As the speaker of the New York City Council, Adrienne Adams’s annual State of the City address would typically be seen as a blueprint for the Council’s agenda in the coming year.
But her speech on Tuesday carried far more weight.
She is expected to make a final decision this week, but signs seems to be pointing to her jumping in the race. She is assembling a campaign team and participated this weekend in a screening for the endorsement of Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, an influential city union.
Even if she doesn’t run, her vision for New York City also carried added importance given the diminished influence of Mayor Eric Adams; under Ms. Adams’s leadership, the Council has overridden the mayor’s vetoes on critical criminal justice measures.
She told the crowd gathered at Lincoln Center that her agenda reflects her style of collaborative and community-facing leadership, a model that can be “scaled for greater impact” by those who control the levers of power.
“Throughout my time in office, I’ve been labeled a ‘moderate’ in people’s attempt to make sense of who I am. But my focus has always been public service, which has no political label,” Ms. Adams said, according to an advance copy of her speech. “How we gauge policy solutions should be based on their effectiveness in improving the lives of New Yorkers.”
Should she choose to run, Ms. Adams faces an uphill battle. She’ll have a compressed period to raise money and boost her low name recognition. None of the four previous Council speakers who have run for mayor have been successful, and no woman has ever served as mayor. And the entrance into the race over the weekend of former governor Andrew M. Cuomo, who polls show is the front-runner, has shifted the center of gravity of the contest.
Ms. Adams mentioned none of that in her speech at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where she instead focused on accomplishments such as a plan to boost the production of affordable housing, extend discounts for those struggling to pay bus and subway fares and to protect immigrant and L.G.B.T.Q. people and families from the policies of the Trump administration.
Ms. Adams criticized President Trump throughout her speech, saying he was on a “cruel crusade against immigrant families,” was “willing to burn everything in his way” for power and that his policies were damaging small businesses.
Mr. Adams, who is not related to the Council speaker, has been criticized for not speaking more forcefully against Trump administration policies that are likely to harm the city. The mayor has been accused of being beholden to Mr. Trump after the Justice Department moved to dismiss a five-count federal corruption indictment against him.
The federal prosecutor handling the case resigned rather than dismiss the charges. She said there was a quid pro quo, in which the mayor would participate in Trump administration immigration enforcement in exchange for a dismissal of the charges.
Among the new proposals Ms. Adams introduced was a plan to fund vouchers for families with children 2 years old and younger that would allow those making slightly more than the limit eligible for assistance. She also proposed a plan to help adults and young people obtain degrees at the City University of New York by providing up to $1,000 to clear unpaid balances so students could re-enroll in classes.
To increase the growth of minority- and women-owned business, Ms. Adams proposed a “minority business accelerator” that would help firms gain contracts from the private industry. She proposed legislation that would speed payment to nonprofits that provide residents with vital city services.
To help with the mental health crisis, Ms. Adams proposed creating a “holistic” model to make community centers places that provide access to mental health services, as well as physical and recreational opportunities.
She also announced a plan to expand library access by restoring seven-day-per-week service at 10 branches across the city. Ms. Adams led a charge to reverse the mayor’s proposal to cut $58.3 million in library funding last year.
“We need solutions more than slogans, service rather than saviors and partnership over patriarchy,” Ms. Adams said. “The dignity and trust in government leadership has been shaken in our city and it must be restored.”
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