Wednesday, February 19, 2025

New York Governor Weighs Removing NYC Mayor Adams

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday she is weighing removing New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office after four of his top deputies announced their resignations in the latest fallout from the Justice Department's push to end his corruption case.

Posted by LampLighter at 08:33 AM | 24 COMMENTS | permalink

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Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the New York City Council and one of Mayor Eric Adams's principal partners in government, said on Monday that Adams should resign. The statement came just hours after four of Eric Adams's eight deputy mayors announced they would leave City Hall

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-- The New York Times (@nytimes.com) February 17, 2025 at 4:28 PM

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More from the article...

... Hochul, a Democrat, said she will convene a meeting of key leaders Tuesday in Manhattan "for a conversation about the path forward." She said the departures of First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and other top officials raise "serious questions about the long-term future" of Adams' administration.

Adams, also a Democrat, has been under increasing scrutiny since the Justice Department's second-in-command ordered federal prosecutors in Manhattan last week to drop his corruption case to ensure his cooperation in Republican President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown -- raising questions about the mayor's political independence and ability to lead the city. ...

"I recognize the immense responsibility I hold as governor and the constitutional powers granted to this office," Hochul said in a statement. "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. That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored." ...

In their memo to staff announcing their exits, Torres-Springer, Joshi and Williams-Isom wrote: "Due to the extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families, we have come to the difficult decision to step down from our roles." ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-02-18 12:47 PM

Adams is corrupt and needs to go.

Only MAGA will defend him.

As one of their own.

#2 | Posted by Zed at 2025-02-18 12:56 PM

He's up for re-election and the people will vote on whether he should run again or not in just a month or two. Tough call in some respects. Should she let the people of NYC have a voice, or should she remove him for what's become blatantly obvious criminal activities and corruption?

I vote yes. Remove him. The damage he can do needs to be curtailed as early as possible.

#3 | Posted by YAV at 2025-02-18 01:08 PM

"Tough call in some respects."

Not really. His corrupt association with the corruption of Trumpy has already tainted the election.

If the Governor has the power to remove him then do it.

Time to take the gloves off.

If they wanna FAFO then let's play ball!

#4 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-02-18 01:18 PM

@#3 ... Tough call in some respects. ...

I'd agree it was a tough call, that is, until the four Deputy mayors resigned yesterday, citing an obligation to the oaths they took.

That makes me ask, what was Mayor Adams instructing them to do to cause those resignations for the reason cited?

Now, I'd say, the decision to remove may have gotten easier.

#5 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-02-18 02:05 PM

I doubt Adams instructed them - I'm opting on them doing it to put pressure on Hochul, or at least the people of NYC.

#6 | Posted by YAV at 2025-02-18 02:08 PM

@#6

I dunno.

#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-02-18 02:58 PM

I misread - you were "asking" what Adams might have instructed them to do that was so onerous that it caused them to quit.

#8 | Posted by YAV at 2025-02-18 03:20 PM

@#8

No prob.

imo, this is just the beginning of this story.

If Mayor Adams does not step down on his own, then I see one of two things happening...

- Gov Hochul removes him from the Office.

- or -

- the DoJ goes before the Court, and the Judge agrees to drop the charges. In this case, I suspect there may be a hearing with some questioning by the Judge of the DoJ regarding the validity of the reasons for dropping the charges.

Wildcard ---

If Mayor Adams does step down, do the charges reappear?

#9 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-02-18 03:42 PM

@#9 ... the DoJ goes before the Court, and the Judge agrees to drop the charges. In this case, I suspect there may be a hearing with some questioning by the Judge of the DoJ ...

I just saw on local NYC news that the hearing is currently scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday).


#10 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-02-18 04:26 PM

Here's the article for what I saw ...

Gov. Kathy Hochul weighs Mayor Eric Adams options in series of high-level meetings
abc7ny.com

... Governor Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove Mayor Eric Adams from office, met Tuesday with key leaders as she considers the mayor's future.

It comes as Adams and prosecutors with Trump's Justice Department plan to appear before a judge in New York City on Wednesday to explain why they believe federal bribery charges should be dropped.

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has already called on Mayor Adams to resign. So has Comptroller Brad Lander. Both were among many of the city's most prominent leaders meeting with Hochul on Tuesday.

Rev. Al Sharpton says Hochul has a fateful decision to make.

"My feeling is that the faith of the city, of the people, has been shaken and there needs to be a resolve," Sharpton said. "But at the same time, we must protect the law and not establish a precedent that could come back to haunt us."

