As Mayor Eric Adams and his administration are plagued by four independent federal investigations, progressive politicians such as City Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán (D-Queens), State Senator Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn) have called on him to resign.
Adams has categorically stated that he will not do so, but there is also the possibility that he will be forced to resign.
Should he resign under any conditions, his successor would be the city’s ombudsman, Jumaane Williams, and a special election would be held to elect a new mayor.
How would it all turn out? Here are the basics:
How could Adams resign from office?
Adams will leave office either voluntarily or against his will. If it is voluntarily, that means he will resign.
Only two mayors of New York City have ever resigned: Jimmy Walker in 1932 and William O’Dwyer in 1950.
But the New York City Charter – the laws that govern the city of New York – have changed over the past 75 years, and if Adams were to leave office today, it would trigger a new process for his succession, the likes of which have never been seen before (more on that below).
Who has the power to remove the mayor?
Governor Kathy Hochul has the ability to remove the mayor of New York City from office, but her power to replace the mayor of New York City has never been used. In 2019 and 2020, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faced calls to remove then-Mayor Bill de Blasio over his campaign for president and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he did not follow those recommendations.
The second possibility for removing the mayor is an “incapacity committee”.
According to the charter, the committee would be composed of the city’s general counsel (an attorney who represents the city—and whose position is currently vacant), the city treasurer (Brad Lander, who is running against Adams for mayor in 2025), the City Council speaker (Adrienne Adams), a deputy mayor (selected by the current mayor, in this case Adams), and the borough president with the most consecutive years in office (current Queens Borough President Donovan Richards).
Once convened, the committee could vote to form a panel of the full City Council, which could then vote to declare Adams temporarily or permanently “unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of mayor,” as required by Section 10 of the charter. To take that step, the council would need to vote in favor of removal by at least two-thirds of its members.
What happens if Adams is charged? Can he still serve?
Yes. According to election law experts who spoke to THE CITY, even if Adams were charged, he could still serve as mayor unless the governor or the Committee on Incapacitation removes him.
What happens when he leaves? Who will be mayor?
Regardless of whether Adams leaves office voluntarily or involuntarily, the next steps would be the same.
If the mayor resigns, the public advocate – in this case Williams – becomes acting mayor. If Williams were unable to serve as mayor for some reason, Lander would be next in line.
Within three days of Adams’ departure from office, incumbent Mayor Williams would be required to announce a date for a special mayoral election, which would be held on the first Tuesday 80 days after Adams leaves office.
The special election would use ranked-choice voting, with voters ranking up to five candidates. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first-place vote, they win; if not, voting continues in rounds. Our explanation of ranked-choice voting goes into detail.
Because there would be no primary for the special election, it would be nonpartisan, meaning all candidates would run as individuals without party affiliation. And that means all voters would be able to vote regardless of party affiliation, including registered Republicans, Democrats and independents.
However, if Adams leaves office within 90 days of the June primary election (that is, after the end of March 2025), the charter states there would be no special election. In that case, Williams would be acting mayor until the new mayor is elected in November, and then that person would take office immediately after the November election, rather than waiting until January 1, 2025, when the mayor is normally sworn in.
What would this mean for the 2025 mayoral election?
If a new mayor were to replace Adams through a special election, he or she would not serve long: The official primary election for mayor will be held in June 2025, and the next mayor will be elected in November 2025. The specially elected mayor would likely serve for less than a year.
Williams and whoever wins the special election would both still be eligible to run for mayor in 2025, making the special election an important election to watch, as an incumbent mayor could have a better chance of coming out on top in next year’s election.
Republican City Council Minority Leader Joseph Borelli of Staten Island reportedly said he would run in a special election if Adams resigned. However, he said he would not run against Adams in the regular mayoral election.
There is nothing to stop others who have declared their candidacy for mayor in 2025 from running in the special election. Lander, who would be next in line after Williams to succeed Adams, is already planning to run for mayor in 2025, along with State Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn), State Senator Jessica Ramos (D-Queens), former Comptroller Scott Stringer and others.
