New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing turbulent times due to widespread discontent and a plunging approval rating. The city comptroller restricted his spending powers on the migrant crisis and playful alluded to the F.B.I. investigation of Mr. Adams’s fund-raising in his own pitch to donors, while the City Council prepares to fight the mayor over his painful budget cuts to city services. The critical poll conducted by Quinnipiac University revealed that only 28 percent of New Yorkers approve of the job Mr. Adams is doing, the lowest for any New York City mayor in a Quinnipiac poll since it began surveying the city in 1996.
Amidst the questioning of his management ability, even his former friend and and former governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, is eyeing his job. Mr. Adams faces a federal investigation into his campaign fund-raising, widespread criticism over his handling of the migrant crisis, and an ongoing legal claim accusing him of sexual assault. The uncertainty around Mayor Adam’s future was evident when one political consulting firm commissioned its own poll to ask who New Yorkers would support in a special election if he resigned.
Prominent New Yorkers like Jean Shafiroff, the wife of a prominent banker and an Adams donor, is waiting to see what happens with the F.B.I. investigation and the sexual assault allegation before participating in any more fund-raisers. Amid the chaos, potential candidates are weighing whether to contest in a special election if Mr. Adams faces re-election in 2025. Progressive leaders see this as an opportunity to push for a progressive agenda and capitalize on Mr. Adams’s weakened political position.
The mayor may soon face a battle with the City Council over solitary confinement in city jails, and even his first major veto was overridden by the Council. Diana Ayala, the deputy speaker of the City Council, described Mayor Adams as “arrogant” and lacking cooperation, and stated that such incidents are emboldening Council members to feel like the “mayor…is a mess.” These events are causing more Democrats to become comfortable with the idea of challenging Mr. Adams. With his approval rating down and mounting criticism, Mayor Adams seems to be facing a major political crisis.
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