NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams will skip a candidate forum hosted by a union central to his 2021 victory, leaving a big political opportunity on the table as his reelection bid grows increasingly difficult.
The mayor will no longer attend a Wednesday night gathering of Democratic primary candidates hosted by the city’s largest municipal union, District Council 37, according to one of his political aides and a union representative. He has previously committed to going.
The move is sure to cast further doubt on Adams’ commitment to running for reelection this year, even as the indicted mayor insists he is forging ahead. POLITICO reported this week he has minimal staff as he seeks to defend his seat in a crowded field that will soon include former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“Mayor Adams has informed us that he will no longer be able to participate in tonight’s forum at the advice of his legal counsel,” DC 37 spokesperson Thea Setterbo said. “We look forward to hearing from the other candidates as they make their case to our members on why they would make the best choice for New York City’s mayor.”
Adams’ aide — granted anonymity to freely discuss internal strategy — said the mayor’s attorneys counseled him to avoid political forums until his case is settled, “out of an abundance of caution.”
But that rationale contradicts much of Adams’ public behavior. He speaks publicly about his case often — during combative City Hall press conferences when reporters grill him, and in one-on-one TV interviews. He is also engaging in other political activity: He repeatedly said his skeleton campaign crew would begin collecting voter signatures to get on the ballot for the June 24 primary this week, and his team sent a picture of a petition with Adams’ name atop it. Adams is expected to attend individual candidate screenings hosted by 32BJ SEIU — the building service workers union — and the Central Labor Council as well, according to several people aware of those plans.
The aide said the mayor’s lawyers were concerned that the scenario of Adams seated among political rivals at DC 37’s forum opened him up to the slight possibility of saying something damaging.
The mayor is still waiting on an outcome to the corruption charges federal prosecutors in Manhattan brought in September in an alleged bribery scheme involving Turkey and foreign campaign cash. President Donald Trump’s Justice Department ordered the charges dismissed this month, following the Democratic mayor’s efforts to ingratiate himself with the Republican president. The acting lead prosecutor for the office, Danielle Sassoon, resigned in protest of a deal she said was contingent upon the mayor’s cooperation in Trump’s deportation agenda — something Adams’ lawyer has denied.
Last week the judge on the case, Dale Ho, declined to dismiss the charges. Instead, he adjourned the April 21 trial and appointed former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement to argue against the Justice Department’s case for dismissal.
The aide also said the mayor’s choice to skip the forum was out of political salvation: He did not want to join a forum that would not include Cuomo — who is expected to announce his candidacy this weekend — or City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is reportedly mulling a bid and is close to DC 37. The city’s largest public sector union has backed both the mayor and speaker in the past and remains close to the legislative leader.
Despite that logic, Adams has very few political allies willing to stand up for him as Cuomo looms over the mayor’s race, and his union ties are among his strongest pillars of political support.
Earlier on Wednesday, Adams dodged when asked whether he would meditate ahead of the forum, which will be held near City Hall in Lower Manhattan and will be attended by candidates Michael Blake, Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani, Zellnor Myrie, Jessica Ramos and Scott Stringer.
“I don’t blame ‘em,” he said of his challengers. “This is the greatest job. Being the mayor of the City of New York is the greatest job you could have.”
Read the full article here
