New York City Mayor Eric Adams pulled out of a candidates forum Wednesday that featured many of his opponents in the Democratic primary, saying his lawyer had advised him to stay away from such events until a judge decides whether to dismiss his public corruption case.
“Let’s allow the court to do this process,” Adams told reporters as he left an earlier event, adding that there was plenty of time left in the mayoral campaign for other debates and public forums. At least a half-dozen candidates are challenging Adams in June’s Democratic primary.
The mayor also offered a second justification for his absence from the planned forum, held by District Council 37, the largest municipal union in the city.
The event, he said, didn’t include at least one candidate who was “running in the shadows.”
The comment appeared to be a thinly veiled reference to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is already racking up endorsements despite having not yet said publicly whether he plans to enter the race.
“We need to get everybody running,” Adams said. “No candidate should be able to stay on the sidelines and send out innuendos.”