In an interview on PIX11, Mayor Eric Adams expressed strong support for President Biden, despite differing views on some issues, and reiterated his commitment to Biden’s re-election. Addressing his own 2024 mayoral race, Adams emphasized his achievements in job creation, crime reduction, and public health, while welcoming the democratic process of being primaried. He also defended the city’s new waste management strategy, aiming to containerize 70% of garbage by November to combat the rat problem.
Kendis Gibson: Now to New York City Mayor Eric Adams joining us tonight. Mr. Mayor, can you hear us?
Mayor Eric Adams: Yes.
Gibson: Great to see you. Thanks for taking the time. Let’s start with what you thought about President Biden’s big boy press conference, as they called it last night. How do you think he did? Did he quiet all of those questions about his fitness to run for another term?
Mayor Adams: Let me tell you, one thing I know about this type of work is that you never quiet the noise.
Gibson: You’ve been trying to do it for years.
Mayor Adams: This is the nature of the beast. 8.3 million people in this city with 35 million opinions so imagine the entire country. Listen, he has a job to do. I’m a supporter of the president. I’m a soldier. Give me my marching orders. I am pleased with so many things he has done while he was in office, including the economy, public safety stuff. Listen, we disagree on the migrant asylum seeker issue, but we should not be judged by our worst day. It’s the totality of our work. Let’s move ahead towards the election.
Arrianee LeBeau: Okay, so speaking of moving ahead, Mr. Mayor, you mentioned you’re a supporter of the president. Do you think at this moment he should stay in the race?
Mayor Adams: I think that he has to make the decision personally on what he wants to do. Then the party must come together. We operate within a party system and that’s where the determination is made. As a superdelegate, that’s what my vote is going for.
Gibson: Mr. Mayor, though, the president has said in that letter, lengthy letter, that he plans to stay in it. As I hear you and parse what you’re saying right there, you’re saying the decision is still up in the air.
Mayor Adams: No, I did not say that. I am very clear. Superdelegate, vote for Biden is my vote. I can’t be any clearer than that.
Gibson: Let me ask you really quickly though, because poll after poll has shown the number one issue voters have with President Biden is his age. Even a majority of Democrats don’t want him to run again. Wouldn’t your party be better served with someone else, including the vice president, who can still run on the record for the administration, but without age as the issue?
Mayor Adams: I am not a person that complains about people who are too younger than me than doing the job that I’m doing. I remember one debate, someone said, I’m not going to talk about your age and use it as an example. I’m focused. I cannot be clearer. All of this noise gets in the way of what the agenda must be, that is making the city and country affordable…
Gibson: Would the vice president be a better candidate for your party?
Mayor Adams: Listen, I’ve been clear. We need to be focusing on affordability, public safety, the border issue. Let’s not get caught up on all these other things. Let’s get caught up on what New Yorkers and Americans need. Public safety, affordability, educating our children, dealing with healthcare. We get caught up on all these other things instead of the primary thing. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing, superdelegate, my vote is for Biden. I can’t be any clearer.
LeBeau: All right, so Mr. Mayor, let’s talk about another election. Next year’s mayoral race, you’re up for reelection. This week on PIX on Politics, our Dan Mannarino spoke with three leaders in City Council and asked about a Democratic primary. We want to get your take on what they had to say. Take a listen.
[Video plays.]
Dan Mannarino: Deputy speaker, should the mayor be primaried?
City Councilmember Diana Ayala: I think so. I think so. I think that… That’s what democracy is all about.
Mannarino: Speaker, should the mayor be primary?
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams: I’m going to watch and see what happens with this particular race.
[Video ends.]
LeBeau: Your thoughts, mayor?
Mayor Adams: Listen, I haven’t been clear. I don’t think people hear me clearly. Democracy is about making sure the best person is elected to office and I want to put my record up front and center. More private sector jobs, more jobs in the city’s history, decreasing the things that I said in crime, children outpacing the state and reading and math, dyslexia screening, when you look at bond raters increasing our bond rating, turnaround in the economy, going after public enemy number one, rats. We’re going to containerize 70 percent of our garbage in November. Many people talk about this game from the sideline in the bleaches. I’m on the field and I’m producing for New Yorkers.
LeBeau: Okay, so, mayor, let’s talk about crime. This morning, there was a shooting in Tompkins Square Park. Police say this may have been drug-related. This is an area that has been on your radar, not even just two weeks ago, you addressed the violence there. What is the city doing to address the surge in violence?
Mayor Adams: It’s a number of things. I bet you when we catch the people that are involved, you’re going to see what I’ve talked about day after day. Recidivism. There’s a small number of people who are doing a disproportionate amount of crime. We need to make sure they remain behind bars and every apparatus and part of the criminal justice system should be a part of that.
Police are doing their job. They’re clearing cases. They’re making arrests. They moved 17,000 illegal guns off the streets. Far too often, those who are doing shootings, they are returned back to our streets and they don’t learn a lesson. Just, Officer Diller’s, a murderer. He was arrested 20 times. 20 times. A person in a car with him was arrested on a gun charge and there was a gun in the car that looks like it was his as well. That is our problem.
Gibson: Should we talk trash for a second, mayor? Because some people are saying the city reinvented the wheel with a New York City trash can. There was a report that came out that says that it took a research group two years and $1.6 million to determine that trash cans were the way to tackle the rat problem. You guys have taken a lot of social media heat. Did it really require that much money and that much time to figure out what many people know every day that you put your trash in a trash bin?
Mayor Adams: No, it’s more than that. The report wasn’t just stating that we needed more trash bins, something that we abandoned during the 60s after the sanitation strike. I think that when you read the Daily News editorial, it pointed out not only did we get the information, we implemented it and moved on it. Now, look at that report. It says that, of my knowledge, it would take over five years to or close to five years to implement. I’m doing it in two years and almost six months. November, 70 percent of our garbage is going to be off our streets. Those garbage bags are disappearing and public enemy number one rats are gone.
LeBeau: All right. One of my favorite words, containerization mayor.
Gibson: You get a rhyme. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for coming on PIX11. We’ll see you soon.
Mayor Adams: Take care.
July 12, 2024
P.S. Mayor Eric Adams’ interview responses can be critiqued on several fronts. First, his unwavering support for President Biden might overlook legitimate concerns about Biden’s age and effectiveness, potentially alienating voters who feel these issues are significant. Additionally, while Adams highlighted his administration’s achievements, his handling of crime and the rat problem might be seen as insufficient, with some arguing that his strategies lack long-term effectiveness and innovation.
Sources: Midtown Tribune news, nyc.gov
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