New York Mayor Eric Adams is asked to submit contingency plan after aides exit

NEW YORK - New York City Comptroller Brad Lander called on Mayor Eric Adams to develop a “detailed contingency plan” in the wake of the resignation of four senior aides, or risk a potential removal from office.

The departures “create an unprecedented leadership vacuum at the highest levels of City government and wreak havoc on the City’s ability to deliver essential services to New Yorker”, Mr Lander said in a letter to Mr Adams on Feb 17.

The comptroller, who is running for the office of mayor against Mr Adams, said he would convene the city’s Committee on Mayoral Inability if the mayor did not deliver a plan by Feb 21.

The committee – which includes Mr Lander – can start the process of removing Mr Adams if at least four of five members vote against him. 

Four deputy mayors resigned earlier on Feb 17 amid furore over the New York City mayor’s relationship with the Trump administration after the

US Justice Department ordered corruption charges against him dropped

.

“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,” First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom and Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said in a joint statement issued on Feb 17.

The departures deepen turmoil at City Hall, coming as Mr Adams faces growing calls to resign after the Justice Department ordered Manhattan prosecutors to drop their bribery charges against him.

The directive, which cited Mr Adams’ ability to implement the president’s immigration agenda, spurred criticism that the mayor is now beholden to the president’s agenda over the interests of his own constituents.

The four officials used to oversee much of the city’s government.

Ms Torres-Springer was promoted to first deputy mayor in October, managing strategy, operations and budgetary oversight.

Ms Joshi was the deputy mayor for operations. Ms Williams-Isom was responsible for health and human services, while Deputy Mayor Chauncey Parker was deputy mayor for public safety.

In their statement, they also thanked the mayor for giving them “the opportunity to serve New Yorkers”.

Mr Parker issued his own statement, saying serving under Mr Adams “has been the honour of a lifetime”. 

Mr Adams called the officials “extraordinary public servants who have been vital to our work reshaping New York City”. 

“I am disappointed to see them go, but given the current challenges, I understand their decision and wish them nothing but success in the future,” Mr Adams said in a statement, adding he was “solely beholden to the 8.3 million New Yorkers I represent”.

New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove Mr Adams from office, has called allegations of a ‘quid pro quo’ between the mayor and the Trump administration “extremely concerning and serious”.

Former interim Manhattan US Attorney Danielle Sassoon said Mr Adams’ defence lawyer offered “what amounted to a quid pro quo” in a Jan 31 meeting, in which the mayor “would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed”.

Ms Sassoon resigned rather than order the charges dropped.

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams also called on Mr Adams to step aside.

“This administration no longer has the ability to effectively govern with Eric Adams as mayor,” she said in a statement issued on Feb 17, adding that the mayor’s actions have led “to months of instability”. 

The Feb 17 resignations are concerning on several levels, said Ms Lupe Todd-Medina, president of Effective Media Strategies, the firm that worked with Ms Hochul and other Democratic candidates.

“What is most troubling for me is the quality of the individuals leaving public service,” Ms Todd-Medina said in a statement.

“Between the four, the city is losing decades of knowledge and a wealth of experience,” she said. BLOOMBERG