Eric Adams sworn in as NYC mayor following Times Square ball drop

by mcardinal

Chris Lange, FISM News

 

Eric Adams, a retired cop, former state senator, and outgoing Brooklyn borough president, was officially sworn in as New York City’s 110th mayor in Times Square following the New Year’s Eve ball drop.

Shortly after midnight, Adams held up a framed portrait of his deceased mother, placed his hand on a family Bible, and affirmed to “faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the mayor of the City of New York.” Addressing a cheering crowd of onlookers, he announced, “New York is back.”

The 61-year-old succeeds controversial outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was term-limited out of office and has said he plans to run for governor.

Adams – a Democrat who spent 22 years in the NYPD – is likely to be one of the most closely-watched politicians of 2022 as the Big Apple faces skyrocketing crime and homelessness, surging Omicron cases, and COVID testing shortages. New York City’s unemployment rate, currently double the nationwide average, poses another daunting challenge. 

Adams said last week that he will keep several of de Blasio’s policies in place, including vaccine mandates that are among the strictest in the nation. 

“We are going to keep that in place,” Adams said in a Thursday press conference. “We spoke with our business leaders today to let them know we’re going to keep that in place.” 

New York City is currently under the most sweeping mandate of any state or large city in the country. De Blasio recently added private sector employees to the growing list of workers for whom vaccines are required, following an earlier mandate imposed on the city’s municipal workforce. While affirming his plans to continue his predecessor’s COVID-19 policies, Adams said he plans to “focus on compliance, not punishment.” He has also said that he will continue the proof-of-vaccination requirements currently in place for indoor dining and entry to other large-scale public venues.

“This virus is ever moving. As we continue to look at the evolution of this virus, there will be moments when we can change some of the mandates,” Adams said. “I would love to get to the day when we won’t have children wearing masks in schools, when we won’t have families needing to sit in a restaurant or visit other locations with the vaccine cards. We’re going to make those adjustments based on what the science tells us when we can remove some of the mandates. And there may come a time if a new variant comes where we have to increase mandates. And so right now we’re going to maintain what was put in place for the business community.”

A decision on whether or not to implement vaccine requirements for public school students will be announced sometime this spring, according to Adams, who previously said he is committed to keeping schools open. He plans to meet with a team of advisors to develop programs to distribute face masks and rapid tests. Adams also plans to implement a color-coded alert system to keep New Yorkers up-to-date on COVID-19 threat levels.

The newly-minted mayor, who ran on a platform of law and order, also criticized the policies of prior administrations.

“Our government has been dysfunctional for far too long and it created its own crisis long before COVID — whether it was crime-ridden communities, poor schools, economic inequality, or racial injustice,” he said. “Our problems have been normalized for generations, while New York’s government struggled to match the energy and innovation of New Yorkers. That changes today.”

Adams appears to be an unconventional Democratic politician by today’s standards. He has described himself as a progressive but practical leader and has adopted a more business-friendly and moderate approach than his predecessor. In addition to his tough-on-crime, pro-police stance, he has vowed to slash bureaucratic fat from the Department of Education and reinstate the gifted and talented program gutted by de Blasio. 

Despite the many challenges ahead, Adams’ message to New Yorkers in the first few minutes of 2022 was one of optimism:

We’re unbelievable, this is an unbelievable city and trust me, we’re ready for a major comeback because this is New York.”

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