NY clergy meets with Hochul, urging gov to keep NYC Mayor Eric Adams in office
Hizzoner has a prayer to stay in office.
A group of top New York faith leaders met with Gov. Kathy Hochul Tuesday and urged her to have divine patience before deciding to remove embattled Mayor Eric Adams from office, The Post has learned.
'Clergy are concerned about an immediate and unthought-out response from anyone to the Eric Adams situation and appreciated the governor meeting with us to include different perspectives in her deliberation,' said Rev. AR Bernard, pastor of the Christian Cultural Center megachurch in Brooklyn.
Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, who was also at the Tuesday meeting, said Adams deserves to be treated fairly.
He said he still supports Adams, citing the embattled mayor's fullthroated support of the Jewish community in the wake of rising antisemitism set off by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas' attacks in Israel and subsequent war in Gaza.
'Eric Adams has been a very important voice who has stood up for the Jewish community during an important time when others were silent,' Potasnik said.
Both thanked Hochul for soliciting their input and categorized the meeting as productive.
Adams has faced calls for his resignation and removal after the Trump Department of Justice moved to drop a federal corruption case against him until at least after the election in November.
Critics have raised concerns that Adams would be beholden to Trump and his hardline immigration policy in a quid pro quo deal for dropping the case — though the mayor has denied any agreement.
Four of his deputy mayors resigned in protest.
Meanwhile, eight black legislators wrote Hochul, saying they see no reason to remove Adams.
'As black legislators we have seen this over and over again: double standards and an unfair process when it comes to our leaders,' said the legislators, including Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, an Adams ally and Brooklyn Democratic Party chairwoman.
'If a move is made against the mayor without a justifiable legal reason, our communities will not forget it,' the lawmakers said.
Signatories included state Sens. Roxanne Persaud, Leroy Comrie, James Sanders and Assembly members Nikki Lucas, Alicia Hyndman, Clyde Vanel and Al Taylor.
Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, also urged Hochul to back off Adams.
He said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams — who accused Israel of committing 'genocide' in Gaza –would become the acting mayor if Adams is removed.
'Governor Hochul, I beseech you and plead with you not to make the greatest mistake of your political life in crowning Williams as Mayor of our city,' Hikind said.
'He represents a dangerous element not only for the Jewish community but for all law abiding citizens of New York. You, and only you, will be held responsible and New Yorkers will not forgive you…Let the people decide the future of New York in the upcoming elections.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
31 minutes ago
- Politico
Mayoral candidate Brad Lander burns through cash, putting him at home-stretch disadvantage
NEW YORK — Brad Lander's day job is overseeing the city's cash. As a mayoral candidate, he is burning through his own. The city comptroller had spent nearly $1 million more than any other candidate in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, as of the latest data through May 19, yet he's still polling a distant third. And with a mandatory spending cap of roughly $8 million and just two weeks until the election, Lander finds himself at a significant disadvantage to opponents with more money for voter outreach in the final stretch of the race. The fiscal steward vying to replace Mayor Eric Adams has dropped $4.7 million on two television ads, a stable of consultants and staff salaries totaling more than $700,000, according to records from the city's Campaign Finance Board. He's left with $2.8 million, as of the latest disclosure period in May. By comparison, front-runner Andrew Cuomo had $5.7 million and second-place Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist lawmaker, had $4.5 million. Also in financial distress is City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who got into the race late and has $2.3 million in the bank. The candidates' updated finances will be published Friday. Lander paid $226,500 to fundraiser Jenny Galvin, $195,650 to pollster Global Strategy Group and $161,644 to consultancy BerlinRosen. Digital marketing and fundraising firm Authentic Campaigns netted $135,451, and the campaign even paid $35,677 to a firm that helps campaigns optimize spending. The spending hasn't really helped all that much. Lander is polling significantly behind Mamdani — the state assemblymember who has captured the progressive movement Lander hoped to tap into — and Cuomo, who is benefiting from more than $10 million worth of ads coming from two super PACs and the gratis services of a prominent lobbyist quietly powering his campaign. A government reform group has requested an investigation into Cuomo's use of that firm, Tusk Strategies. 'Conventional campaign wisdom is you unload most of your spending six to eight weeks out from the primary,' said Democratic strategist Trip Yang, who is not affiliated with any of the mayoral candidates. 'Brad is doing what he needs to, but for some reason it is not really breaking through in the polls.' Lander has banked more on broadcast and digital ads than Mamdani. That strategy is reminiscent of former Mayor Bill de Blasio's 2013 campaign, which did not feature a single piece of direct mail. The city comptroller has dropped $2.5 million on TV ads via Great American Media that feature him at the controls of a frontloader crushing Teslas in a junkyard and riding Coney Island's famed Cyclone while calmly taking notes on a legal pad. 