COHOES — The Cohoes Common Council wants to appoint six new members to the city's Industrial Development Agency as part of an apparent effort to remove Mayor Shawn Morse as the organization's paid CEO, according to several people briefed on the decision.

Morse responded on Wednesday morning by firing the city's longtime corporation counsel, Brian S. Kremer, after the attorney — in a meeting with Morse and Common Council President Chris Briggs — began explaining that under state law the mayor could not veto any legislative action by the council to replace the IDA board members, the sources said.

The political unrest is unfolding as Morse faces allegations that he physically abused his wife and younger daughter last year, and abused the mother of his adult son.

On Sunday, the Times Union reported that Morse is also the target of an FBI investigation that is examining his use of campaign funds and his attendance at a part-time security job he obtained in February at the federally subsidized Glenmont Job Corps. Patrick Thomas, a friend of the mayor's, is head of the organization's security force.

Morse declined to comment on his decision to fire Kremer, and claimed that no city officials had discussed the IDA appointments with him. Reached Wednesday afternoon, Kremer, who has been an attorney for the city for nearly two decades, also declined to comment.

Some council members also have recently discussed whether to ask Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo if he has the authority to remove Morse from office. Briggs said the council has not made any formal overtures to the governor's office, but he is interested in whether Cuomo could intervene.

"I just was so shocked that you could just say, 'If you don't agree with me, you're fired,'" Briggs said of Kremer's dismissal. "Could he do that with the comptroller? With his secretary? With the head of (the Department of Public Works)?"

Under state law, the governor can take steps to remove an elected official from office for "misconduct or malversation in office," according to the governor's office. ("Malversation" is a term for official corruption.) That authority is outlined in the state Constitution and the removal process is detailed in state Public Officers Law, which indicates that it can only take place following an investigation led by a judge or a commissioner appointed by the governor.

The last time that authority was invoked was in 1932, when Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt presided over proceedings to remove New York City Mayor James Walker, who later resigned in the face of corruption allegations.

"I think that in light of (Kremer's firing), it would appear to me that a majority of the Common Council has had enough," said Councilman Randy Koniowka, a vocal Morse critic. "This is now becoming Nixonian in the way things are going down here. ... That would be my hope, that the (IDA) board would remove him as CEO."

Morse, a Democrat and former chairman of the Albany County Legislature, was confronted by FBI agents who interviewed him at his residence on Sept. 24. About an hour later, FBI agents delivered a federal grand jury subpoena to Ralph V. Signoracci, who is the city's director of operations and Morse's longtime campaign treasurer. The subpoena directed Signoracci to turn over digital copies of Morse's campaign records dating back years.

It's unclear whether the federal criminal investigation is also probing the activities of the Cohoes IDA.

Morse appointed himself as chief executive officer of the IDA after being sworn in for his first term as mayor in 2016. IDA funds are used to pay Morse $15,000 a year for that role, under a line in the budget listed as "professional services contracts."

Most of the IDA's $344,677 was spent in 2016 after Morse took office, according to agency records submitted to the state Authorities Budget Office. Morse said that roughly $330,000 was used to hire attorneys to straighten out the IDA's finances, and also for purchasing properties for future development.

Morse also took steps to fill the IDA's board of directors with his own picks — including Signoracci, who is an Albany County legislator and political confidant of the mayor's. Signoracci was named chairman of the IDA, and the Common Council voted to approve the other selections recommended by the mayor at the time.

But the IDA's membership has dwindled to just two active members: Signoracci and Rod Dion. The council discussed removing Signoracci from the IDA but keeping Dion on the board along with six new members.

On Sept. 22, Jennifer Spring, superintendent of the Cohoes City School District, submitted her resignation from the IDA due to the domestic violence allegations against Morse.

"Given the recent allegations against the mayor ... I can no longer serve as a member of this agency," Spring wrote in her resignation letter. " ... I believe to continue as a member of the IDA would diminish from my role in leading the children of Cohoes."

On Wednesday, Morse lashed out at Spring, saying she had previously told him the school board was pressuring her to resign from the IDA. "It goes to show you can have a thousand degrees on your wall and you don't always make smart choices," he said of the superintendent.

A high school teacher from the district who has mentored Morse's 16-year-old daughter brought the girl to the Troy Police Department last year, and also accompanied the teenager when she was later interviewed by child protective services investigators. The teacher reported the allegations, as required by law, when the girl told her that Morse had choked and punched her last year.

Spring resigned from the IDA six days after Cuomo — citing a Times Union story detailing domestic abuse allegations against Morse — called for the mayor to step down. State Democratic party leaders and multiple state and local officials also called for his resignation.

At a news conference on Sept. 17 — a day after Cuomo's call for his resignation — Morse fought back and accused his wife, Brenda, of concocting domestic abuse allegations against him due to what he said were her drug and emotional problems. He sidestepped questions about similar accusations made by his daughter, claiming that he had been "cleared" of those allegations by a CPS investigation.

During the news conference, Morse and his attorney, Joseph Ahearn of Troy, who grew up with Morse, said they would provide documentation confirming that CPS investigators determined the abuse allegations by his daughter were unfounded. But Morse and Ahearn have not provided the documents despite repeated requests from the Times Union.

At a city council meeting last month, several members said they supported the mayor and noted the physical abuse allegations had not been substantiated or resulted in any criminal charges. Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating the allegations.

During Tuesday's closed-door meeting of the city council, their interest in replacing the IDA board signaled that Morse's standing with his fellow city lawmakers may be wavering.

"It's truly a mess for a community that deserves better," Briggs said, adding that the Common Council will likely call a special meeting to discuss how to handle Morse's firing of the city attorney.

"We need a functioning government for the people, and it’s like you have an untenable situation in City Hall," said Koniowka, who last month announced he would run for mayor in 2019. "People don’t know what to do — they're terrified. He’s a tyrant. The council needs to step up, and I think we’re going to be stepping up."

Councilman Steve Napier characterized the council's decision to appoint new leadership to the IDA as an effort to "move Cohoes forward."

"It is more important now than ever that the Common Council and the IDA function as truly independent bodies working for the best interest of the city of Cohoes," Napier said. "These appointments will send a clear and strong message that is exactly what we are doing."