, Mayor Eric Adams appeared on 94.7 The Block’s “Jonesy in the Morning” to discuss several key initiatives and issues facing New York City. He outlined his focus on economic relief for New Yorkers, such as the proposed “Axe the Tax for the Working Class” bill, which aims to eliminate city income taxes for those earning below 150% of the poverty line. He also highlighted plans to cancel medical debt for many residents. Regarding congestion pricing, Adams explained that the $9 fee applies only to certain parts of the city, not major highways. Additionally, the mayor addressed subway safety concerns, emphasizing the need for a stronger police presence on trains to combat random violence and mental health crises. The conversation also touched on immigration, with Adams asserting that migrants who commit violent crimes should be removed, while still supporting the overall immigrant experience.
Wayne Mayo: From her block to your block, and all the blocks between, Queens Finest. Jonesy in the Morning, on 94.7 The Block.
Tarsha Jones: Ladies and gentlemen, Honorable Mayor Eric Adams.
Mayor Eric Adams: How are you doing? Haven’t heard from you, Happy New Year.
Jones: Man, you left me in them 90s girl’s streets. Man, I ain’t messing with you, but Happy New Year just the same.
Mayor Adams: Same to you. Hope the year started off well for you.
Jones: Thank you. I hope yours is too, because you know what? I know that you’re under fire for a whole bunch of things, but if they’re gonna allow your mans and them to have 34 convictions, you just have allegations, 34 convictions and he got reelected, all you gotta do is like pass a bill, give New Yorkers some money or some tax incentive and you’re good for another four, as far as I can see.
Mayor Adams: We are going to stay focused and nothing is gonna distract us. I have a great legal team. They’re gonna deal with my case and my goal is to deal with running decisions, to some of the improvements that I committed. Tomorrow we’re doing our State of the City to lay out what the vision is for the next year.
Jones: So the Axe the Tax for the Working Class, is that something that’s gonna be in that plan?
Mayor Adams: Yes, we already presented a bill to Albany and what this does is that we are saying if you’re making 150 percent below the poverty line, you no longer have to pay personal income tax. So, if there’s a mother that’s making $31,000 a year, and she has a child, she would no longer have to pay a city income tax. This is a huge win, and we’re looking to get this done in Albany.
Jones: Yeah, man. Yes. That’s what the people need. Direct impact on their pockets.
Mayor Adams: And you know what? That’s why we call it money in your pocket. You know, we put $30 billion back into the pockets of working-class people, including what we’re doing with medical debt. We’re going to cancel out medical debt for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. That’s the number one cause of bankruptcy. And so we want to take that debt off their books, and this way you shouldn’t have to be ill or deal with a serious medical crisis and have to worry about paying that debt. That’s why we’re focusing on it.
Jones: You know what? That makes a whole lot of sense to me because if you have a bad credit score because of medical debt, that’s really not your fault. It’s not like you were out there running up your credit cards, you know what I mean? Something just happened medically that you had to take care of. So, brilliant.
Mayor Adams: And you know, it’s the number one cause of bankruptcy, medical debt, and you’re right. It runs up your credit score and takes down your credit score and prevents you from purchasing a home and just moving on with your life.
Jones: Right. Well, thank you. Maybe all the pressure of what’s going on is incentivizing all these great ideas, but I am here for them all. I am calling all, calling all. We are on the phone with Mayor Eric Adams, and we’ll be back with more of him. Sit tight. It’s Jonesy on 94.7 The Block.
[Music Break.]
Jones: We’re back with Mayor Eric Adams. So the new year is here. You are proposing the acts, the tax for the working class that’s going to put millions of dollars back into the pockets of New Yorkers, but the congestive pricing, the $9, this, can you explain to me if people come in from the George Washington and they continue down the West Side Highway, are they prone to get that $9 congestive pricing tax or are you safe doing that, going that way?
