Gov. Kathy Hochul says she won't remove NYC Mayor Adams from office right now

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday proposed strict oversight of city operations under Mayor Eric Adams, but declined to use her constitutional power at this time to remove him over allegations of a deal with the Trump administration to end a federal corruption investigation targeting Adams.

Hochul said her proposed "guardrails," which must be approved by City Council and the State Legislature, would be in place through this year, but could be extended.

"There is a crisis of confidence now," Hochul said from her Manhattan office. "We have to get this situation under control."

Hochul proposed:

• Creating a special state inspector general for New York City affairs who would report to the state Inspector General appointed by Hochul.
• Empower the city comptroller, City Council speaker and public advocate "the independent authority ... to commence legislation against the federal government," rather than just the mayor. Hochul said the city must be able to defend itself against policies by President Donald Trump that would hurt the city.
• Expanding oversight of city finances by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. "This gives an independent line of sight," Hochul said.

Some top Democrats have accused Adams of adhering to Trump’s hard-line immigration policies, which conflict with state and city laws, in exchange for the U.S. Justice Department suspending the case against him. The Democratic mayor is accused of illegal campaign fundraising and spending.

Adams has denied the charges and said he won’t resign.

Hochul said she is "deeply troubled" by accusations of a quid pro quo deal between Trump and Adams.

Hochul, however, said it’s up to Adams to decide whether to resign. But for now, she plans to leave his fate in the hands of voters. The mayoral primary elections are in June.

She said she is exercising power that was last used in the fiscal crisis of the city dating to the 1970s, but that she had no intention to use this crisis to gain long-term control of city operations.

"This is not a power grab," Hochul told reporters. "I do not want to be running the City of New York."

Adams said he will work with Hochul.

"I was elected by the people of New York City and its working-class communities to uphold their values — and that is what our administration has done," Adams said in a written statement.

"While there is no legal basis for limiting New Yorkers' power by limiting the authority of my office, I have told the governor, as we have done in the past, that I am willing to work with her to ensure faith in our government is strong," Adams said. "I look forward to continuing those conversations."

In a statement, a spokesperson for the City Council said the body will review Hochul's proposal and that Adams has undermined his ability to effectively govern.

“Ensuring the stability of our city government is critical, as the loss of confidence in Mayor Adams by his own staff, colleagues in government, and New Yorkers has undermined his Administration's ability to effectively govern," said Mara Davis, deputy press secretary for council speaker Adrienne Adams. "As Speaker Adams said earlier this week, New Yorkers need a city leader who is totally committed to protecting and improving their lives and provides management that is trusted as uncompromised. Once we receive the details of Governor Hochul's proposals, we will review them.”

This month the U.S. Justice Department proposed suspending the corruption case against Adams, which was brought during the administration of former Democratic President Joe Biden. Soon after, Adams announced city officials would cooperate more with federal immigration enforcement agents at Rikers Island.

Hochul said she is concerned about Adams’ decision, which conflicts with her own state immigration policies and state law based on protecting the rights of immigrants.

"There is a clear line between cooperation and coercion," Hochul said.

A federal judge must approve the Justice Department’s request to drop the federal investigation against Adams.

A Manhattan federal court judge has promised to rule quickly on the request.

District Court Judge Dale Ho said Wednesday he wanted to consider "everything appropriate" before making his decision, but acknowledged that he has limited power to deny the request.

Hochul said her proposals are intended to "stabilize the city and restore calm" and "take steps to make sure our leaders operate only with the city in mind," and not "Trump’s justice department."

"New York is facing a grave threat from Washington ... to squeeze and punish our city," Hochul said. "I call it the Trump revenge tour and I have to stand in its way."

She said Trump is seeking revenge because he was convicted of felonies in New York courts. Trump was found guilty of 34 charges last year for illegally trying to influence his 2016 election through a scheme to pay hush money to an adult film actress who said she had sex with Trump.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the next in line to succeed the mayor, said he is reviewing Hochul’s proposal for any unintended harm in addressing this “mayor-made crisis.”

"No one can deny the need for action at this point, and the fact that the governor feels the need to step in once again speaks to the gravity of the moment and the validity of concerns about this mayor,” Williams said in a written statement.

With Janon Fisher and Matthew Chayes

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.