The governor has the power to remove a mayor, but it's never been done before. But the Adams Administration is now in turmoil after the resignations of his deputy mayor for operations, his deputy mayor for health and human services, his deputy mayor for public safety and his first deputy mayor, his top lieutenant. ...


#11 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-02-18 04:34 PM

Sounds like she's weighing democracy or authoritarianism.

#12 | Posted by oneironaut at 2025-02-18 04:55 PM

1Nut hears about corruption and he gets a lump in his underwear.

#13 | Posted by ClownShack at 2025-02-18 05:02 PM

@#13

I have to say, this is likely one of the very few times I have agreed with something Rev Sharpton has said.

#11 ... "My feeling is that the faith of the city, of the people, has been shaken and there needs to be a resolve," Sharpton said. "But at the same time, we must protect the law and not establish a precedent that could come back to haunt us." ...

#14 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-02-18 05:39 PM


"My feeling is that the faith of the city, of the people, has been shaken and there needs to be a resolve," Sharpton said. "But at the same time, we must protect the law and not establish a precedent that could come back to haunt us." .

Sounds like an emotional person, while its great he speaks, he should't decide policy.

#15 | Posted by oneironaut at 2025-02-18 05:44 PM

And to you that's bad? Weak? Unfit?

You are a sad - human?

You don't sound like you have a soul. I'm not sure what you are.

#16 | Posted by YAV at 2025-02-18 05:52 PM

Username 1Nut is an incel.

They have zero real life experience and have learned how to interact with others based on interactions over social media.

#17 | Posted by Clownshack at 2025-02-18 09:35 PM

Hocuhl wants Adams out of office and in prison before he tells Donald Trump too much about what's really going on in NY and NYC..

#18 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2025-02-19 08:51 AM

Adams will, if left in office, flip to the MAGA Party. That will frost the bulbs of the majority of NYC voters (most of whom are Dems), who will select someone else in the June primary. From the day of his conversion until his last day in office, Adams will be an attack dog for El Rey Dotardo II, running amok in the greatest city in the world, attacking his fellow citizens at every turn. If the Federal Judge hearing the case agrees it should move forward, a special prosecutor will be named, Adams will be convicted and will be welcomed into Dannemora like any other ex-cop...

#19 | Posted by catdog at 2025-02-19 09:17 AM

Like any and all cops, he's crooked.

Of course he needs to be removed.

#20 | Posted by DarkVader at 2025-02-19 12:14 PM

In my opinion, the people of NYC come first. I hope the Governor cans his ass.

#21 | Posted by Twinpac at 2025-02-19 12:33 PM

Adams needs to go. But is Hochul too busy triangulating political reaction to actually pull the trigger. (Memories of HRC come to mind.)

#22 | Posted by moder8 at 2025-02-19 11:52 PM

#22 - I think she's in a tough spot. It's not just a matter of her removing him, it would require a series of hearings at which Adams would have lawyers to defend him. Hochul would be the presiding figure and issue the ultimate verdict. The problem is that DOJ has all the evidence and they sure aren't going to share it with AG James or DA Bragg. So Hochul will have to make a decision based largly on public reporting and heresay evidence. It also opens the door for a future GQP governor to remove an actual Democratic Mayor with no evidence because now there's precedent. The election is in November, let him cozy up to Dotard and then the voters can remove him. Damn I hate Adams, he made me defend Hochul, who has been less than useless as governor.

#23 | Posted by _Gunslinger_ at 2025-02-20 11:23 AM

@#23

Good summary of the current situation.

An update ...

Gov. Kathy Hochul won't remove embattled NYC Mayor Eric Adams -- for now
www.nbcnews.com

... New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will -- for the time being -- not remove embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, but will instead impose limits on his power, a source with direct knowledge told NBC News on Thursday.

Hochul in recent weeks has been pressured to exercise her power to remove Adams from City Hall after the mayor's indictment last year on a host of corruption allegations.

Calls to remove Adams from office have intensified after the Trump administration moved to drop all charges against the mayor and told him he needs to help federal authorities carry out immigration raids. That raised allegations from New York Democrats of a "quid pro quo" arrangement, making Adams allegedly beholden to Trump.

The governor is expected to announce late Thursday afternoon that her plans to limit mayoral authority will include installation of a deputy inspector general to oversee him, a source with direct knowledge told NBC News.

That move would require action by the state lawmakers in Albany and possibly the New York City Council. ...



#24 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-02-20 04:08 PM

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