Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the New York City Council, entered the mayor’s race later than her rivals, but she is trying to prove in the final weeks of the campaign that she has the experience and temperament to become the city’s first female mayor.
Ms. Adams is running on a message of “no drama, no scandal — just competence and integrity,” offering herself as an alternative to Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, both of whom were investigated for suspected wrongdoing.
Ms. Adams, who is not related to the mayor but did go to high school with him, recently qualified for $2 million in public matching funds and has a high-profile backer in Letitia James, the state attorney general. But the speaker still significantly trails Mr. Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani, a progressive state lawmaker, in the polls.
Ahead of the June 24 primary, the leading Democrats in the race visited The New York Times for interviews. We are publishing excerpts from those interviews, and this is the second in the series; our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
We asked Ms. Adams, 64, questions about 10 themes, with the occasional follow-up, touching on her favorite book and whether she has regrets about how the city handled its outdoor dining program.
We’ve written previously about her proposal for guaranteed income, her clashes with the mayor and the loss of her father during the coronavirus pandemic.
1. What’s the most important issue in the race: affordability, public safety, President Trump or something else?
Affordability. We’re seeing so many people that want to leave and it’s a challenge. I’m a wife and a mom and a grandmother, and I want to keep my children here. We’ve seen Black people leaving this city in droves over the past decade or so — over 200,000 — that’s my community, your community. People are leaving because they can’t afford it.
2. Whom did you rank first in the 2021 mayoral primary?
I ranked Eric Adams first. Maya Wiley was not a distant second. Kathryn Garcia was third. I ranked three.
How do you feel about your first choice now?
What a mistake I made. If only we could turn back the hands of time. But I had high hopes.
What resonated with you at the time?
What really resonated was his messaging coming from southeast Queens, like I’m from southeast Queens. We had a lot of the same values, I thought. I believed in his vision for the city — for the working-class folks where we both came from.
3. Should the Elizabeth Street Garden in Manhattan be closed to build affordable housing?
I believe it should. This was a done deal. It should be happening right now. I thought the mayor was in favor of it. We’re talking about affordable housing for seniors. It’s something that should be done not just there, but across all five boroughs when we are prioritizing affordable housing.
4. What’s one issue in politics that you’ve changed your mind on?
I changed my mind on receivership for Rikers Island.
I wanted to give the commissioner and the mayor a chance to really work this through. My mother was a correction officer so this is really personal to me. I have come to believe that there needs to be a manager, and I’m glad to see it.
5. There have been questions about where Mayor Adams lives. Where do you live?
I live in South Jamaica in Queens.
How much is your rent or mortgage?
Our mortgage is paid.
Do you own a car?
I do not own a car. My husband leases his vehicle.
How often do you take the subway or bus?
The last time I took the subway was in March. But as an elected official for almost 10 years, prior to that, I commuted on a daily basis. I took the E train end to end. I parked my Civic, when I had it, at a parking lot, and I walked to Jamaica Station and I got on that E train and I took it to the end of the line to the World Trade Center all these years.
6. What do you consider yourself when it comes to your finances, growing up and now? Middle class, upper middle class, wealthy?
I grew up in a middle-class home with two union parents. Very happy.
My husband and I, together we have 11 grandchildren. When I consider being middle-middle class to being slightly upper middle class, living in the same home that we’ve lived in for over 36 years and knowing the complexities that my children and grandchildren are going through right now because of the economy. My oldest daughter is a paramedic raising four teenagers as a single parent. Yes, we contribute to their living. My son and daughter-in-law living upstate with twins, yes we contribute to their way of life financially. Real talk.
We contribute to our grandchildren’s well-being as well when it comes to paying for uniforms, when it comes to putting food on the table. That’s our story. In the sense of our finances, in really being that family for our family, I’m middle class.
7. What is one good policy or accomplishment of Mayor Adams?
I can name a couple. The fact that he made dyslexia a priority because of his own issues with dyslexia, I think it was a very, very good thing.
The proposal for City of Yes, which we had to do over again. [The mayor offered a plan, and the City Council made significant changes before approving it.] But I will absolutely give Mayor Adams the credit for bringing that to the City Council because it absolutely had to be done.
8. You’ve received criticism over new rules for outdoor dining. Do you have any regrets, and do you think the program needs further changes?
Well, I support outdoor dining. We have to remember the expansion of outdoor dining was a result of the emergency order because of the pandemic. That’s where we saw really a wonderful expansion of outdoor dining. It helped to save lives and brought people together.
Once that emergency order was lifted, there had to be regulations put in place. We have really expanded the program compared to prepandemic. Anybody can apply to the program, which is a great thing, but the oversight needs to be worked on. We had a hearing on this a few weeks ago, and the Department of Transportation, who wanted responsibility for outdoor dining, they have got to get their act together. There are establishments that are waiting for their licensing to be looked at and approved. So far, we’ve only called up five, and that’s unacceptable.
We have to hold D.O.T. responsible. The City Council, we did our due diligence as far as the regulation is concerned. But there are changes that need to be made.
Does there need to be new legislation or just different implementation?
Not new legislation. There needs to be the appropriate management by way of the Department of Transportation.
9. What is your bagel order or favorite breakfast sandwich?
An everything bagel with veggie cream cheese. Do not toast it.
10. What’s your favorite book?
Oh my gosh, I have so many of them. I’m going to go back to Maya Angelou, who was the keynote speaker when I graduated from Spelman College. That would have to be “The Heart of a Woman.”
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is the City Hall bureau chief for The Times, covering Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.
Jeffery C. Mays is a Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall.
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