Speaker Adrienne Adams outlines vision for leadership of NYC as mayoral run looms
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams outlined her vision for the leadership of New York City on Tuesday in her final State of the City address.
It was her last State of the City speech as Council speaker, but Adams may be giving a lot more speeches coming up if she decides to run for mayor.
Adrienne Adams is the city's first Black City Council speaker and first mother in the role. She leads the most diverse City Council ever with a majority of the seats held by women -- which informs her approach.
"We are our own constituents, this has enabled us to legislate differently investing in communities that have been overlooked, and addressing issues like maternal mortality that have disproportionately harmed people who look like us," Adams said.
Adams is a grandmother of 12 and had been considering retirement -- but now she might be eyeing a run for mayor.
She spoke of leadership during the address at Jazz at Lincoln Center and offered a veiled attack on the city's embattled mayor.
"The dignity and trust in government leadership has been shaken in our city and it must be restored," she said.
This weekend the former governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, entered the mayoral race.
On Tuesday, he campaigned on Staten Island and proposed some tax relief measures, including eliminating NYC income tax on tips and city income tax for low income household. He is also proposing increasing the mansion tax threshold to $2.5 million up from $1 million.
On Monday night, Cuomo spoke about how he'd work with President Trump, as a fellow boy from Queens.
"Queens boys, so I dealt with him as governor, he knows our situation; he knows the situation in NYC, it is his hometown, I think that he wants NYC to appreciate him," Cuomo said.
On Tuesday, Comptroller Brad Lander, who is also running for mayor, questioned Cuomo's loyalties to New York.
"It sure looks that Andrew Cuomo is just as beholden to Trump as Eric Adams is," Lander said.
And Gov. Kathy Hochul made a dig as well.
"I'm not engaging in the mayoral race for a number of reasons, there has to be at least one adult in the state of New York who is focused not on politics, not on elevating their own personal career, not their own ambitions, who is actually governing and running the state," Hochul said.
But the question is who will run the city -- and today one woman suggested it could be her.
"We need solutions more than slogans, service rather than saviors, and partnership over patriarchy," Adrienne Adams said.
She has already filed her paperwork to form a campaign committee, which is the first step for a potential mayoral candidate.
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