Amid news that New York City Mayor Eric Adams would face federal charges as soon as Thursday, according to two sources familiar with the matter, calls began to grow for the mayor to resign from office.
Adams has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and denied any knowledge of wrongdoing. He has also has said he will remain in office and continue to do his job.
“I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target—and a target I became. If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit,” Adams said in a statement late Wednesday.
But would happen if Adams were to resign?
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would become acting mayor. If he isn’t able to do so, the job would go to NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, who has already announced plans to run for mayor in 2025.
Here’s what happens next:
Within three days of Adams’ exodus, the acting mayor would need to set a date for a special mayoral election. That election will be held on the first Tuesday that comes when Adams is at least 80 days out of office.
It would operate using New York’s ranked-choice system, where voters can rank up to five candidates in order of their preference. Should one of the candidates earn at least 50% of the vote, that candidate wins. If that doesn’t happen, the election goes into another round of voting — and so on and so forth until someone gets the 50%.
The last-place candidate in each round of voting is eliminated and those votes redistributed, which is why the ranking factor is of vital importance.
There wouldn’t be any primaries, so no one would run with a party affiliation. That makes the special election nonpartisan. It also means voters of any party affiliation can participate in the election as well.
There is one caveat, given the upcoming mayoral election.
Should Adams resign within 90 days of the June primaries, no special election would be held. In that case, the acting mayor would stay the mayor until a new mayor is elected in November. That person would immediately take office.
