18 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 13, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Adams offi cially becomes fi rst Black City Council speaker
BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th ough it was already decided last
month, the New York City Council’s offi -
cial vote on Jan. 5 made Councilwoman
Adrienne Adams (D-Queens) the fi rst
Black City Council speaker.
Th e speaker of the council is the body’s
leader, not a mayoral appointment. Th e
speaker serves the City Council, which
voted Adams into one of the most powerful
City Hall positions.
Th e 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.Th
ough 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 qualifi ed candidate. And
although Adams would become the fi rst
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 — specifi -
cally bringing back solitary confi nement
in the city’s jails and prisons.
But many “yes” votes stepped up to confi
rm that this is not true.
Freshman members Tiff any Cabán
(D-Queens) and Chi Ossé (D-Brooklyn)
have been watching Adams’ past work
and reaffi rmed Adams’ opposition to solitary
confi nement 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
confi nement,” Cabán said.
Aft er her win, Adams thanked the
members and other newly elected offi cials
who were in attendance of the Council’s
fi rst 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, aft er holding a moment of silence for
the more than 35,000 in the city who died
from COVID-19.
“It’s in the memory of those we have
lost that we have a just recovery. Th at
means addressing the healthcare inequities
that caused communities of
color to suff er the most from
COVID only to receive the least
resources. Th en we must build
upon the lessons learned, especially
when it comes to caring
for elderly loved ones,”
Adams said.
When it
came to
public safety
comments,
Adams said
that too many
young lives
were harmed
on both sides of
the gun. “One
of the best
ways to stop
guns from
fl owing into
our streets
is to provide
goodpaying
jobs
and workforce
training instead,”
she said.
Lastly, her beliefs on
representation in government were clear:
Women need a seat at the table in a sea of
male leadership.
During the Jan. 5 meeting, the council
also recognized Council member
Brooks-Powers as majority whip,
and Joseph Borelli (R-Staten
Island) as minority leader.
For the Rules Committee,
Adams nominated Brooks-
Powers, Gale Brewer
(D-Manhattan), Kamillah
Hanks (D-Staten Island),
Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn),
Rita Joseph (D-Brooklyn), Shekar
Krishnan (D-Queens), Farah
Louis (D-Brooklyn),
Keith Powers
(D-Manhattan),
Rafel Salamanca
(D-Bronx),
Marjorie
Velázquez
(D-Bronx)
and Julie Won
(D-Queens).
Th ey were
approved with one
abstention from
Barron.
Former Queens councilman named senior adviser in Mayor Adams’ administration
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
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 fi rst 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 Aff airs.
F o r m e r
Q u e e n s
Assistant 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 aft er 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.
“Th is team has the experience, knowledge
and skill to take our government, and our
city, to new heights,” Adams said. “Our motto
is ‘get stuff done,’ and we are already off to a
fl ying start. Together, we will work day in and
day out to make New York City safer, more
equitable and more prosperous for all.”
Photo courtesy
of Ulrich’s offi ce
Former
Councilman Eric
Ulrich is going
back to City Hall
as one of Mayor
Eric Adams’
senior advisers.
Photo by John McCarten/NYC
Council Media Unit
Adrienne Adams on her
fi rst day as speaker of
the City Council, Jan. 5.
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