Divisions Emerge Over Whether Adams Should Resign

Divisions Emerge Over Whether Adams Should Resign

Amid the growing calls for Mayor Eric Adams’s resignation, some have taken the opposite tack.

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By Emma G. Fitzsimmons

As Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty on Friday to bribery and fraud charges, division emerged among New York City’s power brokers over whether he should resign.

A growing number of elected officials have pushed Mr. Adams, a Democrat, to step down, with Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York doing so on Friday. Other notable Democrats include Brad Lander, the city comptroller who is running for mayor, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Still, others have called on Mr. Adams not to resign. The editorial boards at The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal called for the mayor to stay put. Some leaders in the business community, which has broadly supported Mr. Adams, are also reluctant to oust him.

“It is in the best interest of fairness — and the best interest of New York City — that Adams be allowed to present a defense while he continues to serve his term,” The New York Post’s board wrote on Thursday evening.

Mr. Adams, for his part, has insisted that he will remain in office and fight the charges. He has said that he did not commit any crimes and questioned the motivation of prosecutors.

Perhaps the most important voice in the debate is Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove the mayor. Ms. Hochul and Mr. Adams have been political allies, but she issued a terse statement on Thursday saying she was keeping her options open.

Ms. Hochul said the indictment was the “latest in a disturbing pattern of events that has, understandably, contributed to a sense of unease among many New Yorkers.”

“I expect the mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well served by their leaders,” she said.

Another key figure is Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the House minority leader, who said a jury would determine the mayor’s fate and that he was praying for the city.

Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker, also expressed concern over the seriousness of the allegations and the mayor’s ability to lead the city, but stopped short of urging him to resign.

The list of people calling on Mr. Adams to resign includes the City Council’s progressive caucus; John Liu, an influential state senator from Queens; Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn borough president; and Representatives Nicole Malliotakis and Elise Stefanik, two Republicans from New York.

Several candidates who are running against Mr. Adams for mayor in next June’s Democratic primary have also urged him to resign, including Mr. Lander; Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn; and Scott Stringer, a former comptroller.

If Mr. Adams were to resign, Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate, would become acting mayor and set a date for a special election. Mr. Williams, a progressive Democrat from Brooklyn, has said that he is prepared to take the job, but he has not called on Mr. Adams to resign.

“With all this going on, can someone effectively run the government?” he said on NY1 on Friday morning. “Can he effectively rebuild the trust that’s being eroded, really minute by minute? That’s a question many of us are hoping the mayor will really ask himself.”