New York Governor Kathy Hochul will announce that New York City Mayor Eric Adams will not be immediately removed from office, instead proposing new oversight measures after federal prosecutors dropped Adams’ corruption case.
Hochul will hold a news conference on Thursday to rebuke Adams for the conduct alleged in the now-dropped corruption case and will propose measures to curtail the mayor’s independence, per the AP.
Hochul has consulted with top New York Democrats for several days regarding Adams, with the governor having “serious questions about the long-term future of this mayoral administration.” However, she has been reluctant to remove Adams, an action she has deemed “undemocratic,” and is nearly unprecedented in state history.
Among the measures Hochul will propose is a fund that would enable the city’s comptroller, public advocate, and council speaker to bring lawsuits against the federal government if local interests clash with federal policy. Hochul is even proposing the appointment of a new deputy inspector charged solely with overseeing Adams’ government.
In addition, a significant increase in resources for the state comptroller has been outlined, with the aim of bolstering investigations into city finances.
While details of how these oversight mechanisms will be enforced remain unclear, officials familiar with the plan say these guardrails could have far-reaching consequences for the balance of authority between state and city governance.
Mayor Adams has remained resolute amid mounting pressure to resign. “I will never surrender, never step down … I’m going to step up and fight,” he said Wednesday as he continued to insist that he committed no wrongdoing.
Although Adams’ short-term future looks slightly more secure, Hochul’s proposed oversight initiatives pose yet another challenge to an administration already plagued by resignations from top officials and the threat of removal via a so-called Committee of Mayoral Inability; likely to be assembled if Adams does not provide the comptroller with a governance plan within the next several days.
According to The New York Times, the committee would be comprised of five members if assembled: “a deputy mayor chosen by the mayor; his corporation counsel; the speaker of the City Council; New York City comptroller, and the most senior of the five borough presidents.” Adams can be removed if four of the five members vote the mayor is unable to govern effectively.
Federal prosecutors’ decision to drop Mayor Adams’ case still awaits final court approval, leaving several unanswered questions about how or when the oversight legislation might move forward.
