Gov. Hochul seeks oversight on Mayor Adams instead of removing him from office
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that she will not move forward with proceedings to remove Mayor Eric Adams from office, citing the will of the voters and the importance of democratic elections.
"My strong belief is that the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections preclude me from any other action," Hochul stated at a press conference. "I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make this decision for themselves."
"I understand the outrage and the sense of betrayal many New Yorkers feel," she said. "But those who argue to 'just go and remove him' fail to appreciate that there is a process involved."
Instead, Hochul announced a series of oversight measures aimed at ensuring City Hall operates in the best interests of New Yorkers.
Among the proposed actions is the creation of a Special Inspector General for New York City affairs within the Office of the State Inspector General. This position would oversee the city's Department of Investigation and ensure independent probes into government activity.
New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang said in a statement, "I take seriously the responsibility of ensuring that the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation and her team remain able to do their crucial work shining a light on corruption in New York City."
Hochul said she would also create a pot of money to allow the city's comptroller, public advocate and City Council speaker to hire outside counsel to sue the Trump administration if the mayor is unwilling.
"This ensures that if the Trump administration tries to exert control over New York, we have the power to fight back," she said.
City Comptroller Brad Lander said he fully intends to use this new authority from the governor, in addition to his existing responsibilities under the City Charter, "to fight like hell every day for the eight million people who call New York City home."
Meanwhile, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said he hopes Hochul will "consider all current contingencies, including the upcoming decision from Judge Ho," before attempting to create "new structures and precedents," and also said he hopes the mayor considers the harm he could do to the city by reducing its autonomy.
Under the proposal, Hochul said she will also allocate additional funds to the state comptroller to scrutinize city finances.
The governor also wants a new rule barring the mayor from firing the head of the city's Department of Investigation without state inspector general approval.
Hochul framed the measures as a direct response to what she called the "Trump revenge tour," accusing the former president of attempting to punish New York following his felony convictions.
"This is a an opportunity to install safeguards that we need to have in place to give people confidence that there's only one factor in every decision that's made, and that's what's best for the people of the city," she said
Despite calls for Adams' removal, Hochul made it clear that resignation is a personal decision.
"It is up to an individual to decide if they want to resign from the office to which they were elected," she said.
The mayor, just after the governor's announcement, refused to take off topic questions at his public safety announcement in the Bronx, flashing two thumbs up and walking away from the podium as reporters asked for his reaction.
Adams, however, did issue a statement, saying in part, "while there is no legal basis for limiting New Yorkers' power by limiting the authority of my office, I have told the governor, as we have done in the past, that I am willing to work with her to ensure faith in our government is strong."
The proposed measures are set to take effect immediately upon enactment and expiring at the end of 2025.
News of the proposals broke as the mayor was making a public safety announcement in the Bronx on Thursday. He projected a business-as-usual image and stuck to his core message of fighting crime but abruptly ended his news conference when he was pressed about the growing turmoil.
The governor's announcement also comes as a federal judge will soon rule on whether or not to drop the corruption case against Adams.
Acting deputy Attorney General Emil Bove put on the record in court Wednesday the reason for dismissing the case is because it interferes with the mayor's ability to enforce the president's immigration agenda.
Hochul - a centrist Democrat, as is Adams - has faced questions about the mayor's future since his indictment in September on bribery and other charges. He has pleaded not guilty and said at the court hearing Wednesday that he hadn't committed a crime.
Hochul has been reluctant to oust him, arguing that doing so would be undemocratic, while thrusting the city into a complex, court-like removal process that has never been used before against a sitting mayor.
But after four of Adams' top deputies quit Monday, the governor said she had "serious questions about the long-term future of this mayoral administration."
Hochul's oversight proposals will have to be approved by the City Council and state lawmakers.
(The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.)
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