When questions emerged in September 2024 about whether New York City Mayor Eric Adams might leave office, the city's succession rules provided a clear answer: the public advocate would be first in line to assume the mayor's powers and duties.
At the time, Adams said he had no intention of resigning. Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York subsequently unsealed an indictment on September 26, 2024, charging him with bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and campaign-finance-related offenses. The charges were allegations, not convictions, and Adams pleaded not guilty and continued serving as mayor.
The central question for New Yorkers was therefore not whether an indictment automatically removed Adams from office—it did not—but what would happen if he resigned, was removed, or otherwise became unable to serve.
Who would become acting mayor if Eric Adams left office?
Under Section 10 of the New York City Charter, the city's public advocate is first in the line of succession when there is a vacancy in the mayor's office.
If a mayor resigns, is removed, dies or becomes permanently unable to perform the duties of the office, the mayor's powers and duties pass to the public advocate. If the public advocate cannot serve, the comptroller is next in line.
The charter separately addresses temporary situations such as suspension, temporary inability or absence from the city. In those circumstances, the public advocate—or, if necessary, the comptroller—temporarily exercises the mayor's powers until the condition ends.
Jumaane Williams was first in line in 2024
At the time of the 2024 controversy, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams was the official who would have been first in line to assume the mayor's duties if Adams had created a vacancy by resigning or had otherwise left office under the charter.
Williams had served as public advocate since winning a special election in 2019 after previously serving on the New York City Council. He also ran for governor of New York in 2022, losing the Democratic primary to Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The Public Advocate's Office describes the position as one of three citywide elected offices, along with the mayor and comptroller, and confirms that the public advocate is first in line when the mayor's office becomes vacant or the mayor is unable to serve.
What if the public advocate could not serve?
The next official in the succession order would have been New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who took office as comptroller in January 2022 after serving on the City Council.
The charter places the comptroller immediately after the public advocate in the mayoral succession order. That means Lander would have assumed the mayor's powers and duties only if Williams were unable to do so.
Would the acting mayor simply serve the rest of the term?
Not necessarily. The charter also establishes procedures for filling a mayoral vacancy through an election. The timing depends on when during the term the vacancy occurs and on applicable election deadlines.
Section 10 requires the person acting as mayor to begin the election process following a vacancy, including formally proclaiming the date of the required election. The acting mayor therefore serves as an interim successor until a mayor chosen under the charter's election procedures takes office.
Could the governor remove or suspend the mayor?
New York City's charter also contains provisions for mayoral suspension or removal. Such an action is legally distinct from a voluntary resignation, and the precise succession consequences depend on whether the situation creates a temporary transfer of authority or a permanent vacancy.
A criminal indictment by itself does not automatically remove a New York City mayor from office. In Adams' case, he continued serving after the federal indictment was unsealed.
What happened to the federal case against Adams?
The legal situation later changed substantially. In February 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice asked the federal court to dismiss the prosecution. On April 2, 2025, U.S. District Judge Dale Ho dismissed the indictment with prejudice, meaning the charges in that indictment could not be brought again.
That later court action does not change the succession rules that were relevant when questions about Adams' future first arose in September 2024. At that time, the governing order was straightforward: Public Advocate Jumaane Williams was first in line, followed by Comptroller Brad Lander, with the city's charter providing the mechanism for an eventual election to fill a permanent vacancy.
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