After New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on a five-count federal indictment, Black city residents pretty much rolled their eyes and said, “Chile, anyways.” Unfortunately, the allegations of misconduct against Adams weren’t shocking but rather an anticipated matter of time.
The plight of the Black city leader is a theme we’ve seen across many cities nationwide. In some cases, these leaders got big headed while in positions of power while others were driven out by hidden racially motivated schemes. Adams isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to be placed in the hot seat.
Here are a few more examples of Black city leaders who faced BIG trouble and how their communities reacted to the chaos.
1. New York City Mayor Eric Adams
Mayor Adams faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals, wire fraud, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery.
Adams was accused of soliciting illegal foreign donations from Turkey government officials to fund his 2021 election campaign and using them to defraud the city of $10 million and steal public funds by fraudulently applying for matching fund through the city’s program.
A Marist poll found that 69 percent of city residents voted in favor of Adams resigning. A Queens mail carrier, Akahnni Delgado, told The New York Times Adams should resign, suggesting he could find a new way to do his dirt if he stayed in office. Another Black city resident compared Adams to the city’s first Black mayor, David Dinkins - alleging the whole federal debacle is a result of racial discrimination.
2. Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin
The former mayor was found guilty in 2014 of handing out city work to contractors in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks, per WWLTV. He was sent to prison on charges of corruption, wire fraud, tax evasion and bribery. He served six of his 10-year prison sentence before being released to house arrest in 2020 during the pandemic.
A local New Orleans political writer told CNN the community felt fooled after gathering behind him to vote him into office. A radio show host condemned the “bandwagon” of folks who once supported him and suddenly turned to applaud his conviction, per CNN’s report.
3. Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James
James was convicted of fraud and tax evasion in 2008 after he and his girlfriend were accused of a rigged real estate scheme, per The New York Times. After serving 18 months of his 27-month prison sentence, he was released but then slammed with a federal lawsuit on allegations of using dormant campaign money to pay off his criminal defense lawyers.
At a City Hall meeting in 2010, a labor leader acknowledged that despite the conviction, he was good mayor who did a lot for the city, per NJ.com. However, opposers believed he was a greed-led, money-hungry mayor only motivated by funding his own lavish lifestyle.
4. South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau
The Georgia mayor was arrested July of 2023 after allegedly trespassing on a resident’s lake house property and inviting himself inside the home despite the homeowner being present and demanding he leave. He was charged with first-degree burglary and criminal trespassing, per WSBTV. However, council members are also filing a suit against the mayor alleging he “held the city hostage” when he took office with a number of overzealous vetoes and resignation demands.
After returning to work upon being released from jail, residents expressed their demand for Kamau to retire by way of a petition, per FOX 5 Atlanta. However, other residents saw the situation as being blown out of proportion.
5. Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
The former mayor was convicted of racketeering conspiracy across two dozen federal counts. Federal prosecutors accused him of abusing his power as mayor to facilitate a 10-year-long racket, per The Detroit News. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison but received a pardon from former President Donald Trump.
While some local organizations supported his request for early release, others stayed in opposition because of how his crimes negatively impacted the community but also because he forsook his Democratic Party to support Trump.
6.Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh
Pugh pleaded guilty to four of the 11 federal charges she faced including fraud and tax evasion in 2019. She was indicted after she was exposed for not revealing the business interest related to the sale of her children’s books, per WBAL-TV. She was sentenced to three years in prison in February 2020 but was released on supervision in 2022.
Baltimore residents told NPR they were outraged by the scandal, alleging Pugh was just another politician looking for an opportunity to line their pockets.
7. Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr.
Small and his wife, La’Quetta, were indicted on child endangerment charges following accusations that they physically abused their teenage daughter. Prosecutors said Small beat his daughter with a broom and that his wife dragged the girl by her hair, per NBC Philadelphia. Both were accused of assaulting the girl until she lost consciousness. Prosecutors allege the violence began because of their disapproval of the teen’s boyfriend.
While neighboring mayors have shared their support of Small, residents remain skeptical and concerned about the mayor’s behavior.
8. Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Lightfoot lost her bid for re-election in 2023 after a controversial term. She didn’t get arrested or face any federal probes. However, she did harm her relationship with the police union over COVID-19 vaccine mandates. She was the reason behind the 11-day Chicago Teachers Union strike. Lightfoot was also accused of being responsible for the city’s crime surge.
Some city residents told ABC 7 Chicago they wished she’d done more to ensure public safety. In the end, the people decided she was way in over her head and didn’t see Lightfoot fit as mayor by voting her out of office.
10.Dolton Village Mayor Tiffany Henyard
The widely criticized but self-proclaimed “super mayor” is under investigation after village trustees accused her of putting the village in a $3.65 million deficit. The village hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to launch an investigation which exposed Henyard for lofty spends including a $43,000 Amazon shopping spree. She was also alleged to have increased the police budget to hire cops as her own private security.
Upon all the allegations, the FBI decided to launch a probe into the village. Village residents and trustees alike have been consistently vocal in questioning the mayor’s spending of their tax dollars and criticizing her lack of accountability, via The Chicago Tribune.
11.Dayton City Manager Kimberly Judge
This case is very different from the others. The Texas city manager was recently placed on administrative leave and investigated after a one-second video of her “pole-dancing” while enjoying time with friends came to the city council’s attention, per KHOU. The council then decided they weren’t satisfied with her work as further reason to discipline her.
Several Dayton residents spoke up at the meeting challenging the council’s decision, accusing them of scapegoating and insisting they just needed to let Judge do her job, the report says.