Gov. Hochul will convene elected leaders and clergy members Tuesday to discuss a “path forward” at City Hall that could include the possibility of removing Mayor Adams from office as she says “serious questions” have been raised about his leadership in the wake of the resignations of four of his top deputies.
In a statement late Monday, Hochul only said the meetings at her Midtown Manhattan office will involve “key leaders.” Her statement did not address specific options, but said she’d seek a “path forward” while acknowledging her power to remove Adams from office.
Sources families with the matter told the Daily News that among those invited are U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, City Comptroller Brad Lander, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and the Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime friend to the mayor.
The mayor isn’t invited, and neither is Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who would become acting mayor should Adams be removed, the sources confirmed.
Barry Williams/ New York Daily News
Eric Adams speaks to the media after appearing at Rehoboth Cathedral Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 in Brooklyn, New York. (Barry Williams/ New York Daily News)
In her statement, Hochul said she spoke with First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer after news broke earlier Monday that she and three of her counterparts, Meera Joshi, Anne Wiliams-Isom and Chauncey Parker, are stepping down due to concerns over the terms under which President Trump’s administration has moved to dismiss Adams’ federal corruption indictment.
“If they feel unable to serve in City Hall at this time, that raises serious questions about the long-term future of this Mayoral administration,” Hochul said before recognizing the “immense responsibility” that comes with her power — never used in the state’s 235-year history — to unilaterally remove a New York City mayor from office.
“Overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly,” she continued.
“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.”
Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak said the mayor’s “always available to speak with the governor about how we can continue to deliver” for New Yorkers. She also noted Torres-Springer and the other resigned deputies have said they’ll remain at City Hall for an unspecified period of time to help with transitioning their duties to others.
Torres-Springer and the three other deputy mayors submitted their resignations after sources say they told Adams they’re uneasy about his ability to lead in the wake of Trump’s Department of Justice filing a motion to dismiss his public corruption case late Friday.
The motion, which Trump’s DOJ filed after Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor refused to do it and resigned instead, asks a judge to drop the case immediately, but allow the department to resurrect it as early as November. In the interim, the DOJ wrote it expects Adams to help Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown effort, an unusual caveat in a court proceeding that both critics and allies of the mayor say makes him a “hostage” to the president’s agenda.
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