How long will Eric Adams be New York City's mayor? The Point with Marcia Kramer
NEW YORK -- A tumultuous week in New York City politics ended with Mayor Eric Adams being indicted for bribery. It begs the question, how much longer can he continue to be mayor?
Adams was charged with five counts of bribery, conspiracy and campaign finance violations dating back to his time as Brooklyn borough president, according to the 57-page indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York last week.
Adams pleaded not guilty to the charges, but there have been calls for his resignation.
"New Yorkers are tired. We're tired of seeing people that we trust, that we elect into office get themselves in this position. We see it at all levels, state, federal, local. We've had it and you see it in the coverage since the indictment. Simultaneously, the mayor is entitled to a presumption of innocence, and that's important for New Yorkers to remember," J.C. Polanco, an attorney and assistant professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, said on CBS News New York's "The Point with Marcia Kramer."
Adams has decisions to make
Polanco says the mayor has three key decisions to make in the aftermath of his indictment.
"The mayor has three options in front of him. One, does he continue to run for reelection, serve as mayor and defend against these charges? Two, does he continue to serve as mayor, and defend against these charges and forget about reelection? Or three, does he forget about being mayor, reelection, and just focus on defending these charges? That's a very tough decision and there's going to be a lot of pressure on him to make one of those three," Polanco said.
But even if Adams wants to remain mayor, he could be removed from office.
"Well there is a fourth part of that, and I guess it's not up to him. Gov. Kathy Hochul can remove him or the Mayoral Inability Committee can convene, which is made up of the comptroller, a deputy mayor of his choosing, the longest serving borough president. And they need four out of the five people to remove him from office," Katie Honan, a reporter for "The City," said.
Will Mayor Adams resign?
Adams has signaled he intends to remain in office and fight the charges. In fact, his attorney Alex Spiro said he will push to have the entire case dismissed.
"When he resigns, if he steps down, I think we see an emboldened, stubborn isn't the right word, but he's really digging his heels in and his lawyer is very confident, and his lawyer is very critical of the federal prosecutors for just these charges. So, who knows. I wish I knew if he was going to resign and when," Honan said.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would become acting mayor and set a special election if Adams leaves office before his first term expires at the end of 2025.
Watch the full episode of "The Point with Marcia Kramer" in the player above. Click here to watch Kramer's extended conversation with Polanco and Honan.