The pleasant reception that greeted Eric Adams who took office this weekend as mayor of New York stemmed from the widespread belief among city residents that a new and promising era awaits them, but as he takes his first steps in his office, Adams is already facing a first threat: expectations from him.
The list of hopes and expectations that New Yorkers hang on to the new mayor is so long and challenging that it is highly doubtful that anyone would have been able to fulfill it in the first four years of office. “Adams’ path to mayor was clear. “The answer to the question of how he will fill the role is everyone’s guess,” the New York Times reported.
Adams, 61, begins his term as the big apple recovers from the corona plague. New York was the largest victim of the epidemic, and in the first months of its spread the death toll in the metropolis reached 25,000.
Former New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo, Was able to mobilize and navigate the state’s health care system to deal with the corona, and New York became an example of a successful fight against the virus and a role model for its containment. But now, when it comes to the fight against the spread of the Omicron strain, the new mayor can not do much, and in this area also no significant fact is expected of him.
Andrew Cuomo (Photo: Reuters)The same feeling among the residents of “New Age” to New York mainly expresses relief from the end of the term of the previous mayor, Bill de Blasio. In his eight years in office, de Bellasio has amassed a dubious reputation and is considered the most unsuccessful of New York City mayors for many years. Reporters and commentators in the New York press try to sum up de Blasio’s tenure in a positive tone, but without success. Contrary to promises, critics criticize, during his tenure, the extent of poverty in New York increased significantly. In fact, the only achievement recorded in his name is his success in introducing free education to toddlers.
De Bellasio himself showed contempt for his role. He used to be absent from his office for days, and almost all the senior officials who worked for him resigned. After announcing his intention to run for governor of New York State, he did not win even one percent of poll support.
Bill de Bellasio, former mayor of New York (Photo: Reuters)Not completely anonymous
Adams, the Democrat, is the second black person to be elected mayor of New York. David Dinkins, the first black in office (passed away a year ago at age 93), is remembered as a pleasant-mannered man and a well-liked mayor, but ended one term without significant achievement. Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, ran against Dinkins and easily defeated him.
Adams is not entirely anonymous, but his victory in the mayoral election was accompanied by the following headline in the New York Times: “No one really knows who Eric Adams is.”
Since then, Adams has made sure to be exposed to the public eye. He is a native of the Brownsville neighborhood, an area of Brooklyn known for being the center of a poor population. He likes to tell how he debated while in high school about his future, and listened to the advice of the family pastor, who recommended that he enlist in the police. Adams served in the New York Police Department for 22 years and was promoted to captain.
After retiring from the police he decided to enter politics and joined the Democratic Party. For a short time he served as a senator in the New York State Senate, and was elected on behalf of the Democratic Party as president of the Brooklyn borough. His associates and acquaintances define him as a beloved and comfortable man, reconciled and inclined to cooperate with his surroundings.
In a portrait article published about him in the New York Times, Adams defines himself as “a pragmatic and progressive moderate.” In a speech delivered upon learning of the election results, Adams declared: “My victory is the victory of the poor working class in New York. I am you. After years of hopes, prayers and struggles, we are on our way to the mayor’s office. This is proof that the residents of the city will love you, if you love them. “
The most central and challenging test awaiting Adams’ immediate treatment, certainly given his past as a lawyer, is the fight against the continuing increase in violent crime. In 2021, there was a 68% increase in the number of shooting incidents compared to the previous year. According to the data, there has also been a continuous increase in robbery crimes, which have recently jumped by 166% compared to the same period last year. Police figures also show a jump of no less than 400% in the number of incidents and violent hostilities against Asians in the metropolis. This coincides with a continuing increase in the number of manifestations of anti-Semitism, including violent attacks on Jews with a Hasidic appearance.
Another challenge facing the new mayor is the continuing increase in the poor and needy population in New York, an inheritance he is certainly not happy to receive from his predecessor in office. Also, the severe housing crisis is taking on alarming proportions, in part due to the corona crisis. The number of homeless in the last three years has tripled in New York, and Adams, who likes to emphasize in every public appearance his concern for the poor, will have to prove how he will realize it on the ground.
Want change
Adams himself does not seem bothered by the difficulties that await him in the position. Even before he entered his office, he had already taken a number of steps and announced surprising appointments to the senior staff he would work with. These are appointments that prove that Adams is really preparing for a new era in the city. He also seems to be aware of the expectations that are higher than him, and proof of this he provided in an appointment that was defined as revolutionary, when he chose for the first time in the history of the city a woman to function for the police.
At a news conference, Adams announced that he had appointed Kishant Sewell as the New York Police Chief of Staff and defined Sewell, 49, who in recent years has served as the head of the Nasau County Police Station’s Detective Division as “the right woman for the job.” He then added that “she broke, smashed and destroyed every glass ceiling that came her way.”
The appointment attracted attention and generated a wave of reactions. The New York Times, which positively reported on the appointment of Sewell, revealed that Adams intends to announce a series of appointments to senior positions, which the newspaper believes will “revolutionize and historically” change the city’s municipal system: “A large portion of City Council representatives are retiring . Adams plans to take advantage of this and select council members who will make the council the most progressive body in the city’s history. The New City Council will reflect the diversity and diversity of the New York City population, including some figures from the “home” community.
When he started the mayoral race about a year ago, an embarrassing biographical detail was revealed, according to which Adams had a close friendly relationship with Luis Farhan, known for his antisemitic remarks. During the election campaign, Adams managed to blur and hide this stain. As a mayoral candidate, Adams spent much of his time performing in the ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic community in Brooklyn, meeting with rebbes and rabbis and appearing at election rallies alongside ultra-Orthodox community activists. The effort he put into this sector bore fruit, and Adams won the majority of ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic votes in Brooklyn.
Eric Adams, Mayor of New York (Photo: Reuters)The sector has high expectations of Adams, and he has high hopes for him as someone who will fight against the recent manifestations of violent anti-Semitism against ultra-Orthodox and Hasidim.
“Adams has received significant support in the vote among the Orthodox,” Arik Yoffe, a senior leader of the Reform movement who is actively involved in community life, told Maariv. “But he is not the choice of the liberal Jewish establishment. At this stage, this establishment has an open opinion about it. “
Like the skeptical commentators, Yoffe is a little skeptical about Adams’ ability to curb crime: “I find it hard to believe that he will be able to fulfill everything that is expected of him. He demonstrates firmness and toughness in this area, but also presents himself as a liberal democrat. Jews from all circles and camps in the city hope to succeed. The mayors of Philadelphia and Chicago have tried and tried in this area, and have not been so successful. “
Senior members of the Jewish community in New York, known and recognized as representatives of the liberal majority, note that Adams represents the center of the Democratic Party and has made his public career as a representative of the mainstream of the party. In New York, which is considered a democratic stronghold, his ideological identity as a central figure has considerable significance.
“His victory in the Democratic primary when he defeated rival candidates known as extremists, along with his election achievement, prove that the party’s progressive faction is weak and its presence as an influential factor in the party is extremely marginal,” a senior member of the Jewish community told Maariv.
In American politics, the mayor of New York is defined as the second most important term after the presidency of the United States. The problems, distresses and illnesses that Adams will face are not unique to New York. The increase in crime, the rise of extremist racial factors, the rising rates of poverty, the housing crisis and, of course, the corona crisis – all of which are facing many cities in the United States and the Western world, and not always successfully. New Yorkers feel they deserve change.
It will be fascinating to follow the new mayor, who begins his term at the beginning of a new year, and see how he confronts, copes and struggles with the problems and adversities.
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