Dan Bowens: Well, there's just about six weeks to go in the race for New York City Mayor.
Rosanna Scotto: The candidates are hot on the campaign trail, including Mayor Adams, who's running as an independent. He's joining us this morning from Gracie Mansion with [First] Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro. Nice to have you both with us on Good Day.
Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Great to be on with you.
Scotto: Alright so, Mayor Adams, let's just get the elephant out of the room. Everybody's talking about where you were and where you weren't this weekend. And that opens the door to something that you haven't closed the door on. Are you going to continue your run for mayor in New York City?
Mayor Adams: You know, I love you, but I don't know how many times I could close the same door and it just keeps opening over and over again. You know, what's different from me and the other candidates? I have a day job. And running this city, getting prepared for UNGA, UN General Assembly, getting prepared for security issues, and then doing something that has become increasingly challenging. Raising the money to run for re-election.
All of these rumors for the last seven weeks that stated “Eric is leaving tomorrow, Eric is leaving tomorrow. He's going to Saudi Arabia.” I mean, you hear me say this over and over again. I don't quite understand what is the goal here when—
Scotto: Mayor, with all due respect, I mean, you basically have said, “When I have an announcement to make, I'm going to make it.” Rather than saying, “I have no announcement and I am going forward to, you know, be the mayor of New York City again.” You did not close the door on that.
Mayor Adams: Go back to Gracie Mansion several weeks ago. I stood in front of Gracie Mansion and I'll send you over the exact recording. I was very clear. And what happened after that, the reports didn't stop. And Rosanna, I cannot tell you what this does for my ability to get endorsements and my ability to raise money. I already lost $4 million that I'm fighting for with CFB. You need money to run these campaigns. And what has happened, when you speak to New Yorkers, they say, “Is he still in the race? I read yesterday, he was going to HUD.” This is what has been happening.
Bowens: So, Mr. Mayor, can you say for sure, from now until Election Day, you're here, you're in it?
Mayor Adams: Again, I did that already and I'm not going to do it again. And next week, you're going to ask me that question again. And you ask me again, you would ask me up until Election Day. I announced at Gracie Mansion what I was planning on doing and what my goals were. I can't keep saying it over and over again.
Give me an opportunity to run for reelection. That is my ask. Let me do what the other candidates are able to do and that's run for reelection. I've done amazing things in the city. And I want to share that with New Yorkers to push back on all of this negative energy around my campaign.
Bowens: Alright, and also this week, of course, you mentioned it, the UN General Assembly, something the city has been preparing for the increased security as well. What has the city done to make sure that things are going to go smoothly this week?
First Deputy Mayor Mastro: Well, if I may, the city, obviously, when the UN is here, we're a great international city that welcomes the international community and leaders from around the world. And we make our city safe because we have the greatest Police Department in the world. So we’ll take extra precautions. We will have extra security drones and the like. But we're confident that the city will be safe for the UN.
Obviously, more traffic in town. And we encourage people to use public transportation during this period of time. It also overlaps with an important Jewish holiday. And we want to ensure that community to have a safe, peaceful, healthy holiday. And we believe that the city will be safe with the great support of our Police Department, the greatest in the world.
Scotto: Mayor, I don't know if you had a chance to open the paper today, but the Transit Workers Union took out a big ad and they're going after you because of your stance on the carriage horses, which you have now said that you're in favor of electric and maybe getting rid of the horses on the streets of New York. Does it hurt you when you see these kinds of ads? I mean, they talk about that, you know, you're not even fit to be an ambassador to Alcatraz. I mean, how do you feel about that?
Mayor Adams: This is New York. Think about this for a moment. 70 of New Yorkers believe that we should take this action on horses and anyone who was not impacted by watching that horse run wild in our city. It could have struck a child, a family, an older adult. These are tough decisions and that is why you need a tough New Yorker to be the mayor to make these tough decisions.
