Rachel Holliday Smith

New York

Associate Editor at THE CITY

associate editor + explainer-in-chief for @THECITYNY • news if I must, local joy where I can find it • tell me something good: [email protected]

Articles

11 City Council Races to Watch in NYC's June Election

1 month ago | thecity.nyc | Gwynne Hogan |Haidee Chu |Rachel Holliday Smith |Samantha Maldonado

It’s not just the mayor on the ballot in New York City this year. Many other offices are up for grabs, including all 51 seats in the City Council — including nine Councilmembers who are term-limited and cannot run again.
Who’s Spending Big Money in NYC’s Local Elections? Here’s How to Find Out

1 month ago | thecity.nyc | Rachel Holliday Smith

We’ve told you about how much money local campaigns have brought in for the 2025 race. Especially for mayor, candidates have raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars in their effort to become the next boss of City Hall. But there’s a lot more money being spent on local elections than that. Ostensibly separate from official campaigns, monied outsiders buy flyers, television spots, radio ads and merchandise to try to push one candidate over another — or one issue over another.
What the Eric Adams Party Switch-Up Means for the Mayor’s Race

2 months ago | thecity.nyc | Rachel Holliday Smith

This article is adapted from our April 3 edition of RANKED CHOICES, THE CITY’s weekly election newsletter. Click here to sign up. Dear New Yorkers,Whew, we’re off to the races now!In case you hadn’t heard: Mayor Eric Adams will not run as a Democrat this year, opting to skip the June primary altogether and run as an independent candidate in November. He dropped that news this morning — less than 24 hours after his federal corruption charges dropped. It’s big news in the local political world.
Your Guide to the Trump-Adams Deal That Pushed 7 Prosecutors to Resign

Mar 4, 2025 | thecity.nyc | Greg Smith |Rachel Holliday Smith

Up until Feb. 10, Mayor Eric Adams was running for re-election while preparing for a federal corruption trial set to begin in April. All that changed when Emil Bove, acting Deputy Attorney General in the Trump Justice Department, ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to dismiss all the pending charges against Adams.
What Happens If the Mayor Steps Down? Your Guide on NYC’s Rules of Succession and Special Election

Feb 18, 2025 | thecity.nyc | Rachel Kahn |Rachel Holliday Smith

Since President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice made the highly unusual move to drop Mayor Eric Adams’ federal corruption charges, calls for Adams’ resignation are mounting. For months, Adams has adamantly denied that he will ever step down, including in the days after the DOJ’s edict. But the decision isn’t completely up to him. The governor or a special city committee could remove him.
Who Can Force Out the Mayor? A Guide to NYC’s Inability Committee and Hochul’s Power

Feb 18, 2025 | thecity.nyc | Rachel Kahn |Rachel Holliday Smith

While Mayor Eric Adams may escape prosecution on federal corruption charges amid a shocking turn by the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump, the move has thrown fuel on the political fire around him. An avalanche of criticism followed the highly unusual move by the DOJ, including the resignation of six prosecutors in protest and a flood of calls for Adams to resign from local elected officials.
What to Know About the 2025 Elections in New York City

Jan 21, 2025 | thecity.nyc | Rachel Holliday Smith

Local leadership is on the ballot in 2025, from City Hall down to your neighborhood Councilmember. And it’s set to be a doozy, even by the raucous standards of New York politics. Mayor Eric Adams is seeking reelection while under indictment on federal corruption charges, with a trial set to begin just eight weeks before Primary Day. Meanwhile, a crowd of at least six fellow Democrats have swung into gear to challenge him, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so as of early 2025.
Here Are the Deadlines Andrew Cuomo (or Eric Adams) Must Hit to Run for Mayor

Jan 14, 2025 | thecity.nyc | Rachel Holliday Smith

In a typical New York City election year, the mayoral race is effectively over by the June primary — when the Democratic nominee is chosen, essentially anointing the mayor-elect in this deep blue city. But 2025 is hardly a typical political season. Mayor Eric Adams, once a registered Republican, has hinted at switching parties for his reelection while aligning himself with President-elect Donald Trump. And a big name in New York politics, former Gov.
Your Trash Bin Questions, Answered: A Guide to NYC’s New Garbage Container Rules

Dec 3, 2024 | thecity.nyc | Rachel Holliday Smith

Our newsroom gets lots of questions from readers, about Mayor Eric Adams, congestion pricing, finding subsidized housing and more. But in recent months the most popular topic by far has been really trashy: New York City’s new programs for garbage containerization. THE CITY’s readers have wondered: What happens if their new bin is stolen? Where should I put recycling now? And what’s up with just having one company supply the new official trash bin?
What Is a Sanctuary City and What Does That Mean for NYC Under Trump?

Nov 15, 2024 | thecity.nyc | Gwynne Hogan |Rachel Holliday Smith |Rachel Kahn

Throughout the election, Donald Trump promised to enact an unprecedented campaign of mass deportations, saying he wants to remove “as many as 20 million” people from the United States during his second administration. A trio of early personnel choices — Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for policy, South Dakota Gov.