NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Gov. Kathy Hochul expressed her support Monday of Mayor Eric Adams' efforts to clean house at City Hall amid multiple federal corruption investigations that touched many of his top aides.
Speaking at the Columbus Day Parade along Fifth Avenue—where Hochul and Adams both marched, though separately—the governor told reporters, “the mayor has been very focused.”
“We’ve been working very closely through this chaos, and I had asked him to work to bring in new blood and new people to work to stabilize the city and calm it all down, and he’s doing that,” the governor said.
Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office following his indictment on federal charges of bribery and other crimes he plead not guilty to.
Earlier this month, she suggested she’d spoken to the mayor privately and was working with him to make sure key positions “are filled with people who are going to be responsible.”
“We expect changes, that’s not a secret, and changes are beginning,” Hochul said at the time.
Indeed, in recent weeks there have been a steady stream of departures at City Hall.
Among the resignations were Adams’ first deputy mayor, Sheena Wright, who left last week. Wright’s husband, schools chancellor David Banks, will step down this week, while Banks' brother, Philip Banks, recently exited his post as the deputy mayor of public safety. Winnie Greco, the city's director of Asian affairs, has departed as well, as has NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and senior mayoral adviser Timothy Pearson.
While none of them have been accused of a crime, federal prosecutors have charged Mohamed Bahi, who resigned last week as the mayor’s liaison to the Muslim community, with witness tampering and destroying evidence in a sweeping federal investigation that led to Adams' indictment on charges he took bribes and illegal campaign cash from foreign interests.
At Monday’s parade, Hochul also signaled her administration and City Hall continue to collaborate on initiatives for New Yorkers. “We’re working closely together to work on the crime issues, which are going down dramatically, close illegal cannabis shops, work on our housing plan together,” she said.
Adams has his weekly Q&A with reporters at City Hall on Tuesday, and will no doubt face new questions about what's next for his administration.