Religious leaders back NYC Mayor Eric Adams as Gov. Kathy Hochul considers removing him
An interfaith group of religious leaders have called for “four more years” in office for Mayor Eric Adams as Gov. Kathy Hochul considers using her executive power to remove him from office after being pressed to do so by fellow Democrats.
“I recognize the immense responsibility I hold as governor and the constitutional powers granted to this office. In the 235 years of New York state history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly,” Hochul said in a statement Monday.
“That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored. Tomorrow, I have asked key leaders to meet me at my Manhattan office for a conversation about the path forward, with the goal of ensuring stability for the city of New York,” she said while stating that her most urgent concern is for the “well-being of my 8.3 million constituents who live in New York City.”
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“I will be monitoring this situation extraordinarily closely to ensure that New Yorkers are not being shortchanged by the current crisis in city government,” she added.
The statement from Hochul comes in the wake of four of Adams’ deputy mayors — Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Health Human Services Anne Williams-Isom and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker — resigning in protest against the Department of Justice’s motion to dismiss a corruption case against the mayor without prejudice.
On Tuesday, Manhattan U.S. District Judge Dale Ho’s ordered Adams, his attorneys and Department of Justice prosecutors to appear in court Wednesday afternoon to explain the DOJ’s motion to dismiss the corruption case. Critics of the DOJ’s motion to dismiss the corruption case argued that it is part of a quid pro quo deal struck with Adams in exchange for his cooperation with President Donald Trump’sillegal immigration orders.
Speaking to the interfaith group of clergy who gathered to show their support for him at Rehoboth Cathedral in Brooklyn on Monday, Adams defended himself against the corruption allegations while invoking Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.
“I remember listening to some of Dr. King’s teachings and he talked about the book Mein Kampf. And he indicated if you tell a lie long enough, loud enough, people tend to believe it. And that's what you're seeing right here right now: modern day Mein Kampf.And so, we need to break this down in its proper analysis,” Adams said as he pointed to Jumaane Williams, New York City’s public advocate, as one of the main voices clamoring for him to step down.
“One of the largest voices out there that is calling for me to step down is the public advocate. I still don’t know what he does. 'Cause it's hard to really serve the city when you wake up at noon and then try to go out. If I step down, then the public advocate becomes the man. So can you imagine turning the city over to him?” he asked incredulously. “That is the top reason not to step down. When you don't have a job, you can go all over the city throwing rocks.”
Adams argued that his critics reimagined his life of service because he spoke out against the Biden administration’s handling of the illegal immigration crisis that saw more than 200,000 migrants bussed to the city.
At a church in Queens on Sunday, according to The New York Times, Adams also compared himself to Lazarus. He said, “people are dancing on my grave,” but noted that he is on “a mission to finish” and was “going nowhere.”
The mayor’s band of clergy supporters, including the Rev. Conrad Tillard, a Baptist and Congregational minister and founder of Black Clergy for Economic Empowerment, insist that instead trying to oust him from his job, the mayor needs to be in office for four more years.
“I’m a supporter of the mayor and we have gathered here today, obviously, to support our mayor,” he said to applause.
“That why we're here today. We have assembled today stakeholders, pastors, rabbis, imams from every borough of New York City to say that we unequivocally stand behind Mayor Eric Adams and we're looking forward to four more years.”
Tillard pointed to Adams’ background as a grassroots member of the community which makes him much better suited for office than career politicians groomed for office by prestigious schools.
“We did not just meet him. He did not just move here from Miami and decide to run for office. He did not, halfway through college, decide that he wanted to run for office. He is not relying on some prestigious degree from a prestigious university or familial connections to make him a relevant politician. He earned our respect walking the streets of New York City serving the public,” Tillard said.
Many others offered moving prayers and Scripture in a bid to lift Adams’ spirit.
Dennis Anthony Dillon, founder and president of The New York Christian Times, one of the largest black-owned weekly newspapers in the New York tri-state area, said the 2,700 churches the publication serves as well as their clergy “stand with our Mayor Eric Adams.”
“I just want to quickly share on behalf of the 2,700 churches that the New York Christian Times serves and is distributed to all across the city of New York and the literally thousands of clergy that represent those churches, that we stand with our mayor, Eric Adams,” he said.
Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost
