Mayor-elect Eric Adams spent the day after his election on a victory lap appearing on various media outlets while his supporters showered him in congratulations.
In a speech filled with platitudes and slogans at his Brooklyn Marriott victory party, Adams reminded the crowd of the promises he made on the campaign trail – that he will be a five-borough mayor, will serve the underserved, and recover this city from COVID-19.
“This campaign was for those who have been betrayed by their government,” Adams said. “I washed dishes. I was beaten by police and sat in a precinct holding cell certain that my future was already decided. And now, I will be the person in charge of that precinct, and every other precinct in the city of New York.”
He got more specific about his plans on NY1 on Wednesday morning. During his interview, he said that he was not pleased with the relationship between the city and the state during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. “During the height of COVID, we saw chief executives at each other’s throat. That was not acceptable. It’s not going to happen with me and whoever is in that governor’s chair. I’m going to have a spirit of cooperation,” Adams told NY1.
On election night, Governor Kathy Hochul showed up to show her support for the winner, and noted that she’s ready to cooperate with him as well during her year in office before the next election for governor in 2022.
During his speech, he notably did not speak too much about being the second Black mayor of NYC. He steered away from racial rhetoric and instead focused on his previous economic struggles before going to college and becoming a state senator.
The mayor-elect did, however, touch on his specific plans for job creation. When it came to crime and violence, specifically the many jail inmates, specifically on Rikers island, he said “The best-anti-violence measure is a job. We can’t continue to put dangerous inmates back in the same housing areas where they are attacking innocent officers and those prisoners who’re trying to serve their time.”
Adams believes the city’s wounds are self-inflicted but did not blame de Blasio, but U. S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) did.
“Tonight the voters have spoken and elected Eric Adams as our next mayor. As the lone Republican in New York City’s congressional delegation, I congratulate Mr. Adams on his victory and pledge to work with him where we can find common ground to reverse the destruction created by Bill de Blasio,” said Maliotakis in a statement.
During his speech, Adams did imply that city leadership ignores certain populations. “We have somebody who can be mayor of the city of New York, but not put out his hand and push somebody away,” he said.
The New York Charter School Center also congratulated Adams on his plans for political unity. “We are thrilled to welcome a mayor who rejects political divisions in favor of unity, collaboration, and the sharing of best practices and to do our part to help create a more equitable, rigorous and dynamic public education system,” the Center said in a statement.
Robin Hood CEO and former Deputy Mayor Richard Buery Jr. congratulated Adams and brought up his plan for reducing poverty across the city.
“As we build back from the pandemic, I am confident that Mayor-elect Adams will do what it takes to build a new New York, that both addresses the city’s and vulnerable New Yorkers’ immediate needs and provides real solutions to the long-persisting inequities that COVID-19 worsened,” said Buery said.\
