judge's decision tomorrow and continue to deliberate with other leaders,” Sharpton said.
He added: “My feeling is that the faith in this city has been shaken and requires determination, but at the same time, we must protect the law rather than establishing precedents that may be back to the plague of us.”
The city's auditor-general, Mr. Rand, also running for mayor, said in a press conference Tuesday that he hopes Mr. Adams will resign and allow the interim mayor to leave, resigning four deputy mayors who they say are resigning.
He threatened to convene the committee based on his inability to rule, and he could not rule unless the mayor quickly issued a “detailed contingency plan” outlining how he would manage the city. If the mayor may not be able to serve, such a committee is provided for the committee.
Mr Rand and Ms. Adams and Queens President Donovan Richards will also meet with the governor on Tuesday and will be one of the five members the mayor can do; the other two will be the mayor and his Deputy mayor selected by the company's lawyer. Four of the five must vote to remove the mayor.
Mr Rand said he discussed with Ms. Hawkel the two options: the Governor and the Incompetent Commission.
“We admit that both of them are relatively untested,” Rand said.
Ms Adams downplayed the idea of citing the Incompetent Commission and told reporters Tuesday at City Hall that aims to address serious health issues, “not applicable to this situation.”
Mr. Adams, the city’s second black mayor, is facing a defection from black political institutions. State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins joined the chorus of black leaders on Saturday, calling on the mayor to resign.
Earlier Saturday, old black politician and former state auditor-general Carl McCall published a public letter urging former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to run for mayor. The recognition is striking because of the men’s previous competition: they participated in the 2002 Democratic governor nomination, which Mr. McCall won, almost ended Mr. Cuomo’s political career.
Although Mr. Cuomo has not competed yet, the polls put him ahead of democratic rivals, most of whom are on the left of former governor and Mr. Adams. One of the candidates, Zohran Mamdani, announced Tuesday that he would receive $2.8 million in campaign finance committee funds, more than any other mayoral candidate during the recent fundraising period.
The history of modern New York City has nothing to do with federal investigations into the mayor and his internal circles and the new wave of resignation. The last wide municipal scandal was under the leadership of Edward I. Koch in 1986, when leaders of three city institutions were prosecuted. In 1979, Mr. Koch demoted two of his seven deputy mayors and fired three more in a major and major outbreak.
Only two mayors resigned after the corruption scandal: Jimmy Walker in 1932 and William O'Dwyer in 1950.
Mr. Adams received more bad news Tuesday when the Campaign Law Center, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., did advocate for election-related issues, which he said had been brought to the Federal Election Commission. Complaint.
The group's complaint lists Mr. Adams's prosecutor, a lawsuit filed in September by the federal prosecutor in Manhattan, accusing Mr. Adams and his campaign committee of the case had illegal campaign contributions designed to solicit foreign nationals. It provides examples of the allegations described in the indictment.
The complaint calls on the FEC to take action because “the Justice Department has abandoned its responsibility to pursue justice and accountability and to safeguard the integrity of our elections.”
When he appeared in Bellevue on Tuesday to visit police officers who were shot earlier in the day, Mr. Adams was accompanied by police chief Jessica Tisch. No questions related to resignation or the mayor's future were answered, but a spokeswoman for the police department said Ms. Tisch had no intention of leaving.
“She is committed to the rule of law,” said Delaney Kempner, deputy director of public information. “She didn't go anything.”
Reported by Maia Coleman and Michael Rossfield.
