Mayoral favorite Eric Adams promises 1st woman NYPD commissioner, gets ear pierced

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Thursday, July 8, 2021
Eric Adams promises 1st woman NYPD commissioner
Eric Adams promised to break the glass ceiling at the NYPD if elected

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- In the race to be New York City's next mayor, Democratic nominee Eric Adams promised Thursday to break the glass ceiling at the NYPD.

He says a woman will be the next New York City police commissioner if he beats Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in November.

The odds-on favorite would be Juanita Holmes, one of the highest-ranking women in the NYPD.

"So to my commissioner in New York City if I'm mayor, number one, it's going to be a woman," he said on MSNBC. "Because it's time to break that glass ceiling."

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Meanwhile, current Mayor Bill de Basio was asked about Adam's primary win, and he seemed optimistic about what an Adams administration might look like

"Look, I really want to commend Eric Adams for running a great campaign," he said.

Previously, de Blasio hasn't said much of anything about the Brooklyn Borough President, but on Thursday, he praised Adams and his campaign for focusing on blue-collar workers during the pandemic.

"When they put that kind of effort under these kind of adverse circumstances, it's a really good indicator of what kind of leader they are," he said. "And it makes me feel very good about him and the future of what he's going to do for New York City."

Since winning the primary, Adams marched in the salute to essential workers ticker tape parade Wednesday, and then made good on a promise that if he won, he'd get his ear pierced.

"I told you I was going to do it, and I just did what I promised," he said. "Day one, living up to my promises."

WATCH: Stacey Sager's complete parade route interview with Eric Adams

Eyewitness News' Stacey Sager caught up with newly anointed Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams at the Salute to the Hometown Heroes parade.

Adams is the overwhelming favorite to win in November, but also Thursday, Sliwa claimed he could pull of an upset because he's also on the independent party line.

"So I have a lot of Democrats who are moderates," he said. "And independents who would more readily vote for me on the independent party line, which I have, than as a Republican."

Adams has basically ignored Sliwa, and he's already looking ahead to January as the likely next mayor of New York City.

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