Alyssa VanPelt-Cathcart, Staff Writer
According to NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ biography on the New York City government’s website, “Mayor Eric Adams has served the people of New York City as an NYPD officer, State Senator, Brooklyn Borough President, and now as the 110th Mayor of the City of New York.” Mayor Adams’ biography cheers him for making a difference with the NYPD and working to support the people who live within the city. Mayor Adams is also seen as a hero through his work to promote diversity, health, and education. However, despite his many accomplishments, Mayor Adams is currently under fire for his indictment of corruption and bribery charges received last year.
The governor of New York State, Kathy Hochul, has recently come out to announce new guard rails that will be implemented on Mayor Adams. In a CBS article, they announced, “Hochul announced three new actions in the wake of accusations of a quid pro quo between Adams and the Trump Administration suggesting his criminal case be dropped in exchange for cooperation, particularly with policies involving immigration enforcement.” The guardrails include a new Inspector General for the city which will bar Mayor Adams from firing the current DOI Commissioner, allow other city leaders the ability to sue the Trump Administration, and give the State Comptroller more money to monitor the city’s finances.
Why did Governor Hochul not remove Mayor Adams? In the CBS article, they cite her stating, “After careful consideration, I have determined that I will not commence removal proceedings at this time. My strong belief is that the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections preclude me from any other action. I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make this decision for themselves.” Although the governor understands many residents of the city are hurt and outraged by Mayor Adams, she believes the removal of the mayor by her will create more disruption.
“While the best solution to restore public trust would be for Mayor Adams to resign and to keep the four deputy mayors in place instead, Governor Hochul’s new guardrails are useful to keep New York City moving forward in these precarious times,” said The City Comptroller Brad Lander according to CNN. Lander will be running against Mayor Adams in the upcoming mayoral primary in June.
Mayor Adams has taken Governor Hochul’s guardrails in a respective manner. Additionally, according to CNN, Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams have maintained a healthy, working relationship while they have been in office. In a CNN article regarding the situation, Mayor Adams states, “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 mayor said.
“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 according to CBS. “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.”As this story develops, Mayor Adam’s trial is scheduled for April prior to the upcoming mayoral primary.
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