'We will be up on broadcast, streaming, and digital every day through June 24th thanks to the grassroots support for our campaign from every corner of this city and a hunger from New Yorkers to end the Adams-Cuomo nightmare of corruption,' said Alison Hirsh, Lander's campaign manager, in a statement. A Lander spokesperson argued he has less cash than other top contenders because he started running earlier. Lander began raising money in February 2022, one month into his and Eric Adams' tenures, when each was presumably planning to run for reelection. As the mayor's political standing faltered, the comptroller started to see an opening to challenge the brash, Trump-aligned Democrat. By the time Lander announced his candidacy for mayor last summer, he had already spent a half-million dollars, public records show. In the ensuing three months before Mamdani announced his candidacy in October, the comptroller dropped another $200,000. Taken together, that accounts for the bulk of the discrepancy between Lander and Mamdani, the next-biggest spender in the race. As of last month, Mamdani had dropped $3.9 million, leaving him with $4.5 million in his war chest. Once he maxed out on fundraising, he cut a video suggesting his prospective donors give to Adrienne Adams, instead — a nod to the city's ranked-choice voting system that encourages partnerships to damage the front-runner. The democratic socialist Mamdani is employing a different strategy than the city comptroller, evidenced by a substantial investment in mailers as he inches closer to Cuomo in the polls. Mamdani's campaign paid direct mail firms Moxie Media and Century Direct Solutions — along with a printing company and a sticker firm — more than $400,000. A spokesperson said the campaign wanted to balance the success Mamdani has had producing viral social media videos with an effort to reach more analog voters. (The average age of the city's most active voters suggests they are not on TikTok.) In the home stretch with a significant polling advantage, Mamdani had $1.8 million more to spend than Lander. The comptroller announced May 20 that he had maxed out on fundraising, but some of that cash won't come through until June 20, the next public matching funds payout. Both are chasing Cuomo, who does not have money troubles, despite his disastrous turn before campaign finance regulators. After initially denying him matching funds based on systemic paperwork errors, the Campaign Finance Board fined the former governor $756,994 for improper coordination with a super PAC supporting him called Fix the City. The outfit has raised $10 million and spent around $8 million boosting Cuomo with television ads. A separate super PAC affiliated with the New York Apartment Association pledged to drop $2.5 million supporting the governor. Cuomo has spent $1.9 million and has $5.7 million left in the bank. Adrienne Adams was worse off than the city comptroller as of last month's filing. She entered the race late and has been scrambling for cash since. The board awarded her $2 million in matching funds last month, which led her to announce a broadcast ad shortly afterward. Even without sufficient money, she has been polling near Lander on the strength of endorsements from municipal labor union DC 37 and state Attorney General Letitia James. On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Adrienne Adams as her second choice behind Mamdani, making the impact of her remaining cash reserves harder to predict.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate: six key takeaways
In the first debate of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, nine candidates took the stage and fielded questions on housing, affordability, crime, policing, public safety, political regrets and how each candidate would handle the Trump administration if elected. The candidates included former New York governor Andrew Cuomo; democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani; the New York City council speaker, Adrienne Adams; the current New York City comptroller, Brad Lander; former comptroller Scott Stringer; former Bronx assemblyman Michael Blake; state senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos; and former hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson. The current mayor, Eric Adams, was not present on Wednesday as he is running for re-election as an independent candidate, although he ran as a Democrat in 2021. A few takeaways from the debate: Throughout the debate, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, the current frontrunner in the race, was grilled on his record by his Democratic rivals. Related: Democratic candidates for New York mayor spar over housing, Covid and Trump Cuomo spent much of the night sparring with progressive state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who is polling second. Mamdani accused Cuomo of being beholden to wealthy donors and corporate interests, saying Cuomo prioritized the '1%, the billionaires and the profitable corporations', over 'working-class New Yorkers'. Cuomo dismissed the 33-year-old as inexperienced, calling Mamdani 'very good on Twitter and with videos' but saying he was someone who 'produces nothing'. 'He's been in government 27 minutes, he passed three bills, that's all he's done,' Cuomo said. 'He has no experience with Washington, no experience with New York City.' Trump came up several times, as the candidates agreed the next mayor must be ready to stand up to his administration if elected mayor, though they differed on who was best equipped to do so. 'I know how to deal with Donald Trump because I've dealt with him before,' Cuomo said, citing his experience as New York governor. Mamdani warned that 'President Trump will target whomever is the next mayor of this city' and said that is 'important that we have a mayor who will fight back and that is what I will do'. 'I am Donald Trump's worst nightmare as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in,' Mamdani added. 'And the difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in DC.' Cuomo fired back, saying that 'Donald Trump would go through Mr Mamdani like a hot knife through butter'. 'He would be Trump's delight,' Cuomo added. Mamdani countered: 'It's true that I don't have experience with corrupt Trump billionaires that are funding my campaign. I don't have experience with party politics and insider consultants. I do have experience, however, with winning $450m in debt relief for thousands of working-class taxi drivers and actually delivering for working-class people.' Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the New York city council, said she would take legal action against Trump when necessary. Asked how they would respond if the Trump administration ordered city-run hospitals to stop providing care to undocumented patients or risk losing millions in federal funding, all candidates voiced strong opposition to Trump's recent crackdown on immigration in general. 'You cannot give in to Mr Trump and his demands,' Cuomo said. 'If you give in to him, he is a bully, I know him well, if you give in to him today, you will be giving him your lunch money for the rest of your life.' 'You have to fight him and the way you fight him is not by suing him,' the former governor said. 