Hochul vs. Adams: Is the Governor About to Remove the Mayor?

By BoroPark24 Staff

The Adams administration is continuing to steadily fall apart. On Monday, four deputy mayors, First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, who effectively runs the NYC government, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker, announced their intention to step down over Mayor Adams’ handling of the immigrant crisis and his cooperation with President Trump. 

The announcement comes as Democrats and the media united in a growing push to remove Adams from his seat.

Late Monday afternoon Governor Hochul released a statement telling New Yorkers that she is on top of it and announced that she’ll be sitting in a meeting today, February 18, to discuss how the city will move forward, and hinted that she might use her powers as governor to remove Mayor Adams from his post. 

“Since taking office in 2021, I’ve done everything possible to partner with the City of New York under the leadership of two different mayors,” she said. “We’ve worked together to fight crime on the streets and subways, close illegal cannabis shops and build more housing through ‘City of Yes’. Bickering between State and City officials is a waste of time, and I refuse to go back to the days where our constituents are caught in the crossfire of political turf wars.

“I recognize the immense responsibility I hold as governor and the constitutional powers granted to this office. 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. 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. 

“Let me be clear: my most urgent concern is the well-being of my 8.3 million constituents who live in New York City. I will be monitoring this situation extraordinarily closely to ensure that New Yorkers are not being shortchanged by the current crisis in City government.” 

Just yesterday, the mayor once again proclaimed he would not bow down to the mounting pressure, reaffirming his commitment to remain the people's mayor and continue serving the New Yorkers who elected him.