What's next for NYC as Mayor Adams faces indictment and calls for resignation

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has received a barrage of calls for his resignation immediately following news of his indictment by a grand jury on federal criminal charges. 

If Adams were to step aside following the indictment, he would initially be replaced by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a progressive Democrat. The next mayoral election is not due until June of next year.

Williams has been the public advocate since 2019 and would take over as acting mayor. 

Responsibility for setting a date for a special election to decide Adams' successor would fall to Williams and he would need to do so within three days of taking over the post. 

Williams has long been a harsh critic of Adams casting doubts about his ability to govern amid the current swirl of federal investigations. 

'I'm not sure how you continue to govern with, every day, more corrupt arrests, more corrupt suspicions,' he said. 

He has attacked the mayor's policing strategy which he sees as aggressive. 

Williams has also pushed for an end to solitary confinement in city's jails.

After Williams, fellow Democrat and City Comptroller Brad Lander would be third in line. 

Lander had been Adams' rival and was planning a run for mayor next year.

A special election would only be necessary if it were 90 days before the set primary election date of June 24, 2025, making March 26, 2025 the latest possible date. 

Williams would also need to declare a date for the special election to take place at least 80 days from any takeover, according to the city charter.

Different to a regular mayoral election, a special election would have no party affiliation and be strictly non-partisan with candidates appearing simply as a list of names. 

Voters would then rank their choice of candidates in a new 'ranked-choice voting system'.

Adams has insisted he is staying in power, noting how 700,000 people voted for him in the 2021 election.

'I was elected by the people of the city, and I'm going to fulfill my obligation to the people of this city,' he said. 

If Adams refuses to step down, New York Governor Kathy Hochul could use extraordinary powers to have him removed from office before his term is up.

The indictment marks a stunning fall for Adams, a former police captain who won election nearly three years ago to become the second black mayor of the nation's largest city on a platform that promised a law-and-order approach to reducing crime. 

The indictment detailing the charges against Adams, a Democrat, was still sealed late on Wednesday night. 

'I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target - and a target I became,' Adams said in a statement that implied he hadn't been informed of the indictment. 

'If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.'

It was not immediately clear when the charges would be made public or when Adams might have to appear in court. 

Wednesday night's development came days after some of the mayor's major allies were targeted in raids by federal authorities.

Earlier this month, agents stormed the homes of First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, in a series of raids that for now remain under wraps.

Both reportedly had their electronic devices taken, as was the case with Adams back in November, when he had his phone snatched following a raid of the home of his campaign treasurer, Brianna Suggs.

Feds said that operation was part of a probe into the mayor's campaign finances, after which the former chief fundraiser for Adams' 2021 mayoral bid found herself with a job focused on filing paperwork.

Former New York State Representative and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer called for Adams to step aside on Wednesday night.   

'Eric Adams is indicted. There is simply zero chance that the wheels of government will move forward from this full steam ahead. Instead, we are left with a broken down trainwreck of a municipal government,' Stringer said.

'The mayor needs to resign for the good of the city. His legal fight is not our fight. While the mayor focuses on proving his innocence, the rest of us need to focus on the business of the city – building affordable housing, educating our kids, and keeping this city safe.'