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Mayor Adams adds to confusion with new health revelations
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 5, 2025
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Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 5, 2025
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Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday sparked more confusion about his health and delegation of power after telling reporters he'd undergone anesthesia for a procedure that he didn't disclose at the time.
“Not many things scare me,” the 64-year-old Adams told reporters at his weekly City Hall press conference. “But I was concerned.”
But while the revelation followed Adams’ retreat to Gracie Mansion for several days last week — when his spokesperson said the mayor was not “feeling his best” — the mayor's office later confirmed the procedure didn't occur during that time period. A spokesperson said Adams underwent anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy – more than a month ago, on Jan. 3.
Kayla Mamelak, Adams’ press secretary, said that following the colonoscopy, the mayor’s doctor instructed him to undergo more tests, including an MRI and bloodwork, and advised him to take it easy. She said those follow-up tests motivated Adams to step out of the public eye last week.
The mayor has been open about his past health concerns but resistant to inquiries over his recent ones, prompting questions about whether he was able to serve in his full capacity – and who would be in charge if not. On Wednesday, Adams said that when he underwent anesthesia he informed both his chief of staff, Camille Joseph Varlack, and his first deputy mayor, Maria Torres-Springer.
Under the city charter, the public advocate is tapped as acting mayor if the mayor is unable to perform his duties. But in practice, mayors including Adams have issued executive orders that delegate power to their first deputies if they are indisposed temporarily, like for illness or overseas travel.
“It makes sense to have the first deputy mayor take over on a short-term basis,” Richard Briffault, a Columbia Law School professor who writes about city government and public integrity, said.
But the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, said Adams should have still alerted his office that he was planning to undergo a procedure that requires anesthesia.
"I am happy the mayor is feeling better – at the same time, I feel deeply disturbed by this latest evidence of the mayor ignoring city regulations to suit his own purposes,” Williams said in a statement. “He has long demonstrated a tendency to test how far he can go in bending or breaking rules, and this is a clear example.”
Prior New York City mayors have been upfront about planned medical procedures. In 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he would undergo hernia surgery, which his spokesperson described as minor outpatient surgery.
And in 2000, Mayor Rudy Giuliani made his treatment with prostate cancer publicly known. Six hours after his treatment was over, he held a news conference at the hospital.
But not every mayor has been open about health procedures and absences. Michael Bloomberg often traveled on weekends without disclosing his whereabouts. Stu Loeser, Bloomberg’s press secretary, said the former mayor never publicly announced his medical procedures.
“He told every New Yorker listening to his radio show that in his experience, getting a colonoscopy was no big deal — but that doesn’t mean we ever said when,” Loeser said in a text. “And, in fact, I never knew.”
But it was not clear whether Bloomberg ever withdrew from City Hall for a prolonged period because of routine tests.
Joseph Viteritti, a professor of public policy at Hunter College, said that Adams’ decision not to be forthright about his health concerns doesn’t bode well for his public approval and reelection chances.
“It really goes to his credibility at this point,” Viteritti said. “He’s functioning under a cloud to begin with because of all the investigations.”
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new york city
Politics
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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