In the comments of my post on Adams this morning, I said that Hochul’s approach would be to say “let the voters decide.” Here’s Hakeem Jeffries, a person that it’s already been reported that she consulted as to whether to fire Adams the first time around, telegraphing that approach. Here’s Hochul’s first response:
Speaking at an unrelated press conference in Manhattan, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she’s committed to working with Adams, and she refused to speculate about the motives behind the Justice Department’s letter. Hochul, who theoretically has the authority to remove the mayor, referenced her directives last year to Adams to shed his most ethically challenged aides.
“I’m going to continue doing what I’ve done since September, when all this started. I worked with the mayor to make sure that he brought in a different team to manage the operations of government,” Hochul told reporters at an unrelated press conference in Manhattan on Tuesday. “There is a new police commissioner. I’ve spent time with her, I have confidence in her. Crime is going down on the subways. In particular, I want to make sure that we have the resources to get the housing plan over the finish line.”
The emphasis is mine — this is from City and State NY, a respected political newspaper, and they can’t even report it straight. It is a legitimate power of Hochul’s to remove a New York Mayor. The courts have ruled multiple times on it, starting in the time of FDR. Republican Governor Pataki (ab)used the power to remove a Bronx DA who didn’t support the death penalty, and the courts supported him. But, since she’s a Democrat, the power is “theoretical” because Democrats are never expected to actually use power in a way that Republicans would use it.
Hochul, at a time when her use of power could send a message, and when it could right a wrong, is not using that power, and part of the reason is that the rest of the downstate machine doesn’t want her to use it. It’s as simple as that. She lacks the permission structure, as City and State put it the first time this came up, from Jeffries and the other NY machine politicians.
Open thread.
Update: Sorry, I guess the feels are off. Do I need to say that part of a democracy is granting power to elected officials for them to use those powers?