'We need a national coalition, which we can put together of like-minded states and cities that will oppose these actions and then we're going to have to eventually beat him politically in Congress.' Whitney Tilson said that if Trump were to act 'illegally to try and blackmail us, you have to sue to restore that funding', adding that he was 'appalled by what Trump is doing to terrorize immigrant communities' and would 'fight him tooth and nail'. Mamdani said that New York City was 'under attack by an authoritarian Trump administration'. 'The way that we fight back is ensure that our local institutions continue to provide the services to each and every New Yorker,' he said. 'We will tell those institutions that we will provide that funding and we will get that funding by taxing the 1% and the wealthiest corporations.' Pressed about his administration's handling of nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic – a 2021 report by the New York attorney general found that his office undercounted thousands of deaths of state nursing home residents – Cuomo defended his record, claiming the numbers were not, in fact, undercounted. He also denied the sexual harassment allegations against him that led to his resignation. 'I said at the time that if I offended anyone it was unintentional but I apologize and I say that today,' he said. City council speaker Adrienne Adams took a swipe at the current mayor. 'My biggest regret is believing that Eric Adams would be a good mayor for all New Yorkers,' she said. The city's comptroller, Brad Lander, said that he regretted not pushing 'for more housing in his Brooklyn district when he was a city council member'. Mandani used the moment to target Cuomo once more, saying that 'as a Democrat, one of my regrets is having trusted the leaders within our own party, leaders like Andrew Cuomo'. Cuomo, on the other hand, said his biggest regret was 'the state of the Democratic party', which prompted backlash from other candidates on stage. 'No personal regrets?' asked Adrienne Adams. 'No regrets when it comes to cutting Medicaid or healthcare? No regrets when it comes to slow-walking PPE and vaccinations in the season of Covid to Black and brown communities? Really, no regrets?' Cuomo said her claims were 'not accurate', adding: 'Medicaid went up under me. I pushed President Trump to give us everything he had, leading the way during Covid.' The moderators asked the candidates how much they pay in rent or mortgage in New York City. Adams said she owned her home and that it was paid off; Mamdani said he pays $2,300 a month in rent for a rent-stabilized apartment in Astoria. Blake said he spends about $1,800 for a home that he owns, while Myrie said his rent-stabilized apartment was $1,300 a month and Ramos said her rent was $2,500 a month. Lander said his mortgage was $3,300 a month. Cuomo said that he pays $7,800 a month, while Tilson said that he owned his home and paid about $5,000 per month in maintenance fees and taxes. Stringer said he pays $6,400.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Eric Adams signs order adopting controversial definition of antisemitism
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, signed an executive order this week adopting a controversial definition of antisemitism, as Israel's invasion of Gaza and alleged antisemitism continued to dominate the city's mayoral election. The mayor signed the order, which requires city agencies to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's description of antisemitism, at a synagogue in Manhattan on Sunday. Adams described antisemitism as 'a vile disease that's been spreading across our nation and our city'. Critics of the definition say it is designed to protect Israel by punishing legitimate criticism. Examples of antisemitism that accompany the formal definition include 'claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor' and 'applying double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation'. The lead author of the definition has spoken out against its use to suppress free speech. The move comes two weeks ahead of the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, where a number of high-profile candidates are running against Adams. Support for Israel and the city's Jewish population has become a key issue, with the frontrunners holding starkly different views on Israel's war on Gaza. Related: The new definition of antisemitism is transforming America – and serving a Christian nationalist plan Adams, a deeply unpopular first-term mayor whose time in office has been blighted by accusations of accepting bribes, has positioned himself as a staunch defender of Israel as he seeks to win election. He referenced the recent murder of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington and the attack on a crowd of people in Colorado who were raising awareness for Israeli hostages in Gaza before signing the order. 'Since Hamas' terror attacks on October 7 2023, we have seen this hateful rhetoric become normalized on our campuses, in our communities, and online as antisemitic propaganda far too often masquerades as 'activism'. When Jewish New Yorkers make up 11% of the population but more than half of all hate crimes, we know this moment demands bold, decisive action to crack down on anti-Jewish hatred,' Adams said. Antisemitic and Islamophobic violence have risen since the Hamas attack and Israel's response, and Adams has criticized pro-Palestinian demonstrations which have taken place on university campuses and around the city. Adams was elected as a Democrat, but is running as an independent candidate in this year's election. His main rivals are Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York who resigned in 2021 amid accusations of sexual harassment, and Zohran Mamdani, a New York state representative. In 2021, Orthodox Jewish support helped Adams win the Democratic primary, but with Cuomo, Adams is up against a fellow staunch supporter of Israel. Last year, Cuomo joined Benjamin Netanyahu's legal defense team after the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who has long been outspoken on Palestinian rights, has described the situation in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 50,000 people, as 'genocide' and said he would have Netanyahu arrested if he came to the city. Adams signed the executive order at a synagogue in Manhattan on Sunday. He then sat for a discussion with Phil McGraw, a television personality and Trump supporter, about the threat of antisemitism, in which he criticized anti-Israel demonstrations at universities.
