New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by federal prosecutors following an investigation this past week. Adams has been the mayor of New York since a 2021 landslide win, beating his opponent by over 15%. Adams’ campaign promised change for New York, but has he truly delivered on this?
Adams has been charged with five federal charges including wire fraud, conspiring to commit wire fraud, bribery and solicitation of campaign contributions by foreign national. Adams is the first mayor of New York to face multiple federal charges in office, which begs the question, will Adams resign?
“These scandals are exhausting,” sophomore Ella Friedrich said. “We were promised change, but it’s just more corruption.”
Eric Adams was a former New York City police officer, serving as captain for over 20 years. He had been investigated by the department four times prior to the case at hand, including for associating with criminals. Afterward, he was elected as the Brooklyn Borough President in 2013. During his term, he had done multiple “favors” for real estate developers and lobbyists.
Adams, along with other New York City officials, had their homes raided and their personal belongings scoured by federal agents. However, this wasn’t the only scandal during Adams’ term as mayor. Last year, the Manhattan district attorney charged six people who worked closely with Mayor Adams to conspire to funnel illegal donations to the mayoral campaign.
Adams’ personal favors for foreign officials didn’t stop there, though, as he pressured the New York Fire Department to open the new Turkish consulate without proper inspection. In return, Mayor Adams received multiple travel benefits to foreign countries by the Turkish government. The indictment claims that Adams received more than $100,000 worth of luxury plane tickets and hotel stays by Turkish nationals.
Many New York City officials have resigned from office in light of Adams’ indictment, such as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. Banks served 28 years in the New York Police Department and became chief before stepping down. Banks has been one of many Adams’ administrators to resign and be raided by federal officials.
Another close advocate of Adams, former chief liaison to the Muslim community Mohamed Bahi, was arrested on Tuesday for federal witness tampering and destruction of evidence charges that had come out during Adams’ investigation. The complaint against Bahi accused him of helping to arrange straw donations from an Uzbek businessman, Tolib Mansurov.
Over the past few weeks, more and more New Yorkers call for Adams to resign. The push isn’t even spearheaded by conventional political adversaries; Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for his immediate resignation from office, signaling bipartisan support for the acclaimed corrupt mayor to be held accountable.
“It’s crazy to see the politics of the city constantly wrapped up in corruption,” sophomore Abigail Podwall said. “We hear so much about change and reforms, yet it feels as if government officials only care about themselves.”
New York has often been regarded as the greatest city in America due to its great economic and cultural significance. Despite this, its administration hasn’t been nearly as great for years, at least according to those in the metropolitan area. The outermost areas of New York City are not even 20 minutes away from North High, which truly shows how close this case is to the people of Great Neck.
“I’ve seen how Adams’ policies directly impact our communities,” sophomore Chandra Lin said “It feels like we’re always caught in the middle of controversy.”
Adams’ political career has been ridden with scandals throughout his service across a variety of government positions. From chief of the NYPD to the mayor of New York, Adams’ actions always seems to find a way to stir up controversy and draw public attention. Whether through his outspoken comments or his controversial policies, the behavior of the controversial leader has consistently placed him at the spotlight of public debate in New York.
