New York City mayoral hopeful Curtis Sliwa (R), in a campaign press conference Tuesday, challenged his opponent Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (D) on key issues, leading up to the general election.
Sliwa criticized Adams on issues including reckless driving and free subway and bus fares for all New York City commuters.
“Under Adams’ plan, those charged with reckless driving will [have their license] suspended and revoked. The irony is that Adams’s license would be suspended and revoked under his own plan. This is a case of do as I say, but not as I do,” Sliwa said.
This comes as data from a Streetsblog NYC article shows that since taking office as Borough President, Adams has racked up 40 traffic violations including 14 tickets for speeding in school zones and one ticket for running a red light in just 2019 and 2020 alone.
This article, published in June, also states that, “The Borough President’s vehicle has also gotten two additional red light tickets, in 2015 and 2018, plus three more speeding tickets over that same time period for a total of 20 camera-issued moving violation tickets.”
Adams’s city vehicle was hit with three bus lane violations this past March, all for blocking the lane on Jay Street, near his Borough Hall office, according to a review of the plate using How’s My Driving NY, which compiles city ticket data.
On the free subway and bus fares plan, Adams said he would subsidize this plan by taxing the wealthy, Wall Street and the Fortune 500 companies.
Sliwa emphasized his claim that Adams never mentions this in front of these groups. “Both the city and state will be facing looming deficits. The crime situation in the subway and buses is already intolerable. Free Fare will only make the homeless and crime situation worse,” said Sliwa.
Additionally, Sliwa also reprimanded Adams for spending time with big business, thus ignoring small business owners, who represent the largest percentage of businesses operating in the city.
Sliwa also criticized Adams for stating on January 2 that he would go to Florida and tell all the New Yorkers living there to come back to the state. Sliwa believes that this claim by Adams doesn’t make sense.
Adams’ Campaign Spokesperson Evan Thies responded that true hypocrisy is saying you’re going to lead all New Yorkers when you have spent decades dividing New Yorkers by their gender and ethnicity.
“Hypocrisy is remaining silent all these years while New Yorkers have been dying at the hands of reckless drivers. Mr. Sliwa has not stood with families and victims throughout the years. Eric has been a leading voice on making our streets safer, and he will continue to lead at City Hall,” said Thies.
