Being Next In Line From Mayor Adams, ‘You Don't Know What's Going To Happen'

By Katie Honan, THE CITY

February 9, 2025

How does it feel to be first in line for mayor, especially when the person in front of you is Eric Adams, the first-ever sitting mayor to be charged with federal crimes?

I asked Public Advocate Jumaane Williams about that last week. According to the City Charter, he’s the guy who would take over if Adams steps down, gets ousted or leaves the seat for any reason before his term ends.

Williams said he first gave that possibility serious thought back in September, when Adams’s former chief counsel Lisa Zornberg resigned late on a Saturday night, weeks before the mayor was indicted.

“That’s when we made sure that we had a plan for every eventuality,” Williams said. “But still, even then, you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

(Zornberg, for her part, walked briskly away from me when I spotted her on an uptown 6 train in November. She hasn’t spoken publicly about her departure but has since joined a private law firm.)

The public advocate’s role as mayoral successor came into sharper focus this week when the mayor, taking “off-topic” questions from reporters for the first time in two weeks, shared why he had a light schedule last week.

The answer was … very confusing.

After saying he had to undergo anesthesia last week — which his press secretary later said was for a colonoscopy —- his office then claimed that procedure actually happened on Jan. 3. When those results came back weeks later, his staff said, Adams’ doctor ordered him to take it easy and undergo two tests — an MRI, bloodwork, and a test for stomach ulcers.

After all this news dropped on Wednesday, Williams said he was “deeply disturbed” that the mayor didn’t notify the public — or him, the charter-mandated next-in-line — that he was temporarily incapacitated by the anesthesia, whenever it was.

The mayor’s office said at the time that First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer was briefly in charge while Adams was under.

“He has long demonstrated a tendency to test how far he can go in bending or breaking rules, and this is a clear example,” Williams said in a statement yesterday.

“Failing to communicate in this case is irresponsible at best and deceptive at worst.”

The mayor’s absence also prompted a flurry of rumors that he was resigning, which the mayor has passionately denied.

If you’re curious, here’s our guide about what is supposed to happen when a mayor steps down or is thrown out.

And as we think about who is preparing to run to replace Adams, here’s our latest mayoral candidate interview on the FAQ podcast — with State Sen. Zellnor Myrie from Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

“I think New Yorkers are a lot of things, but we’re not stupid,” Myrie said of his quest to take over the top job. “We can see what is happening in City Hall.”

What questions do you have about the election and voting? Reply back to this email or send your questions to ask@thecity.nyc. We love hearing from you!

— Katie Honan and THE CITY’s election team

This press release was produced by The City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.