
BY ROSE ADAMS
Brooklyn Borough President
Eric Adams offi cially announced
his run for mayor on
Nov. 18 after months of speculation,
saying that the city needs
a commander who “leads from
the front” during the COVID-19
outbreak and fi scal crisis.
“We saw fi ghts over should
schools open, should restaurants,
should we shut
down the city. That was just
wrong and it traumatized
New Yorkers,”Adams said.
“I’m a believer that generals
lead from the front, that’s
why I put that mattress on the
fl oor in Borough Hall during
COVID-19, so I could get up
early in the morning every
day and late at night.”
Adams, who launched his
campaign months after rumors
about his run began
circulating, said he delayed
the announcement to focus
on helping Brooklynites cope
during the pandemic.
In an interview with am-
NewYork Metro, Adams vowed
to build more safe cycling infrastructure
COURIER L 26 IFE, NOV. 27-DEC. 3, 2020
if elected to the city’s
highest post. In 2019, 29 cyclists
died across the city, and 18 cyclists
have died so far this year.
Adams, who had no criticisms
of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s
Vision Zero program, said he
would bring in advocates such
as Transportation Alternatives
to help build safe corridors
that would allow children
to bike to school.
“If our children feel safe
enough to utilized the biking
systems that we create, we
will start raising young people
who see biking as part of a
normal day activity,” he said.
Bike-share program Citi
Bike would continue expanding
into more working-class
neighborhoods under Adams’
administration, he added.
Though the Metropolitan
Transit Authority remains
in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s purview,
Adams, a former NYPD
captain, also said he would prioritize
stationing more cops in
subway stations and buses.
Adams also said he would
consider working to reduce
the cost of a MetroCard.
When it comes to the controversial
calls for police reform,
Adams proposed minor
changes to help diversify the
department. Under his watch,
a female NYPD commissioner
would be tasked with diversifying
the force and promoting offi
cers based on merit, he said.
A larger percent of the department
would also be required
to live in New York City
— not only to have more in
common with the people they
serve, but also to recycle the
city’s tax dollars back into the
local economy. Currently, more
than 30 percent of police offi -
cers live outside the city limits.
Adams also outlined a
plan to conquer the city’s $9
billion defi cit by giving each
city agency a fi ve to 10 percent
budget cut either through attrition,
temporary furloughs,
Borough President Eric Adams. File photo by Paul Frangipane
or early retirement. This way,
“strategic” borrowing could
bring the city out of its fi scal
crisis, he said.
Lastly, the perennial issue
of homelessness would take on
new – and old – forms if Adams
is elected.
New York City made a mistake
in eliminating the Advantage
program in 2011, which
provided rental subsidies to
families living in shelters, and
Adams aims to bring it back,
the mayoral hopeful said.
To help house the homeless,
the city should convert
hotel rooms into single-room
occupancy housing for single
individuals who can get by
with a small kitchenette and
other bare necessities while
getting back on their feet.
Adams is one of nearly
30 candidates who have fi led
to fun for mayor, including
Comptroller Scott Stringer,
former de Blasio staffer Maya
Wiley, and Sunset Park Councilman
Carlos Menchaca.
IT’S OFFICIAL
Eric Adams announces run for mayor