Guardrails on mayoral power? Not so fast, one mayoral hopeful says

Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed putting guardrails on City Hall’s power as its current occupant, Mayor Eric Adams, faces waning public confidence. But the move – seen by some as a half-measure to avoid using her power to remove the mayor – is catching flak from one candidate who would very much like to occupy that seat next.

In a letter to Hochul this week, former New York City comptroller and current mayoral candidate Scott Stringer warned against steps that would blunt a few powers of the mayor. 

“I respectfully suggest that while the recently proposed guardrails on Adams may seem prudent now, they risk complicating city governance at an already chaotic moment and could set problematic precedents for state encroachment on city governance,” Stringer said in the letter.

Hochul’s proposals include establishing a special state-level inspector general to oversee the city Department of Investigation – including requiring state inspector general approval to fire the city DOI commissioner – and giving more city elected officials authority to sue the federal government using outside counsel.  

Speaking to City & State, Stringer added that while he believes Hochul approached the question of what to do about Adams in a thoughtful and deliberative way, he urged that legislation should be looked at not just in terms of how it impacts the current Adams administration – or even a potential Stringer administration. “Anytime we give authority or take away authority from elected officials, it can’t be for just the here and now,” Stringer said. “You have to look at this in the long-term.”

One proposal of Hochul’s that Stringer does support: giving the state comptroller’s office more funding to increase its oversight of city finances. On that front, he didn’t mention concerns about legislating with one particular official in mind: “Any time you can resource Tom DiNapoli’s office, that’s a win for New York,” he said.

Stringer’s warning may be premature. While the proposals come from Hochul, they’ll need support in the City Council and state Legislature, and it’s still unclear how they’ll fare. Speaker Adrienne Adams has not taken a strong public position yet, and some Assembly members had doubts about them in a closed-door meeting earlier this week, City & State reported.