Pressure Grows on Mayor Adams as Key Officials Leave Amid Investigations
The New York Times
As calls for Mayor Eric Adams to resign grew on Monday, he canceled an appearance at a Democratic fund-raiser.
Three years ago, Eric Adams, then a rising Democratic star, would have been the main attraction at an event like this: a politically star-studded Democratic fund-raiser at the famed Junior’s Restaurant in Brooklyn, the borough where Mr. Adams made his mark in politics.
But with his administration appearing to be in free fall, Mayor Adams was a late no-show at the fund-raiser on Monday morning, just as news broke that two high-ranking New York Fire Department chiefs were arrested on federal bribery and corruption charges.
In the last week, two prominent New York City officials have resigned as federal investigations swirl around Mayor Adams and his inner circle, raising doubts about his political future and his ability to focus on his agenda.
The police commissioner, Edward A. Caban, resigned on Thursday at the request of City Hall; Lisa Zornberg, the mayor’s chief legal adviser, resigned abruptly on Saturday, largely in frustration over the mayor’s refusal to follow her advice on personnel matters, according to a person familiar with her decision.
New Yorkers could learn in the coming days whether more officials might quit his administration in an effort to distance themselves from scandal or be asked to leave; whether additional elected officials will call on Mr. Adams to resign; and whether the investigations will advance or new allegations emerge.