villagecaremax.org 8 am to 8 pm, 7 days a week
VillageCareMAX is an HMO plan with Medicare and New York State Medicaid contracts. Enrollment in VillageCareMAX depends on contract renewal. Service area includes the
following counties: Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan) and Queens. For accommodations of persons with special needs at meetings, call 1-800-469-6292 (TTY: 711).
VillageCareMAX complies with Federal civil rights laws and does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-800-469-6292 (TTY: 711).
COURIER L 12 IFE, JANUARY 7-13, 2022
Mayor Eric
Adams sworn in
at ball drop
Mayor Eric Adams attends the New Year’s Eve celebrations in
Times Square. REUTERS/Dieu-Nalio Chery
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Native New Yorkers
would avoid Times
Square on a regular day,
but Mayor Eric Adams
chose the busiest day of
the year for his swearing
in: New Year’s Eve.
Surrounded by his family,
the media, and 15,000
other spectators, Adams
became the 110th mayor
of New York City.
It was about 12:06 a.m.
when the swearing in began.
Adams swore with
his hand on the family
Bible and was sworn in
by the city clerk. After
the fi nal countdown and
the crystal ball dropped
down to 2022, the band
Journey appeared on a
stage at West 46th Street
and 7th Avenue to preface
the mayor’s appearance.
Despite the circumstances,
the crowd was
lively, fi lled with purple
and yellow balloons and
confetti.
Mayor Bill de Blasio
arrived just before midnight
to do the countdown,
as well as dance
with the fi rst lady, before
being ushered off
the stage to make room
for the former Brooklyn
borough president.
The mayor’s original
inauguration was to be
held at a normal hour of
the day, over at the Kings
Theatre in Flatbush.
He and his comptroller
elect and the public advocate
would be making
history by moving
the swearing in to their
home borough of Brooklyn
instead of swearing
in at City Hall. However
it was quickly canceled
due to the COVID-19 omicron
variant. The highly
contagious strain of the
virus also scaled back
the ball drop from 58,000
to 15,000.
The new mayor had a
busy fi rst day weekend
as he ushered the city
into a new era in governing.
Adams met with his
new cabinet early Saturday
morning and, at
noon, he delivered an
address to the people of
New York City.
A few hours later, Adams
addressed offi cers
at the 103rd Precinct station
house in Jamaica,
Queens. The location has
personal signifi cance for
hizzoner, a former ranking
member of the NYPD
who said he suffered police
brutality there as a
young man.
Also taking offi ce at
midnight Saturday were
City Comptroller Brad
Lander, Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams,
Brooklyn Borough President
Antonio Reynoso,
and all 51 City Council
members elected in November,
among others.
Midnight also marked
a changing of the guard
at the NYPD, as Keechant
Sewell offi cially became
New York City’s
fi rst Black female police
commissioner, succeeding
the retiring Dermot
Shea. David Banks also
offi cially took offi ce as
the city’s new schools
chancellor, taking over
for Meisha Ross Porter.
Call to enroll or make an in-person appointment
1-800-469-6292 (TTY 711)
H2168_MKT22-10_M
/villagecaremax.org