By Amelia Paige
Since 2021, Eric Adam’s administration has been under investigation for a number of reasons including wire fraud and receiving improper campaign funds through foreign aid. As of September 2024, the mayor has been indicted and is currently facing several charges. Many of his administration members have resigned, had their devices seized under investigation or have been charged with various crimes. According to a poll published by the global data platform, Statista, Adams currently has a 28% approval rating, the lowest approval rating ever recorded for a New York mayor.
Many people that were hired to be in Adams administration were involved with the mayor before his election, as reported by City & State New York, among others. Ingrid Lewis Martin, the chief adviser to the mayor has worked with Adams before his political campaign since 2007. As reported by the New York Times, she has also been served a subpoena in the ongoing indictment case against Adams. Jonathan Salomons, theco-executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Innovation and Emerging Markets was an active NYPD lieutenant and a friend of Adams. Many of these people included in the indictment have been investigated, charged with a crime or have had their devices seized. And many people refilling the newly opened positions have either quickly resigned or are under investigation. In fact, as of this writing, more than half of Adams’ administration officials have resigned or quietly backed away from the public view.
Adams’ affiliation with the NYPD has also been associated with a lack of accountability and action when it came to addressing the increased police complaints within New York.NYPD abuse cases have increased by 51% since Eric Adams had entered office , report Michael Sisitzky and Simon Mccormack, of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). Discipline of officers has inversely decreased signifyingly over roughly the same period by an alarming amount.
In a press conference Adams held during his indictment announcement, Adams blamed racism for his investigation and avoided directly addressing the charges that were brought against him. As of this writing, Adams has refused to resign from his position, despite Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York, subtily suggesting he step down.
Reyhan Ozgur, the former Turkish counsel general in New York has been described by the mayor as a “good friend” and has also been named in the subpoena. In a speech by the mayor at a Turkish flag raising ceremony, several of the investigated Turkish representatives are seen giving speeches and confirming their involvement with the mayor. Some of these important figures are listed as being involved with the unsolicited Turkish donations that were used to help with Adams campaign. The most prominent include Reyhan Ozgur, New York’s former Turkish consult general, and Cenk Ocal, the former Turkish airline executive. Both have been named in the subpoena against Adams. After the Turkish officials told Adams to repay the money given to him, Adams put pressure on the NYFD to rush facilitating the opening of a new 36 story Turkish consular skyscraper in time for the visit of Turkeys president. The building was not up to code at the time and Adams threatened the NYFD official behind the opening with losing his job. For his compliance, Adams received further bribes from Turkish officials that included free travel. Adams is currently facing two counts of solicitation of a contribution of a foreign nation, one count of bribery and one count of wire fraud.
Several New York leaders have directly or indirectly called for Adams to step down. A CBS article written by Jesse Zanger quotes several New York officials comment on mayor Adams indictment. Among these, many of them call for his resignation. In a twitter post written by Adams on September 26, 2024, “I know I’ve done nothing wrong, and I am committed to continuing to fight on behalf of New Yorkers as your mayor”. His lawyer also continues to claim Adams innocence and that the case does not hold any weight. As of today, the mayor still attempts to continue his duties and continues to refuse to step down. The indictment charges are ongoing and the mayors’ pubic approval rating continues to drop daily.
