After Eric Adams became the first sitting mayor to be indicted with federal crimes on Wednesday evening, Queens elected officials from all ranks called for his resignation.
From city council members to Albany representatives and one notable congresswoman, officials added to existing calls for Adams to step down after weeks of building turmoil in City Hall. And when federal documents were unsealed on Thursday morning revealing bribery, fraud and foreign donations in a historic indictment, more officials expressed that the mayor is unfit to run the city.
A handful of other electeds remained quiet. Borough President Donovan Richards and Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, who has been a close ally of Adams and recently declared a run for City Comptroller, are among them.
Northeast Queens State Senator John Liu issued a formal statement on Wednesday evening calling for the mayor’s resignation. He noted that fighting federal changes would significantly interfere with his mayoral duties.
“Eric Adams is innocent until proven guilty; he is entitled to his due process, but it will take all of his might to defend himself against these federal charges. The people of New York City, however, need a mayor who is able to devote full time and full energy to putting the city on the right track, including recruitment and retention of top leadership for the City,” said Liu, adding that Adams “must resign immediately.”
In Western Queens, Council Member Tiffany Caban was among the first to call on him to resign last week, as federal investigations honed in on at least 15 of his associates, and several administration members had resigned.
“It was true when I called on him to resign a week ago, and it’s true now: he is unable to effectively lead and govern. While he awaits his right to due process, he must resign. New York deserves better,” said Caban on X Wednesday evening.
After the indictment was unsealed Thursday morning, she reiterated the call as other elected officials joined her.
“The Mayor says he will fight these charges with every ounce of his strength. Of course, any good defense attorney would encourage him to do just that. But that means not an ounce left for being the Mayor, which is why he has to resign for the good of the city,” Caban added on Thursday morning.
Fellow progressive representing a sliver of western Queens, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, made a statement to the New York Times on Wednesday. It came half a day before the paper broke the news of the indictment.
“I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City. The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening the gov function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “For the good of the city, he should resign.”
Since then, she has not issued another statement as more details were revealed. Other representatives in Congress, including Grace Meng and Gregory Meeks, did not immediately comment. But Meeks issued a statement late on Thursday saying “everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty” and said he will continue to focus on his southeast Queens district as the situation unfolds.
In central Queens, Council Member Robert Holden was the only member of the conservative-leaning Common Sense Caucus to release a statement calling for a resignation.
“Sad day for NYC when a sitting mayor is indicted on federal charges. While @NYCMayor is presumed innocent until proven guilty, there is no way he can effectively lead with this cloud hanging over him,” wrote Holden on X. “With the challenges we face, he must step down for the good of New Yorkers.”
State Senator Jessica Ramos did not wait for the indictment news to drop to officially kick off her mayoral campaign earlier this month. She said she hit the ground running on the campaign trail as more members of Adam’s administration stepped down before the indictment.
“No one wants to see our leaders fail, and these charges against Mayor Adams feel like a profound betrayal. As a lifelong New Yorker and a public servant, I am heartbroken by what we’ve witnessed under this administration,” said Ramos, adding, “his actions in office suggest he has confused his own interests with those of the city.”
State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, rumored to be considering a mayoral run, also called for a new day in New York. He and Ramos both said they saw the city become even more unaffordable for New Yorkers under Adams.
“Even before these charges, the Mayor has proven himself totally unable to address the cost of living crisis crushing this city. He must step aside,” said Mamdani on Thursday evening. “As we head into this moment of uncertainty, we must remember it was not just Eric Adams who brought us here. It was the big donors, real estate developers, and right-wing media that championed him as the leader to save our city.”
Other Albany representatives joined them in calling for the mayor’s resignation. But following the indictment, Southeast Queens State Senator James Sanders Jr. called for patience and “avoid rushing to judgment. ”
Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas said on X, “The Mayor has been indicted on federal charges of corruption and can no longer govern effectively. Enough is enough. Eric Adams must resign immediately for the sake of NYC.”
Council Member Shekar Krishnan said the mayor would “absolutely be unable to lead from the courtroom in a post on X on Wednesday. And on Thursday afternoon, neighboring Council Member Julie Won said, “We need a Mayor who leads with integrity and discernment—not ones who monetize our sacred trust. He must resign.”
The latest call to resign came from Council Member Linda Lee, who said, “Everyday New Yorkers should not have to concern themselves with this type of uncertainty and chaos that we are seeing from City Hall. At this time, he is unfit to serve and lead and must resign immediately.”
Less than half of Queens City Council members remained quiet on the matter, even after charges were revealed. Council Members Sandra Ung, Francisco Moya, James Gennaro, Nantasha Williams and Selvena Brooks-Powers have yet to speak publicly as of Thursday evening.
The borough’s two sole Republican council members—Vickie Paladino and Joann Ariola, who are also in the common sense caucus—released statements on the matter but did not call on Adams to resign.
“The indictment of Mayor Adams and the recent shake ups we’ve seen at City Hall are concerning to all New Yorkers. That said, the city is not paralyzed by all of this,” said Ariola in a lengthy statement on X, focusing on city workers. “Even in times like these, the needs of constituents cannot and will not be neglected.”
Forest Hills Council Member Lynn Schulman evoked a similar sentiment in her statement that called the indictment and City Hall chaos “concerning” but instead chose to focus on keeping city services running.
Paladino, who represents Northeast Queens, reshared sentiments on social media that referred to the indictment as a “coup orchestrated by the progressive wing of the New York Dem Party and the Biden-Harris administration” in response to the mayor speaking out about the migrant crisis over the past two years.
“He also backs the police to a degree way out of step with the current Democratic party at large and has been vocal and proactive against the campus anti-Israel mob actions in the city. This is more than enough to get you targeted by the Biden-Harris DOJ in 2024,” wrote Paladino on Thursday.
“Policy differences aside — and we have many — this doesn’t seem to be about corruption in any sincere way. If you want to go after corruption in NYC, there are WAY bigger fish to fry,” she added.
If the mayor does resign, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams will step in temporarily and set a date for a special election to elect a new mayor. But Williams, a former central Brooklyn city council member and left-leaning activist, did not turn his back on Adams after the indictment.
“I feel the same disbelief and indignation that I know many New Yorkers feel, upset that this is where our city is in this moment,” his office shared on Thursday afternoon.
Update: Statements from Council Member Linda Lee and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks were added after publication.
