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Hochul to consider Adams’ future after 4 top NYC officials resign
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
,
David Brand
and
Jon Campbell
Published Feb 17, 2025
Modified Feb 17, 2025
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Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
,
David Brand
and
Jon Campbell
Published Feb 17, 2025
Modified Feb 17, 2025
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Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would meet with key leaders Tuesday about Mayor Eric Adams’ future after four top New York City officials announced they will resign.
Hochul has the legal authority to remove Adams from office for malfeasance – a move she has been reluctant to make since Adams was indicted on corruption charges.
No New York governor has ever removed a duly-elected mayor from office. But in a statement late Monday, Hochul, a Democrat who had been an ally of Adams, said the resignation of four deputy mayors raises “serious questions about the long-term future of this mayoral administration” if the officials “feel unable to serve in City Hall at this time.”
Hochul is expected to meet one-on-one with various New York City leaders on Tuesday, with some in person at her Manhattan office and others by video call, according to a source familiar with the meetings.
Among those expected to speak with the governor are House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rev. Al Sharpton, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks and City Comptroller Brad Lander, according to the source.
First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and at least three other top aides of Adams announced their plans to resign earlier Monday – days after Adams signaled cooperation with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement and the Department of Justice filed to dismiss the corruption charges against Adams.
Maria Torres-Springer
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
Torres-Springer, who is the second-in-command at City Hall, was appointed in October after Hochul encouraged the mayor to remove officials connected to ongoing criminal investigations of his administration. Torres-Springer has been considered a steadying figure during a period of intense turmoil.
Three other deputy mayors are also leaving. They include Anne Williams-Isom, who handles health and human services and Meera Joshi, who is in charge of day-to-day operations and infrastructure, and Chauncey Parker, the deputy mayor for public safety. Williams-Isom has overseen the city’s handling of the migrant crisis, while Joshi has led transit, sanitation and climate initiatives.
The resignations have caused confusion within the Adams’ administration about who will run day-to-day operations, according to one City Hall official who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the press. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In her statement, Hochul said she spoke to Torres-Springer and offered praise for all four of the officials who resigned, calling them “strong partners with my administration across dozens of key issues.”
The governor said she does not take the power of removing an elected official from office lightly, noting that no governor has ever successfully removed a duly-elected mayor in the state’s 235-year history.
“That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored,” Hochul said.
In response to the departures, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams joined those calling for Adams’ own resignation. “It has become clear that Mayor Adams has now lost the confidence and trust of his own staff,” she said in a written statement released late Monday. And Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running against Adams in this year’s primary, said he would seek to convene a meeting of the city’s Committee of Mayoral Inability if Adams doesn’t promptly submit a detailed contingency plan for running the city in the wake of the resignations. The committee is a group of officials, including Lander, that was established by the city charter and has the power to launch a complicated process for removing the mayor from office.
Torres-Springer, Williams-Isom and Joshi sent a joint statement to staff that did not explicitly address the recent developments in Adams’ corruption case. But it does say that they have informed the mayor of their decision and that they plan to provide more information about the timing about their departures soon. They are expected to propose working through the end of March, allowing for a transition period, according to one source familiar with their plans**.** It was unclear how long Parker would remain.
In the statement, which was obtained by Gothamist, Torres-Springer said they did not arrive at this decision lightly.
“Serving as Deputy Mayors has been the greatest honor and privilege of our lives. We have worked each day with the singular mission of improving the lives of New Yorkers and strengthening the physical foundation of the city we love,” the deputy mayors wrote. “Due to the extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families, we have come to the difficult decision to step down from our roles.”
Torres-Springer was first appointed by Adams to the position in October, the same day Sheena Wright stepped down. The shuffle came days after Adams’ was indicted on federal corruption charges.
“I carry with me the hope that you will view this decision as one also made out of love,” Torres-Springer wrote.
Williams-Isom declined to comment on her resignation plans. Torres-Springer, Joshi and Parker did not respond to requests for comment.
“Serving as deputy mayor for public safety under Mayor Adams has been an honor of a lifetime,” Parker wrote in a statement shared by City Hall. “Together, we have made our streets safer, more just, and have improved quality of life for all New Yorkers. I am confident that the administration will continue on our mission to deliver for the people of this city.”
Over the weekend, New York state Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins became the highest-ranking among a number of state legislative officials to call on Adams to resign after she told the New York Post, “It’s probably time that he move aside.” She joined Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who was among the first to say the mayor should step down.
Danielle Sassoon, the former acting head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, said a Department of Justice directive to dismiss the mayor’s case amounted to a “quid pro quo” that would require Adams to help Trump carry out his immigration crackdown. She and other federal prosecutors handling his corruption case quit last week in protest.
Adams, who has denied the corruption charges, has pledged to stay in office and run for re-election.
“They’re dancing on my grave right now,” he told an audience of churchgoers on Sunday. “But God said to me, ‘Eric, rise up.’”
Some elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have said Gov. Kathy Hochul should use her power to remove Adams should he refuse to resign. “The city cannot sustain being governed for nearly a year by a Mayor who is being coerced by Trump admin in order to escape charges,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on the social media platform Bluesky.
This story was updated with additional information throughout.
Correction: This story previously misstated when Torres-Springer was appointed to the role of first deputy mayor.
Tagged
Politics
eric adams
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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Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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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.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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