In either scenario, Mayor Eric Adams finds himself between a rock and a hard place. And the political destiny of the Big Apple in the immediate future only paints a picture of uncertainty and chaos, no matter what happens.
In the next few hours, more resignations from members of the Municipal Administration are expected.
If the president maintains his position of “weathering the storm” and defending himself until the end of the formal criminal accusation that has been brought against him since this Thursday, and which also does not legally force him to resign, the political pressure coming from leaders of the Democratic Party will not give him respite. As has been evident in the last few hours.
According to a wide and detailed formal accusation presented by the Manhattan South District Attorney’s Office, the municipal president has allegedly, since 2015, been receiving “gifts” from Turkish officials, and allowed illegal donations from foreign factors to enter his electoral campaign as mayor. , setting up apparent federal crimes of bribery, wire fraud and illegal campaign financing.
The rain of resignation requests is intensifying from within a Democratic party fragmented into several trends.
On the other hand, there is pressure from community organizations supporting immigrants who resent the new municipal policies that placed limits on the permanence of new arrivals in shelters.
“The allegations made against the mayor are serious, substantial and widespread. He will have to put his entire being into protecting himself from these charges, at a time when he should be dedicated to protecting the people of the city of New York,” reacted Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough President.
Like the majority of Democratic leaders, from a more progressive wing, who have risen up for the president to leave office, Reynoso asked Adams “to put New Yorkers first and resign.”
Pressures and fears
On this same side, tightening the rope over the mayor’s resignation are the police reform coalitions, which criticize the “iron fist” actions that have marked an apparent reissue of the ‘Stop and Check’ police surveillance tactics. A scheme that, according to their complaints, disproportionately punishes Hispanic and black minorities.
Along with these factors are all the candidates to occupy the mayor’s chair and some state legislators.
In this horizon, the Ombudsman, Jumaane Williams, as contemplated in the Magna Carta of the City, would have the “turn at bat” to assume the mayor’s office in the face of a decision by Adams, which no one knows if it could be precipitated in the face of a political tidal wave that grows and grows.
From the Republican minority in the Council, some spokespersons predict that an eventual resignation of the mayor will open a crack in the door in the Big Apple, of what they describe as the control of the Mayor’s Office “by left-wing extremism.” And some alliances of small merchants and winemakers fear that Williams’ eventual assumption of power will roll back some anti-crime policies that the current municipal administration has achieved.
One of the first organizations that came out to loudly demand the mayor’s resignation was Make the Road New York. (MTRNY).
“Today’s news is a reflection of the corruption and mismanagement that has plagued the mayor’s office since day one. This accusation, the cloud of suspicion and the cascade of resignations of senior officials, have made it impossible for him to continue doing his work on behalf of New Yorkers,” said Theo Oshiro, Director of MTRNY.
Predictably, Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running for Mayor, joined the broad chorus of those demanding Adams’ resignation.
“He deserves due process, the presumption of innocence and his day in court. However, it is clear that defending yourself against serious federal charges will require a significant amount of the time and attention required to govern this great city. The most appropriate path forward is for him to resign,” Lander snapped.
Likewise, Ana María Archila and Jasmine Gripper, co-directors of the New York Working Families Party, in a statement, considered that “fortunately for the inhabitants of New York, we have an Ombudsman, who is ready to intervene and provide stability to the city in this difficult time.”
“It would be the worst”
In the midst of this political storm, Francisco Marte, director of the Association of Small Merchants and Wineries of New York, described it as a “terrible scenario” for the Ombudsman to assume the top municipal position.
“We as merchants have seen certain progress in the fight against crime. Adams, despite having the entire City Council against him, has sided with the merchants. We do not want to be governed by that political current that will be on the side of the criminals. We all know that Williams has fought to defund and power the police. We hope that the mayor can at least finish his term, while defending himself against the charges,” said the Dominican merchant from The Bronx.
Likewise, Republican councilor Vicky Paladino published on her And this is more than enough for Democratic factors to have him in their sights.
“Those who are drooling today for the mayor to resign are not people who have the best interests of the city at heart. “Progressive Democrats represent an existential threat to New Yorkers and cannot be allowed to take power,” he commented.