FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
He should resign or be removed—but removal processes must be reformed
New York, NY (February 19, 2025) – Citizens Union issues the following statement on behalf of its Board of Directors:
“Mayor Eric Adams should resign from his office. His choices and actions over a sustained period of time have led to levels of ethical misconduct in City Hall unseen in decades. This has created a crisis of confidence in his ability to lead the government of our nation’s largest city and has led to the resignation of more than half of his current deputy mayors. Serious ethical lapses by the Mayor, and an absence of stability in any one of these roles, let alone all of them, threaten to undermine policymaking and the delivery of essential public services citywide.
Citizens Union does not take this stand lightly, and it does not call for the mayor’s resignation over policy differences. In our more than 125 years of history, we have rarely considered calling for the resignation of a mayor. We endorsed Adams in the 2021 general election, ranked him second in the primary, and sincerely hoped for his success. But the Mayor’s pursuit of a “quid pro quo” deal, as outlined by the former Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, has caused profound disruption from New York to Washington.
Mayor Adams’ calculated decision to put his own self-interest over the public interest is a profound moral failure and a betrayal of our local democracy. Under these circumstances, he cannot be trusted to make decisions solely for the benefit of the people of New York.
Following the Mayor’s indictment on corruption charges, Citizens Union initially concluded that while the charges against him were severe, there was no clear evidence that they substantially impacted his ability to govern. The replacements for top officials who resigned were well-qualified individuals, not political cronies. However, we stated that we would reconsider our position if we identified inappropriate use of mayoral power to remain in office, including actions taken to curry favor with the president in violation of existing statutes if additional indictments surfaced, or if Adams became unable to fully perform his duties and focus on the challenges facing New Yorkers. It is now evident that all three of these conditions have been met.
Therefore, Eric Adams must resign for the good of New York, and a special election should be called to elect a new Mayor to complete the current term. Until then, the Public Advocate would serve as Mayor. The special election could be set to take place in as soon as 60 days and be open to all New Yorkers – Democrats, Republicans, and independents.
If Adams refuses to do the right thing for the city, Governor Hochul should begin proceedings to remove him from office. Such an action would be unprecedented, but it would also uphold the integrity of New York’s leadership. Citizens Union has long supported the city’s home rule, and we do not believe governors should hold absolute powers to remove mayors. But the current situation—where millions of New Yorkers are dependent on a mayor held hostage by the whims of the Trump administration—is unsustainable.
Given the limited means currently available to remove a sitting Mayor at the local level and the broad but untested removal authority of the governor, both city and state laws on this subject urgently need to be reformed. Over the coming weeks, Citizens Union will propose amendments that would clarify how a mayor can be removed for corruption and establish stronger safeguards for our democracy in the process.”
Note: Board Members Randy Mastro, Frederick Schaffer, and Gregory Camp recused themselves from deliberations and voting on this matter.
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