Gov. Kathy Hochul has decided against removing embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, Gothamist has learned.
Hochul, a Democrat, is set to announce Thursday that she will not invoke her authority under state and city law to force Adams out at this time, according to sources familiar with the governor’s decision who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Instead, the governor will unveil new state and city bills that would increase oversight of the mayor’s office. That includes creation of a new state deputy inspector general with broad authority to watch over the city’s dealings, the sources told Gothamist.
Hochul will ask lawmakers to approve the legislation when they return to the Capitol in Albany next week.
The governor’s planned announcement marks the latest in what has been a tumultuous period at City Hall and the state Capitol, where the U.S. Department of Justice’s push to drop criminal charges against Adams has spurred a growing chorus of city and state officials calling for his resignation.
NY1 first reported Hochul is considering new legal limits on the mayor’s power.
Adams has refused to resign since he was indicted on federal corruption charges in September, when prosecutors accused him of trading lavish travel perks and illicit campaign contributions from Turkish nationals in exchange for favors within city government.
That pressure increased earlier this month when President Donald Trump’s administration ordered prosecutors to drop the case, arguing that it interfered with Adams’ ability to carry out the president’s immigration crackdown. Four of Adams’ deputies and a handful of federal prosecutors announced their resignations, including acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon.
Sassoon and Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten, the lead prosecutor on Adams’ case, accused the mayor’s attorneys of engaging in a quid pro quo with Trump officials. Adams and federal officials have denied the allegations, despite the mayor’s TV appearance with Trump "border czar" Tom Homan last week, during which Homan publicly reminded Adams to support the administration’s immigration with an allusion to their “agreement.”
The series of events startled Democratic politicians in New York, spurring mounting calls for Adams to resign or for Hochul to remove him from office. The governor has the legal power to remove many local officials, including the mayor of New York City. But Hochul has resisted using that authority, calling it antidemocratic as recently as earlier this month.
The governor appeared to reconsider her stance after Sassoon’s allegation became public last week and again when Adams’ key deputies announced their resignation on Monday. On Tuesday, she held a series of one-on-one meetings to discuss the mayor’s fate with New York City officials and leaders, including City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Some, like the Rev. Al Sharpton and U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks of Queens, urged her to hold off on acting until a federal judge decided whether to formally dismiss the case.
By Thursday, the governor had made up her mind and declined to remove Adams for now, while instead pushing for greater state oversight.