When Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams ran for mayor of New York three years ago, he barely beat radical progressives in the Democratic Primary runoff 50.4% to 49.6%.
His winning platform?
Having served for over 20 years in the NYPD and achieving the rank of Captain, he could handle the crime wave that had hit Gotham.
There is, however, another side to the "law and order" Adams.
He relishes the nightlife. In fact, he has reminded many of former Mayor "Beau" Jimmy Walker, who personified the excesses of the 1920s Jazz Age and ran the government from speakeasies and nightclubs.
Walker’s tenure was marred with scandals.
His administration imploded in 1932 after the Seabury Investigation revealed corruption throughout city hall.
Walker was accused of accepting gifts from businessmen seeking municipal contracts.
To avoid prosecution, Walker resigned from office and moved to Europe where he lived until the statute of limitations kicked in.
Well, like the Walker administration, the Adams administration has been crumbling.
On Sept. 25, Adams was the first New York City mayor to be criminally indicted by federal prosecutors, on five counts including bribery, fraud, and solicitation of campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
Allegedly, the mayor’s lucrative lifestyle was financed by officials of the Turkish government which New York Magazine reports, "arranged for him to receive some $123,000 worth of illegal gifts such as discounted business-class tickets on Turkish Airlines, and a stay in the Bentley suite at the Saint Regis in Istanbul."
The mayor is also accused of knowingly accepting illegal campaign donations through "straw" donors.
What did the Turkish government get in return for its largesse?
It's alleged the Turks received a favorable fire department report on their new consulate building in Manhattan without any safety inspections being performed.
The indictment is not Adams only problem.
Two fire department chiefs have been indicted, and key members of his administration have been racing to the exit doors.
The mayor’s chief counsel, health commissioner, deputy mayor for public safety, police commissioner, first deputy mayor, schools’ chancellor, and various other advisers have resigned.
The offices and homes of at least 13 of his administrators have been raided by federal law enforcement.
The embattled mayor has resisted calls for his resignation, insisting he will be exonerated.
But can he govern during the remainder of his term?
The person to make that determination is Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y.
She possesses the constitutional authority to remove from office local elected officials.
Thus far the governor, while demanding Adams "clean house," has held he is entitled to his day in court.
There are two significant political reasons for not booting out the mayor. Adams, a so-called "moderate" Democrat, is Hochul’s only powerful friend in the city.
The other reason: if Adams vacates his office, the interim successor is Public Advocate Jumaane Williams — a sworn enemy of the governor.
Williams, a self-described socialist, challenged Hochul twice in statewide primaries.
In 2018, he ran against her unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor; and in 2022, lost a second time to Hochul in the gubernatorial primary.
Additionally, Williams, a favorite of the extremist Working Families Party, and a leader of the 2012 Occupy Wall Street movement, is not a favorite of the business community.
They fear his tax and spend policies could wreck the city’s economy and drive more upper- and middle-class folks to Florida and Texas.
The governor is trapped in a political quandary.
If she lets Adams serve out his term or removes him, it could cost her politically if she seeks another term in office.
The person who benefits the most from the chaos is Fmr. N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
He's itching to make a comeback to clear his family’s name.
A mayoral candidacy may be the best route for him.
Cuomo resigned his office after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced and his enemies in the Legislature threatened impeachment.
Yet, since that time, five district attorneys have cleared him.
This past year Cuomo has been making sensible observations in speeches and opinion columns on crime, the migrant problem, the failure of the right to shelter laws, the commercial real estate crisis, and the unfairness of congestion pricing at this time.
Cuomo has also been reaching out to former allies in the business and African American communities.
Cuomo can boast that he has a unique understanding of state and municipal government and of the neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs.
And business leaders know that Cuomo is a fighter, that he fearlessly took on the radicals in his party and is a competent manager.
In a 2025 Democratic mayoral primary that will be crowded with militant wannabes, Cuomo may be able to put together a successful coalition of frustrated and angry voters from all walks of city life to garner the 40% of the vote required to avoid a runoff.
With Adams rapid fall from grace, the saving grace for New York City might be a Cuomo candidacy based on competence and not ideological histrionics.
George J. Marlin, a former executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is the author of "The American Catholic Voter: Two Hundred Years of Political Impact," and "Christian Persecutions in the Middle East: A 21st Century Tragedy." Read George J. Marlin's Reports — More Here.