Mayor Adams: Great question. If you come down the West Side Highway or if you come down to the Harlem River Drive in the FDR and go right into Brooklyn, you are not hit with that tax. And you’re only hit with the tax if you come to a certain part of the city, not the entire city. If you drive in Harlem, or high up in the East Side or the West Side, dealing with the business system.
Mayo: Below 60th Street.
Mayor Adams: Now remember it was supposed to be $15, the governor got it down to $9, but you know I know people are saying even $9 hurts New Yorkers as well. So we don’t want this plan to be on the backs of broken and flawed people, but this came from our state lawmakers and allow the MTA to do it. And, you know, we have to make sure that no one is circumventing the payment, because if they don’t pay, it’s going to come out of the pocket and may increase the cost for everyday working-class people.
Jones: Right, but the MTA needs to be held accountable, too, because they need to start providing a safer environment on public transportation. I watched a woman pull down her pants on the train yesterday and pee in between the space where the train was and the platform while the doors were open and then the doors closed on her. She pulled her pants up and came back into the train, dripping urine on the train, and ain’t nobody got time for that.
Mayor Adams: You know, that’s what I’m interested in. I’m glad you raised that, because when you look at what is happening [inaudible], people are finding it difficult to believe that the system is safer than it was since 2009 with decreasing crime when you take out the COVID years, the two years of COVID.
But the problem is there’s been a great deal of people with severe mental health illness. And as I’ve been saying, you know, for years now, we can’t allow people who can’t take care of themselves to be on our subway. That’s why you see these large numbers that we’re witnessing random acts of violence, people being shoved to the subway tracks.
Jones: Right, but the cops only go to the turnstile. It’s not like they’re in there saying, hey, you look like the pusher from last week. Get away from that platform. Get away from that lady. So what are we doing? Because I’m ready to say, I’ll pay the $9. I just don’t want people peeing in my face.
Mayor Adams: No one does, trust me. We’re going to roll out some new initiatives that are going to have police officers on the trains where a lot of people have been asking. When I was in the subway, they talked to the passengers. That’s what they were saying. They wouldn’t see their officers on the train. They wouldn’t see a presence. And so when you hear people saying that in government, saying we have too many police in the subway system, this shows you how they are out of touch with everyday New Yorkers.
Jones: I agree.
Mayo: I ride the subways every day, Mr. Mayor. I see the police, but too often, and it’s just an optical thing, I see them up by the turnstiles. Sometimes I see them on their phones. I understand that they may be doing work on their phones, but it just would be so much more comforting to see them actually in the subway cars like you used to do when you used to see the cops walking the beat on the subway cars.
Jones: Coming in between the cars, because that lady that got set on fire, ain’t nobody got time for that. And then he said– oh, but you know what? I’m glad you’re getting the migrants out. Pack them up. Pack them up, E. Pack them up. Pack them up. Thank you. That’s all my time.
Mayor Adams: [Inaudible.]
Jones: You got that Obama phone. What is going on?
Mayo: You’re breaking up.
Mayor Adams: Yeah, sorry about that. See, the migrants and immigrants have always helped this city and country that are doing the right thing, that are following the law. We want to always give people a pathway to the American dream. We want those who’ve committed serious crimes not to be allowed to stay in the country, those violent acts, those acts of violence. And that’s what I spoke with the border czar about. And so the goal is, you know, we don’t want to stop the immigrant experience in this city, but we do want to target those who are committing violent crimes.
Jones: Right. Right. But until we can do that, pack them up. They all gotta go. And then we’ll vet them and let them in one by one. I’m glad that you’re back in my life. Ladies and gentlemen, me and the mayor are back together again.
Mayor Adams: And you can’t beat that. You got to make sure it’s not too long that we are apart.
Jones: That’s right. Because you, you know, rip at my heart every time, every time. Mayor Eric Adams, ladies and gentlemen.
Mayor Adams: Thank you, take care.
Jones: Thank you. Stay warm. Happy New Year to you all.
January 8, 2025
Источники: NY.gov, Midtown Tribune news
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