Hochul won’t remove Adams for now, but proposes guardrails instead
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Governor Kathy Hochul proposed guardrails on City Hall and Mayor Eric Adams, stopping short of removing him from office. File photo by Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
By Ryan Schwach
Governor Kathy Hochul proposed on Thursday reigning in New York City Mayor Eric Adams with a set of “political sanctions,” stopping short of removing him from office – for now.
The governor said she plans to pitch both the City Council and state legislature on a list of guardrails and controls on the embattled mayor, which would remove certain executive powers from him and his administration. The sanctions will need the approval of both legislatures before going into effect.
Some of the new restrictions would include the appointment of an inspector general to act as a watchdog on the city, and funding for the comptroller, public advocate and City Council to sue the federal government if the mayor won't.
Hochul’s decision comes as a host of officials call for her to remove Adams as he faces legal and political turmoil. Adams has been accused of striking a deal with President Donald Trump, agreeing to help the president effectuate his immigration enforcement efforts in New York City in exchange for the dismissal of the criminal indictment against him. Adams’ opponents and allies alike have said they’re concerned that Adams may be beholden to Trump, who can hold Adams’ criminal case over his head.
“To move this city forward I'm undertaking the implementation of certain guardrails that I believe are a first start in re-establishing trust for New York City residents and ensure that all decisions out of City Hall are in the clear interest of the people of this city and not at the behest of the President,” Hochul said. “The Trump administration is already trying to use the legal jeopardy facing our mayor as leverage to squeeze and punish our city. The president is trying to weaken our public transit system and undermine our state sovereignty. I call it the Trump revenge tour, and I have to stand in its way.”
The governor’s sanctions and guard rails for the city’s mayor attempt to limit his political power as she and many others worry about corruption at City Hall and the mayor’s relationship with Trump.
The legislative measures would create a special inspector general who will direct the New York City Department of Investigations. The mayor would not be able to remove the DOI commissioner without the approval of the state inspector general.
“This will protect the city's investigations from any interference, make sure that there's no lack of independence as they make their determinations, and allow the inspector general to focus more directly on any improper activity that may arise out of New York City.”
The inspector general would also provide reports to the state.
Hochul’s proposal also included giving powers to the city comptroller, the public advocate and the New York City council speaker to sue the federal government through outside counsel.
Finally, the proposal included new funding to the deputy state comptroller and city comptroller for city oversight.
The governor said she has spoken to leaders in both the City Council and the state legislature, and said she’d like to start the proceedings to get the plan to take effect as soon as possible.
“I'm not waiting till after any elections,” she said.
Should they go into effect, the guardrails could be lifted at the end of this year, but are subject to renewal.
While Adams didn’t outright endorse the proposal, he also didn’t strongly reject them.
"I was elected by the people of New York City and its working-class communities to uphold their values and that is what our administration has done,” Adams said in a statement in response to the governor's decision. “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. I look forward to continuing those conversations."
The governor did not completely rule out potentially removing Adams in the future, hoping Thursday’s actions would be enough to restore trust in City Hall.
“I will retain the powers conferred upon me by the New York State Constitution and the city charter, but it is my sincere hope that these dark days will pass,” she said. “Elections will occur, and the people of New York will decide who they trust to govern this extraordinary city.”
Hochul argued that removing Adams would be undemocratic, saying no “king,” “queen” or “governor” – alluding to Trump identifying himself as a king on Wednesday – should have the final say over Adams’ continued service in Gracie Mansion.
“Voters determine who they want or they do not want to represent them in elective office,” she said.
In a Thursday afternoon announcement, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a handful of “political sanctions” meant to rein in Mayor Eric Adams over fears of corruption at City Hall. Photo via Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
She also said that her decision has “zero” to do with her predecessor Andrew Cuomo potentially jumping into the 2025 mayoral race.
As governor, Hochul is the only person with the unilateral ability to remove Adams. No New York governor in modern history has used the power.
However, after a request to dismiss Adams’ case from the Trump administration led to the resignations of a half dozen prosecutors and four deputy mayors, Hochul seemed to change her tune.
“I recognize the immense responsibility I hold as governor and the constitutional powers granted to this office,” she said on Monday. “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.”
This week, she held meetings with several city stakeholders to discuss Adams’ future. According to Reverend Al Sharpton, her decision on Adams’ future wouldn’t come until after a Wednesday hearing related to Adams’ federal case.
But while the judge in the case, Dale E. Ho, has yet to dismiss Adams’ case, Hochul began to take steps toward a new type of city governance on Thursday.
In his hopes to stay in office, Adams has found unlikely allies, including Republican councilmembers like Queens’ Vickie Paladino, who are supportive of Adams’ hardline immigration positions.
“[Democrats] are willing to overturn an election because their ideology is totally committed to unfettered open orders,” she said on X this week.
A handful of Black legislators – including five from Queens – have also called on the governor not to remove Adams, citing “double standards” for Black elected officials.
“Communities of color are far better off with the consistency of the sitting mayor,” the electeds – which included Queens electeds Roxanne Persaud, Leroy Comrie, Alicia Hyndman, Clyde Vanel and James Sanders Jr. – wrote.
Hochul’s proposal on Thursday appeared to garner support from some in Queens.
"Governor Hochul has shown tremendous leadership and maintained an open mind throughout this difficult process, and I applaud her for her steadfast efforts to ensure City Hall can function uninterrupted in service of all New Yorkers,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.
“I strongly support her actions today to provide additional state oversight of the current mayoral administration — actions that I believe represent critical steps toward rebuilding New Yorkers' shaken confidence in our government and placing our city on more stable footing,” he added. “As she said this afternoon, however, these new oversight measures must be temporary, and the historic home rule separation between city and state government should be restored immediately upon the resolution of this crisis."
