New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is meeting at her office in Manhattan on Tuesday to discuss the path forward for Mayor Eric Adams' administration after four of his deputy mayors resigned Monday, and said in a statement that it would be a "serious step" if she removes him from office.
"Tomorrow, I have asked key leaders to meet me at my Manhattan office for a conversation about the path forward, with the goal of ensuring stability for the City of New York," the governor, who like Adams, is a Democrat, said in a statement Monday night, reports NBC New York.
She added that she has spoken with First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, one of the four deputies who stepped down Monday, and said that if the deputy mayors feel like they can't keep serving, "that raises serious questions about the long-term future of this Mayoral administration."
In New York's 235 years, the powers of the governor's office have never been used to remove a mayor, said the governor, adding, "Overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly."
However, she said the "alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored."
Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, and Deputy Mayor Chauncey Parker, have resigned, it was confirmed Monday, amid Adams' cooperation with the Trump administration on immigration and the Justice Department's push last week to dismiss corruption charges against him.
Torres-Springer, Williams-Isom, and Joshi issued a joint statement saying that serving as deputy mayors was the "greatest honor and privilege of our lives," but said they made the "difficult" decision to resign because of the "extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families," reports NBC News.
Parker did not publicly give a decision for resigning but said serving under Adams had been an "honor of a lifetime."
A city spokesperson said the four deputy mayors will remain in office for the short term "to ensure a seamless transition. The people of New York City remain, without question, our top priority."
New York City's charter and state law empower Hochul to remove Adams from office, reports Time on Tuesday.
If Adams is removed, that means he would be suspended from his post for up to 30 days. After that, the governor could restore him to office or permanently dismiss him.
Adams remained defiant Monday, saying while leaving a Brooklyn church event in his honor that his political opponents, four months before he would be running for reelection, are "attempting to rewrite my entire history for their own agenda," reports Politico on Tuesday.
He also slammed Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a political foe who will become mayor temporarily if Adams resigns or is forced out.
"If I step down, the public advocate becomes the mayor. So can you imagine turning the city over to him? That is the top reason not to step down," Adams said.
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is not related to the mayor, has called on him to resign.
"With the resignation of deputy mayors, it has become clear that Mayor Adams has now lost the confidence and trust of his own staff, his colleagues in government, and New Yorkers," she said in a statement. "This administration no longer has the ability to effectively govern with Eric Adams as mayor."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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