PERSON of the YEAR
Mayor Eric Adams
Caribbean Life, JANUARY 21-27, 2022 19
SPECIAL SECTION
Leading our city
The title of “Person of
the Year” is bestowed upon
the individual who dominated
the headlines and/or
profoundly influenced New
York City over the course of
the year. Eric Adams clearly
earned that title in 2021.
The 61-year-old Brooklyn
native and former cop made
history in 2021 by becoming
the second Black New Yorker
elected to the city’s highest
office. His fate was sealed
in this heavily Democratic
city back in June, when he
won an extremely competitive
Democratic primary. The
next few months on the campaign
trail produced no surprises;
it wasn’t a matter of
if Adams would win, but by
how much. In November, the
then-Brooklyn borough president
was officially elected as
mayor in the general election
in a landslide victory over his
Republican rival, Guardian Angels
founder Curtis Sliwa.
Adams didn’t reach the highest
point in New York City politics
by happenstance. His entire
career has been spent in
public service, from his days
walking the beat as a New
York City cop; to becoming an
outspoken advocate for Black
officers within the NYPD; to
his service in the State Senate
and later as the two-term
Brooklyn borough president.
See more inside