Now it's up to the City Council to make this tough decision. And so, I can understand the frustration that's coming from the TWU. You look through the history and you'll see some of the polite things that I said and what they said about me. This is part of the process. We need to move away from these horses. They're dangerous. Public safety is of great concern. And I'll take the criticism, but history is going to be kind to me.
Bowens: And Randy Mastro, I want to follow up with you on that because the Transit Workers Union has also pointed out that many real estate developers and in the real estate community are in support of some of these changes there when it comes to the horse carriage laws. And they've made your connection to that industry, representing them in certain cases. How do you respond to that?
First Deputy Mayor Mastro: Well, as Rosanna knows, because I've been on the show so often, on my many cases over the years, including many where I sued the city, you know, I represented almost every community in this city over my 40 years.
Bowens: But is that influencing the decisions now when it comes to what the position is at City Hall?
First Deputy Mayor Mastro: Silly, silly stuff. I feel sorry for the union that they would run such a pathetic ad. The fact of the matter is the mayor is meeting the moment and now the other candidates are following. And over 70 percent of New Yorkers agree. And a majority of the City Council is poised to pass the law that would phase out and ban the industry if the speaker would just let them have a hearing and a vote.
So, this is the moment. A series of horrific incidents have occurred that show it as a matter of public safety and safety of these animals. We need to make a change. The Central Park Conservancy has come out and said we should be banning the industry in the park. The mayor is meeting the moment and this is the moment to do right by these horses, by this industry.
We have offered the union, you know, we'd buy back licenses. We would get jobs for all of the workers. We would go to electric cars and the alternative industry. We are considering a stable in the park for some of these horses. So, there would be a nature preserve. We couldn't be extending ourselves more.
This mayor has a head and a heart. He's doing the right thing and showing respect for the history of this industry and reaching out. You know, some people can't take yes for an answer. The fact of the matter is the time is now to say yes. We have to do better than this as a matter of public safety and as a matter of the safety of these animals.
Scotto: Alright, well, mayor, on another subject, everybody's kind of wondering, like, how you evolved to this new stance on transgender bathrooms. Did you get any kind of pressure from D.C.? What happened?
Mayor Adams: You know, that's interesting that they said evolved. There's no indicator in history that I was in support of boys going into showers with little girls. So it's not that I heard from Trump. I heard from Dorothy Adams, my mother. I mean, I mean, what are we kidding here? I'm blown away that we have allowed the radical left to hijack common sense in our city and in our country.
Governor Newsom has been talking about this and he has been attacked. Think about what we're saying here. We're saying that young boys can go into the shower with young girls because they feel that they are a young girl. That’s just–
Scotto: So are there showers and, you know, the [inaudible] schools in New York City. Or are we just talking bathrooms?
Mayor Adams: We're talking bathrooms also. When you go to restaurants now, Rosanna, you are able to see men and women using the same bathrooms, but not at the same time. And so, what I am saying is we could ensure that everyone has their rights–
Bowens: Why introduce this now at this point? What is the reason for this? Some people are saying this is pure politics to introduce this at this point in the debate with everything else going on.
Mayor Adams: Well, I say just the opposite. When you see the criticism I'm taking, you have to ask yourself, Eric, why are you making these comments now? So, it's not politics. I'm taking a lot of criticism. I'm doing what's right for our city. Our children are confused in this city and in this country. And we're seeing a byproduct of the confusions.
We have to stop [treating] children as adults, and we have to start raising our children. And having boys going to the shower with girls sends the wrong message to our children. And I'm not gonna be a part of that. And the Democratic Party needs to start speaking to the issues of working class people and not allowing the radical left to hijack this party.
Like legalizing prostitution, decriminalizing prostitution. I was a police officer. I saw little boys and girls selling their bodies on street corners, sex trafficking, the violence. This stuff is just wrong. And I'm not going to remain silent just because there's an election.
Scotto: Mayor Adams, [First] Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, thank you so much for being on Good Day New York this morning. The conversation will continue. Doors closed or open? How are we ending this?
Mayor Adams: Good to see you guys. Thank you.
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