(Headline USA) A radical Democratic socialist who sought to defund New York City’s police department could take over the reins of the city’s government if Mayor Eric Adams resigns or is forced out of office.
Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges this week, leading several high-ranking city officials and Democrats to demand his resignation. Adams rebuffed those demands on Wednesday, arguing he was being unfairly targeted.
However, if Adams were to step down or if he were forced out, the line of succession in New York City means his office would temporarily go to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who would then set the date for a special election and serve as mayor until a new mayor is elected.
As public advocate, Williams is a non-voting member of the City Council, but he can introduce and co-sponsor bills.
Williams and Adams frequently clashed over Williams’s far-left proposals, including a police reform bill Williams sponsored earlier this year that would have slashed the New York Police Department’s budget.
Williams, a vocal Black Lives Matter supporter, has also advocated ending solitary confinement in city prisons and is a prominent anti-Israel activist.
“A wounded Eric Adams, a weakened Eric Adams remaining in office, is better than the socialist Jumaane Williams,” former New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa told the Daily Mail. “That will open up the floodgates to socialism, and we will become Chicago.”
One of Williams’s closest allies is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez, D-N.Y., who has also butted heads with Adams over his more moderate policies.
In a statement on Wednesday, before the federal charges against Adams were even announced, Ocasio–Cortez called on the mayor to resign over federal investigations into other members of his administration.
“I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City,” Ocasio–Cortez wrote on X. “The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration. For the good of the city, he should resign.”
