Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Gov. Hochul’s guardrails on Mayor Adams stuck in legislative logjam
By
Jon Campbell
Published Mar 6, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Don Pollard/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
By
Jon Campbell
Published Mar 6, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to place guardrails on New York City Mayor Eric Adams is stuck in neutral.
Hochul’s proposals, which she put forward after President Donald Trump’s administration moved to dismiss bribery charges against the mayor, have been caught in a legislative logjam. Even some of Adams’ fiercest critics have questioned whether Hochul’s plan to create a new City Hall watchdog employed by the state could have unintended consequences.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins acknowledged Tuesday the measures have “stalled.” And even Hochul conceded it’s possible they won’t make it over the finish line. On Wednesday, Heastie said the issue is “a little cold right now.”
“If people don't want to do it, and they're basically saying we're satisfied with the status quo, that's also a possibility,” Hochul told reporters at the state Capitol. “ But I want to say I did what I could to just calm down the anxiety, get to a level of normalcy.”
Hochul said she’s working with the New York City Council and the state Legislature to come up with a bill that’s palatable to all of them, characterizing the negotiations as a normal part of the legislative process.
Hochul announced her proposals nearly two weeks ago but has yet to release any legislative text. She pitched them as a way to put New York City residents at ease after key federal prosecutors accused Adams, a Democrat, of a quid pro quo with the Trump administration — alleging they made a deal to dismiss his charges for cooperation with the Republican president’s immigration crackdown. (Adams and the Trump administration deny the accusations, and a federal judge delayed a final ruling on the dismissal while seeking outside input.)
The announcement came as Hochul declined to use her legal power to remove the mayor from office, which she has characterized as antidemocratic, particularly with a mayoral primary less than four months away.
The governor’s plan calls for creating a new deputy state inspector general who would have the power to direct internal investigations into Adams and his administration. Hochul also wants to boost funding for state officials with oversight of the city’s finances and make it easier for other city officials to sue Trump over an official action if Adams’ office refuses.
But some New York City officials and political candidates have criticized the proposals on the grounds that Albany already has significant sway over city government — with the ability to approve or reject everything from speed cameras in the five boroughs to the governing structure of the city’s school system.
The city’s finances, meanwhile, are subject to oversight of the Financial Control Board, a state panel dating back to the city’s fiscal crisis in the 1970s.
Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller who is now running against Adams for mayor, urged Hochul to rethink the plan in a letter last week.
“I respectfully suggest that while the recently proposed guardrails on Adams may seem prudent now, they risk complicating city governance at an already chaotic moment and could set problematic precedents for state encroachment on city government,” Stringer wrote.
Hochul, a Democrat, says her proposals would expire at the end of the year and be “subject to renewal.”
But those proposals — if they make it into a standalone bill — would require multiple layers of legislative approval, and so far neither state nor city lawmakers have shown any sign of going along with them.
First, the City Council would have to approve what’s known as a “home rule” message, a measure that’s required by the state constitution when a state law affects at least one local government but not all of them. Since Adams would be unlikely to sign off, the message would require a two-thirds majority vote of the Council.
From there, the state Senate and Assembly would be clear to vote on the proposals before they’re sent to Hochul for final approval.
The City Council isn’t scheduled to convene again until next week.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who entered the mayor's race Wednesday night, told reporters last week that her team has been in discussions with Hochul’s office. But she said the governor has to strike a deal with both houses of the Legislature in Albany before the Council can sign off.
“Our team is working with the governor’s team to see if this is at all feasible,” the speaker said of Hochul’s plan.
Albany lawmakers see the process differently.
Stewart-Cousins, a Yonkers Democrat, told reporters that Hochul needs to strike a deal with the City Council first. Until that happens, the proposals will remain stalled in Albany.
“I know the governor is trying to work something out with New York City, and obviously these guardrails would have to be agreed to by New York City,” Stewart-Cousins said. “And I have not, frankly, heard where that is right now.”
Adams, for his part, has said there’s “no legal reason” for new guardrails on the city. He told reporters last week that he and Hochul have had a “great relationship.”
“The governor must make her decision to govern the state,” he said. “I must make the decision to govern the city. There's going to be things we agree on, there’s going to be things we're going to disagree on, but we're going to come together.”
Tagged
new york
Politics
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Police arrest man in Queens stabbings that ended with officer shooting woman
The arrest stems from a reported home invasion and stabbings on Friday.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 27, 2026 at 12:06 p.m. ET
Early Addition: It's been a while since it rained
Because it's dry, here are your early links: McCarren Park teens love the mayor, Long Island castle being auctioned off, an update on the 1 a.m. dining scene and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: It's been a while since it rained
Because it's dry, here are your early links: McCarren Park teens love the mayor, Long Island castle being auctioned off, an update on the 1 a.m. dining scene and more.
By
James Ramsay
Ex-boyfriend of woman found in shallow grave in Queens charged with murder, NYPD says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
ICE used a warehouse in NJ. Locals are ‘frustrated’ by Sherrill’s response.
By
Mike Hayes
NY Gov. Hochul once resisted a data center pause. Now it’s central to her campaign.
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .