NYC Comptroller Lander Sends Letter to Mayor Adams Demanding a City Contingency Plan Following the News of Deputy Mayor Resignations

Re: Urgent Action Required—Contingency Plan to Run NYC  

Dear Mayor Adams,

Today my office received news that four of the City’s Deputy Mayors—including First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer—have submitted their resignations and that others have communicated their intent to resign. These departures would create an unprecedented leadership vacuum at the highest levels of City government and wreak havoc on the City’s ability to deliver essential services to New Yorkers.

These resignations come in the wake of deeply concerning actions by the U.S. Justice Department, asking the U.S. District Court to drop the indictments against you, so long as you comply with the White House on matters of immigration and criminal justice policy, which call into question your ability to continue to comply with your duties to New Yorkers under the City Charter.

As Comptroller, I am responsible for ensuring the City’s fiscal health and management and am a member of the Committee of Mayoral Inability established by City Charter Section 10. Given the gravity of this situation and the chaos it has unleashed among New Yorkers, I formally request that your office promptly develop and present a detailed contingency plan outlining how you intend to manage the City of New York during this period of leadership transition. Specifically, please provide immediate confirmation of your plan for appointing interim Deputy Mayors and key managerial staff, along with an anticipated timeline for stabilizing the administration, no later than Friday February 21, 2025.

In the absence of a contingency plan, the resignation of four or more deputy mayors, and the chaos created by the Justice Department’s actions regarding indictments against you, may well constitute inability to govern. Should your office be unable or unwilling to formulate such a plan promptly, I will seek to convene a meeting of the Inability Committee.

Ensuring stability and effective governance during this critical period is imperative to maintaining public confidence and the continued delivery of essential services. I look forward to your prompt response and decisive action on this critical issue.