Governor Kathy Hochul has decided not to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, but instead announced a plan to limit his authority following a string of scandals.
The New York governor said that she would propose legislation and measures aimed at exerting more oversight over the mayor’s office.
The announcement comes days after the US justice department’s push to drop a corruption case against Adams, which a former top prosecutor alleged was in exchange for his cooperation on immigration enforcement.
Adams was indicted on corruption and bribery charges last year, and his trial is scheduled for April. The mayor pleaded not guilty and has denied wrongdoing.
Announcing her proposed “guardrails” against Adams on Thursday , the governor said she decided not to use her power to remove the mayor as she could not defy the “will of the voters”.
In her new plan, she has proposed a new inspector general position for New York City, providing more resources for city officials to take legal action against the Trump administration, and expanding funding for the state comptroller’s office to conduct more oversight of the city.
Hochul said these steps would “make sure our leaders are operating only with the city’s best interest in mind”.
The plan would still require approval from the New York City Council and state legislature.
Her attempt to rein in the mayor comes as he awaits the decision of a New York judge regarding his corruption case.
Adams was indicted last year for allegedly accepting gifts totalling more than $100,000 (£75,000) from Turkish citizens in exchange for favours.
The Trump Administration ordered its Manhattan prosecutors to drop the case against Adams, arguing it impedes on his official duties regarding national security.
Shortly after the directive, the top Manhattan federal prosecutor in the case, Danielle Sassoon, resigned in protest. Several other federal prosecutors followed.
In a letter to the US attorney general, Ms Sassoon alleged that the justice department and Adams’ lawyers had engaged in a quid-pro-quo for the mayor to enforce Trump’s immigration policies in exchange for dropping the case.
Amid the uproar, Governor Hochul announced that she was weighing whether to use her power to remove Adams.
Adams denied he had proposed the Justice Department to drop the case in exchange for immigration enforcement.
His attorney, Alex Spiro, argued in court that because Adams lost his security clearance due to his criminal charges, the case should be dismissed so that he can again participate in high-level public safety conversations.
The case has sent the city’s government into upheaval and infuriated New Yorkers, dozens of whom appeared for Adams’ hearing this week to boo him as he arrived at the courthouse. A handful of supporters held signs on the courthouse steps.
As the administration fights to dismiss the charges against Adams, Trump has sought to flex his influence over New York City, announcing he intends to revoke approval for the city’s congestion pricing programme that started in January.
In her remarks, Hochul took aim directly at the Trump administration, referring to him at one point as a “king”.
“We know they’ll stop at nothing to try to exercise control over New York,” she said of the Trump administration.
This article was originally published at www.bbc.com
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