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Adrienne Adams offi cially becomes fi rst Black Council speaker
BY BILL PARRY
Former southern Queens
Councilman Eric Ulrich was
appointed as a senior adviser to
Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday,
Jan. 5, and will be part of
a team that will oversee operations
at City Hall and advance
the mayor’s strategic policies
and priorities.
Ulrich served as a Republican
member of the City Council
for 12 years during which time
he was instrumental in passing
legislation that established the
New York City Department of
Veterans Services. Following
Superstorm Sandy, he organized
relief efforts that helped
displaced residents rebuild and
recover.
“I am truly grateful to serve
in the Adams Administration,”
Ulrich wrote on Twitter. “I look
forward to helping him implement
his vision for a better New
York.”
Ulrich represented District
32, which encompasses the
neighborhoods of Rockaway
Park, Belle Harbor, Breezy
Point, Broad Channel, Howard
Beach, Ozone Park, South
Ozone Park, Richmond Hill
and Woodhaven, until he was
term-limited out in 2021. He
was replaced on the City Council
by Joann Ariola.
Ulrich is the product of New
York City public and parochial
schools and is the first member
of his family to earn a college
degree, having earned a B.A.
from St. Francis College and
his M.B.A. at Baruch College
School of Public Affairs.
Former Queens Assistant
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.14 COM | JAN. 14 - JAN. 20, 2022
District Attorney Andrea Shapiro
Davis was also appointed to
the team as senior adviser for
talent and appointments. She
had been serving as CUNY’s
interim vice chancellor for
university advancement since
August 2019. Shapiro Davis is
a proud graduate of Queens
College and Hofstra University
School of Law.
St. John’s University graduate
Frank Carone joins the administration
as chief of staff after
serving as the Kings County
Democratic Committee.
“We are at a pivotal moment
in our city’s history, and we
need strong leadership to bring
New York back better than
ever,” Carone said. “Mayor Adams
has already proved himself
in the early days of his administration
to be exactly that
kind of leader. I am honored
to join his team and serve the
city that I love. As chief of staff,
I will be focused on ensuring
City Hall runs smoothly, keeping
our city agencies aligned,
and delivering on the mayor’s
vision for the city.”
Adams has faith in the
group of senior advisers he has
assembled.
“This team has the experience,
knowledge and skill to
take our government, and our
city, to new heights,” Adams
said.
BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS
Though it was already decided
last month, the New York
City Council’s official vote on
Jan. 5 made Councilwoman
Adrienne Adams (D-Queens)
the first Black City Council
speaker.
The speaker of the council
is the body’s leader, not a mayoral
appointment. The speaker
serves the City Council, which
voted Adams into one of the most
powerful City Hall positions.
The council voted 49-2 to
elect her, with Council members
Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn)
and Kristin Richardson Jordan
(D-Manhattan) voting “no.”
Council member Selvena
Brooks-Powers (D-Queens)
began the vote by nominating
Adams and giving a speech on
her capabilities as head of the
council.
“Whether through her work
in educational equity, her service
to residents of Community
Board 12 or her leadership with
the Public Safety Committee
and the Black Latino and Asian
Caucus, Adrienne has been a
champion for all New Yorkers
throughout her career,” Brooks-
Powers said.
Though Adams was expected
to win, as she won the support
of the majority of Council
members in December, two of
her colleagues were adamant
that she was the wrong choice,
without presenting another
qualified candidate. And although
Adams would become
the first Black woman speaker
in the Council — which now has
a majority of 31 women — Barron
remained skeptical.
“Stay woke. Don’t be lulled
to sleep or inaction because of
Black faces and high places,”
Barron, noting the new speaker’s
politics are in line with
that of Mayor Eric Adams and
Governor Kathy Hochul when
it comes to public safety — specifically
bringing back solitary
confinement in the city’s jails
and prisons.
But many “yes” votes
stepped up to confirm that this
is not true.
Freshman members Tiffany
Cabán (D-Queens) and Chi
Ossé (D-Brooklyn) have been
watching Adams’ past work
and reaffirmed Adams’ opposition
to solitary confinement and
achievements as former chair of
the committee on public safety.
“I want to applaud her for
her bold stances in favor of just
cause employment protections,
basement apartment legalization,
support of robust violence
intervention programs and
opposition to solitary confinement,”
Cabán said.
After her win, Adams
thanked the members and other
newly elected officials who were
in attendance of the Council’s
first meeting of the year, such as
the new Bronx Borough President
Vanessa Gibson, and the
new Comptroller Brad Lander.
She also outlined her priorities
for the year, after holding a
moment of silence for the more
than 35,000 in the city who died
from COVID-19.
Read more on
PoliticsNY.com.
Adrienne Adams (D-Queens) on her first day as speaker of the City Council, Jan. 5.
Photo by John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit
Former Councilman Eric Ulrich is going back to City Hall as one of
Mayor Eric Adams’ senior advisers. Photo courtesy of Ulrich’s offi ce
Former Queens councilman heading back to City
Hall as senior adviser in Adams administration
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