Pat Kiernan: Another of the proposed city casino projects is up for its community approval today. Two of the seven proposed within the five boroughs of New York City have been rejected so far in this community review process. In both of those cases, the appointees representing the mayor and the governor voted yes, but they were outnumbered by appointees against the projects.
The Mayor's Office issued a report last week evaluating the upside and downside of all of these casino proposals. The report stressed the economic benefits. It said a well-designed project can both draw visitors and locals, integrating gaming into a mix of entertainment, culture, and hospitality offerings.
We are joined now by Mayor Adams and First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro. Good morning to you both.
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro: Good morning.
Mayor Eric Adams: How are you?
Kiernan: We're doing well here. It's such a great run of weather the last few days for sure. Mayor Adams, I want to start with these casino projects. I note that your appointees voted in favor of both of these that were shot down on the west side of Manhattan. Were you surprised by that outcome?
Mayor Adams: Yes, I was. As we talk about the continued revitalization of our economy, our economy is the best it has ever been because of some of our policies and this is part of that. Casinos can bring jobs. It can bring stability, tourism. So, I was surprised at some of the negative votes. Let the final process make the decision. We should not be stopping them at this local level.
Kiernan: So, did you direct your appointees to vote in favor of those two? And have you given some guidance to your appointees on this east side one?
Mayor Adams: Well, I think when you look at many of our board positions, sometimes our board members vote with my beliefs, and sometimes they make those independent decisions. We speak with them. We tell them what our desires are. They look over the entire information, and they come to a conclusion.
Kiernan: So ultimately, you consider it an independent decision, and you're not sure what will happen today?
Mayor Adams: Exactly.
Kiernan: [First] Deputy Mayor Mastro, as you look at these projects, I highlighted the way the city views it in terms of an economic development tool. How does the city balance that against some of the downsides of gambling and things like traffic concerns in each of these neighborhoods?
First Deputy Mayor Mastro: It is a process. There is an evaluation in each neighborhood. But there has also been extensive outreach to communities, local electeds, by each of these proposals. We're talking about billions of dollars in revenue. We're talking about thousands of jobs that can really help the local economy. And there are a limited number of casino licenses that will be issued.
So, from our perspective as a city, it's good for the local economy. It's good for the local economy in each of the boroughs where there are proposals. So, we generally support these proposals being able to go to the final stage, because it's good for New York City's economy, and it's good for the local economy.
Kiernan: Mr. Mayor, the Transit Workers Union is going after you again with their full-page ad in the New York Post. They are saying that you have betrayed them on the issue of horse carriages in Central Park. Why did you make that change in position from when you first came into office?
Mayor Adams: Let's be clear. I’ve been consistent on one thing, public safety. Public safety is a prerequisite to prosperity. When I saw that horse break free and the threat that is involved with horses in Central Park, and we have evolved away from that, and I want to make sure that New Yorkers are safe on every level. And there's a humane way to do this.
We did several proposals from looking at purchasing the medallions to looking at electric vehicles. There are ways to do this, and we've reached a point now where we can no longer, with real good understanding, allow horses to be roaming in such a densely populated area. And it's the right thing to do, and I'm not going to betray New Yorkers when it comes down to public safety.
First Deputy Mayor Mastro: Can I just add one thing to what the mayor said? Mayor Adams is meeting the moment. There have been this series of horrific incidents that have put a focus on the need to protect public safety and to protect these animals. He's doing it with a head and a heart.
We've reached out. We've said we're going to provide jobs for the workers in this industry. We're going to look to alternatives. We're going to do things the right way to protect public safety and protect these animals. But he's leading the way. Now, every mayoral candidate is saying they support a similar ban on this industry. The Central Park Conservancy said it, and over 70 percent of New Yorkers say it in polling.
This is the moment. It's time for the City Council to pass the legislation that has been pending for over a year to phase out and ban this industry in a humane way, in a way that's respectful to the workers, respectful to the history of this industry. But it is time to ban this industry, and Mayor Adams is meeting the moment.
Kiernan: Mayor Adams, I'd like to get to a few campaign-specific questions with you. I noticed that we had Mamdani running around the city on the weekend. Andrew Cuomo was at a couple of churches yesterday. Curtis Sliwa opened a new campaign office and had a rally on Staten Island. We didn't see much of you campaigning this weekend. Should that be taken as any sort of sign?
Mayor Adams: No, campaign is in both public view, and campaign is the meeting and strategies you do outside of public view. Last week, I had 20 events alone, just last week. So, it's a combination of things we have to do, and I'm focused on making sure we continue not only to run New York. All of the people you just mentioned, they mostly don't have day jobs. I have a day job of running this city during a very complex time.
And so, no, you shouldn’t take it as a signal. You should take it as, I'm doing what I always said I was going to do, and that's work for New Yorkers, run the city while running for a race.
Kiernan: A couple of weeks ago, you somewhat strongly made it clear that you are still running a campaign, that you're still in the race. Have there been any further discussions with anyone in government or the private sector that could lead you to take a job that would bring you out of this race?
Mayor Adams: No, there has not been any conversations. And what's really interesting, it doesn't matter how I respond to that question, the stories were written anyway, regardless of my affirmative comments. If there's ever a change in what I'm doing for election or reelection, I'm going to announce that. Until then, we're going to continue to move forward, and I just really can't be distracted.
I think that some of this reporting has undermined my campaign. Part of campaigning is the ability to raise the funds. And every day for the last six or seven weeks, it has been reported, Eric is leaving tomorrow, Eric is doing this, Eric is doing that. This is really undermining democracy. The Campaign Finance Board is holding up $4 million from me, which is needed to get my message out. We're really seeing a sabotage of my ability to run for reelection, so the voters can make the decision on who they want to be the next mayor in 2026.
Kiernan: Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Mastro, I do want to finish up with a look ahead to security in the city. This week, we have the UN General Assembly meetings, very heavy police presence on the east side of Manhattan, and the Jewish holidays this week. Tell us what has changed in terms of security compared to a typical week.
Mayor Adams: Well, of course, traffic patterns. We want to make sure the large number of high-profile individuals that will be in this city can move about the city in a very safe way. We're going to be introducing more use of our drone technology, which allows us to police from both the ground and through our airwaves.
And we are telling New Yorkers, this is a time you do want to take public transportation, because there's going to be some important gridlocks, alerts that should be aware. But New York does it best. No one does it better than the NYPD. We're going to make sure that this UN General Assembly is a safe one.
Kiernan: Glad to spend a few minutes with both of you this morning. Thank you.
Mayor Adams: Thank you.
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