Betsy McCaughey writes for Townhall.com about one obstacle to a potential socialist New York City mayoral regime.
If Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor and implements the changes he is promising, expect the city’s financial condition and public safety to deteriorate rapidly. Think criminal bedlam, antisemitic rioters allowed full rein, and cutbacks to basic city services.
In such a crisis, desperate New Yorkers will look to Albany, where the governor has virtually unlimited power to curb the mayor’s authority or remove him, even if no crime has been committed.
There is a safety valve, if a governor is willing to use it.
Before removing a mayor, state law requires the governor to present grievances against the mayor at a formal hearing. Even so, the governor’s decision is final, not subject to review by any court. The New York Supreme Court calls it “the naked power of removal.”
In the event a mayor is removed, the public advocate acts as mayor until a special election is held within 80 days.
The question is: Would Gov. Kathy Hochul have the guts to use her authority to protect the city, or would she sacrifice the city by pandering to the socialist flank of her party? Expect this to be a major issue in the 2026 gubernatorial election, when a Republican contender is likely to insist on an answer.
Right now, Gov. Kathy is cozying up to Mamdani, praising him as “eminently reasonable” and hinting she’ll find $10 billion in the state budget to fund his long list of promised freebies, including child care and bus rides. That’s happy talk. The state faces a $10-billion-a-year deficit.
Mamdani has promised to close Rikers Island. Thousands of violent inmates will be on the streets. Meanwhile, cops will be quitting in droves, according to former New York City Police Department Commissioners Bill Bratton and Ray Kelly.
