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NY Governor Hochul Will Keep Mayor Adams in Office for Now

NY Governor Hochul Will Keep Mayor Adams in Office for Now

Yahoo20-02-2025

(Bloomberg) -- Governor Kathy Hochul doesn't plan to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams for now, according to a person familiar with the matter.
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Hochul plans to announce the decision later Thursday, as well as new oversight of the Adams administration, said the person, who asked not to be named because the conversations are private. The governor plans to establish a state-level deputy inspector general position and give more legal power to non-mayoral officials such as the city comptroller to sue the federal government, according to the person.
Hochul's decision was reported earlier by Gothamist and NY1.
Calls for Adams to leave office intensified after a top official at President Donald Trump's Justice Department directed federal prosecutors in Manhattan to drop their pending bribery case against the mayor.
Critics say the directive was a quid pro quo in exchange for the mayor's assistance in helping facilitate Trump's crackdown on migrants, which Adams and the Justice Department have both denied. Concern over Adams' relationship with Trump also sparked the planned departure of four of his deputy mayors, spurring Hochul this week to host meetings with fellow Democrats to discuss a path forward.
Hochul has the power to remove the mayor, an action she said has not been taken by any governor in New York state's 235-year history.
'Overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly,' the governor said in a statement Monday night. 'That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.
Adams, 64, has refused calls to step down and is seeking reelection. He faces a host of challengers in the June 24 Democratic primary, including city Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, Brooklyn state Senator Zellnor Myrie, Queens state Senator Jessica Ramos and former hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson.
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo is also said to be considering a run.
(Updates with plans to seek reelection in eighth paragraph.)
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