"What happened when Trump got elected was the federal anti-corruption sheriff rode off into the sunset... What's left in its wake is this lawlessness. What we're seeing here is a clear example of what that looks like," John Kaehny, executive director of government watchdog organization Reinvent Albany, told Politico.
Multiple corruption scandals have embroiled his administration, and he and his closest aides were indicted. Even before the indictments arrived, he was bleeding out support. Adams was not a mayor devoid of accomplishments, but he had fewer of them than his predecessors and rarely seemed to be engaged with the mechanics of governing. New Yorkers wearied of his act and it became clear, more than a year ago, he had no serious path to a second term.
When you were calling around to my staff saying is the announcement today that Eric is stepping down?' Hell no, Adams said a Democrat running for reelection as an independent. I'm never going to quit on the city of New York, we worked too hard to get here.