Can Mayor Adams Be Removed by Governor? If So Who Replaces Him
Mayor Eric Adams’s political future is in doubt after federal prosecutors indicted him on corruption charges in one of several inquiries ensnaring City Hall. Amid calls to resign, Mr. Adams has insisted he is innocent and that he is staying in office as New York City’s mayor.
Five main ways Adams could leave office
Mr. Adams, a Democrat, could decide not to run for re-election, but finish his term, which ends in December 2025. If he runs, he could lose to another candidate in the Democratic primary next June.
Three other ways Mr. Adams could leave office include:
Adams
resigns
Kathy Hochul
removes Adams
A committee
removes Adams
Jumaane Williams becomes
acting mayor until next
mayor is elected
The mayor could resign on his own. He could face pressure from key power brokers, or decide that it is in the city's best interest for him to step aside.
Or, Gov. Kathy Hochul could remove Mr. Adams under the city charter. The complicated process is untested. So far, she has urged Mr. Adams to prove he can lead the city and to remove city officials under federal investigation, several of whom have departed.
Or, a five-member group, known as a committee on mayoral inability, could be formed to remove him under the city charter. An untried and complex process, it is one even critics of the mayor say is unlikely to happen because his appointees would be involved.
The members would be:
- the city comptroller, Brad Lander
- the City Council speaker, Adrienne Adams
- the longest serving borough president, Donovan Richards
- the city’s corporation counsel, who is expected to be Muriel Goode-Trufant
- and a deputy mayor selected by the mayor.
Four of the five members would need to decide Adams was incapable of serving.
In these three scenarios, Jumaane Williams, the current public advocate, would become acting mayor.
The process of choosing a new mayor
If Mr. Adams leaves office before his term ends, what happens next depends on the date he steps down.
If Adams leaves
before
March 26, 2025
If Adams leaves
on or after
March 26, 2025
Special election
held within
about 80 days
Regular primaries
June 24, 2025
General election
Nov. 4, 2025
A special election would be held to serve out the remainder of Mr. Adams’s term. It would be non-partisan with ranked-choice voting, a system where voters select multiple candidates in order of preference. Voters would have less time to get to know the candidates, and name recognition could be key. A regular electionwould have separate Democratic and Republican primaries, which also use ranked choice voting, and the winners of those would face off in a general election.
People who hope to succeed Adams
Four Democrats are already running against Mr. Adams in next year’s election for mayor, and more candidates are likely to enter the race if Mr. Adams is further weakened, or if a special election takes place.
Declared candidates
Brad Lander DEM.
City comptroller
Mr. Lander is a progressive leader who has argued that he is the best manager to run the city. He supports congestion pricing and has pledged to end street homelessness for severely mentally ill people.
Zellnor Myrie DEM.
State senator
Mr. Myrie is a progressive state lawmaker from Brooklyn who has proposed free universal after-school programs. He has supported bail reform and gun control measures.
Jessica Ramos DEM.
State senator
Ms. Ramos is a progressive state lawmaker from Queens who has focused on trying to make the city more affordable and has close ties to unions. She opposed a casino proposal in her district in Queens.
Scott Stringer DEM.
Former city comptroller
Mr. Stringer, who has held several elected offices, has focused on affordable housing. His 2021 mayoral campaign was derailed by accusations of sexual misconduct.
Considering running
Michael Blake DEM.
Former state assemblyman
Mr. Blake, a former White House aide under President Barack Obama, served in the state assembly representing the Bronx and lost a congressional race in 2020.
Joseph Borelli REP.
Minority City Council leader
Mr. Borelli is a council member from Staten Island and a supporter of former President Donald J. Trump. He has pushed for property tax reform and has been critical of the city’s response to the migrant crisis.
John Catsimatidis REP.
Businessman
Mr. Catsimatidis is the billionaire owner of the Gristedes grocery store chain and the conservative WABC radio station. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2013.
Andrew Cuomo DEM.
Former governor
Mr. Cuomo was elected to three terms as governor and resigned in 2021 after a sexual misconduct scandal. He was known for building infrastructure projects and for his combative political tactics. He has focused recently on combating anti-semitism.
Alicia Glen DEM.
Former deputy mayor
Ms. Glen was a deputy mayor under Mayor Bill de Blasio and oversaw major projects such as the citywide ferry system. She is a chair of the Gateway Development Commission, which is building a new train tunnel between New York and New Jersey.
Zohran Mamdani DEM.
State assemblyman
Mr. Mamdani is a state lawmaker from Queens and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. He wants to halt rent increases and highlight the voices of Muslim New Yorkers like himself.
Letitia James DEM.
State attorney general
Ms. James became state attorney general in 2019 after serving as the city’s public advocate. She won a $454 million civil fraud judgment against Trump and helped dismantle the leadership of the National Rifle Association.
Christine Quinn DEM.
Former City Council speaker
Ms. Quinn was the powerful Council speaker from 2006 to 2013, and finished third in the Democratic mayoral primary. She is now the leader of the city’s largest provider of shelters for homeless families with children.
Jumaane Williams DEM.
Public advocate
Mr. Williams is a progressive leader from Brooklyn who has criticized the mayor’s aggressive policing strategy. He has close ties with left-leaning groups including the Working Families Party, and has run unsuccessfully for governor and lieutenant governor.
The New York Times
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