Amanda Bossard: Hello everyone, and thanks for being with us here on News12, where local matters. I'm Amanda Bossard, and this is Ask the Mayor. It is a pleasure to be back here with you for the next half hour as we give you the opportunity to ask New York City Mayor Eric Adams your questions right here on the air.
So, the number to dial is 718-861-6800. It will be at the bottom of your screen throughout the program for reference. And with that, we welcome back tonight New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Mr. Mayor, thanks for the time, even virtually this evening.
Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Sorry I'm not in the studio with you. UN week, traffic is everywhere, and I want to keep my eyes on safety.
Bossard: We understand and look forward to the next time you're here with us. But as you mentioned, [a] very busy week here in New York City because the UN General Assembly is underway. We are expecting President Trump [to be] in town tomorrow. Any chance that you're going to be meeting with him while he's here?
Mayor Adams: It's not on my schedule. I have a slew of other meetings with a group of various dignitaries, and I have really been focusing on the continent of Africa and seeing how we can build better relationships and trade. And so that is what my schedule looks like tomorrow. We will not be meeting tomorrow.
Bossard: Now, on the topic of the president, you have said over the last week or so that the president has not offered you a job in his administration. You doubled down on that as recently as earlier today. But would you consider it if the president offered you one?
Mayor Adams: I have a great job, and I'm going to continue that job if voters make that decision. So those hypotheticals don't exist with me. And there's a host of people that have been looking at how I manage the city and was able to bring us back. And so, I have so many different things people are asking me to look at, as well as, you know, doing a book one day.
Bossard: We'll look forward to that when that comes out for sure. Now, we have talked about you running the city every time you've been with us and, of course, about your reelection bid as well. And I've asked you this question just about every time you've been with us [lately]. But the rumors and the headlines continue. So, I have to ask to allow you to set the record straight. Any chance, any chance at all that you drop out of the mayoral race between now and Election Day?
Mayor Adams: I answered that question over and over and over again. And, you know, no matter how I answer it, I get different reports on it. You know, going back seven weeks ago, people said Eric is leaving tomorrow. Eric is leaving Friday. You know, this has been going on and on for seven weeks.
It has hurt my fundraising, I would tell you that, and it has hurt my endorsers because people continue to say, well, aren't you leaving to go to Saudi Arabia or the HUD or to here? But you know, you have to just deal with this and just keep moving forward and get your message out to the voters. I'm in this race and I'm going to continue to run.
Bossard: So, is that a yes or no to the chance that you could drop out before Election Day?
Mayor Adams: I think I answered that over and over again. Imagine the arrogance that's attached to someone predicting what's going to happen tomorrow. You know, I'm just not that way. While I'm here, I'm going to run the city and run hard to be mayor. And God is in charge of my life. Whatever happens next in my life, I'm looking forward to it.
Bossard: You mentioned the impact that everything has had on your ability to fundraise for this campaign. You are currently suing the Campaign Finance Board for matching campaign funds that you have been denied. We've seen some development in that case over the past few days. Could the outcome of that case change your decision to keep running?
Mayor Adams: Well, think about this for a moment. It's clear that people understood you can't beat Eric at the polling place. So there have been those issues that the public is not aware of. You know, $4 million were tied up that I did not receive from the Campaign Finance Board. And many of these rumors are just really [hurtful].
Part of running is getting your message out. How do you do that? You need money to do mailings. You need money to have your volunteers knock on doors. You need money to buy flyers and staffing. I have been handicapped everywhere that's imaginable. But you know, we just keep focusing and moving forward.
Bossard: Now, if you do win in this case and get those millions of dollars in matching funds you just referenced, what are you going to use it on between now and November to make a difference in the race?
Mayor Adams: Same thing I did in 2021. We were able to do television ads, which are extremely expensive. We were able to hire our volunteers that went out and knocked on thousands of doors to talk about what I did as borough president. That was the difference maker for me. So, imagine running to be the mayor and you don't have the ability to tell your story that has been distorted over these last three years and eight months.
Many voters when I speak with them and share what we have done, I hear this all the time. “Wow Eric, I did not know that. I didn't realize what you did around housing, what you did around no income tax for low income New Yorkers.” There's so much we have done. Many voters never knew or don't know what we accomplished.
Bossard: I do want to switch gears and talk about the recent political violence that has unfolded across the country and notably the assassination of Charlie Kirk. You spoke with him not too long ago. And as someone who knew him even distantly, how do you hope that he's remembered?
Mayor Adams: As a person who was willing to sit down and dialogue, you heard me say this over and over again of our inability to talk to each other. And even as I talked recently about this campaign season and how some and I want to be clear of this, Zohran voters are just disrespectful no matter who they are around. I'm walking in a church with family members, [and] sitting down in a restaurant with children. The language that they use is just unbelievable. And this political violence can turn into physical violence, as we saw with Charlie Kirk.
Yes, you may not agree with what he stated or his position, but isn't that what America is? America is the place where you are allowed to voice your disagreement. And I think when it turns into a bullet and not a ballot, we're moving in the wrong direction. And I'm really sorry that many people want to celebrate his death just as we celebrated what happened. Many people celebrated what happened in Israel when Hamas attacked Gaza. This type of celebration is mean spirited, it’s nasty, and it's not who we are. And we're much better than that as Americans and as human beings.
Bossard: As you've referenced, Kirk's murder, of course, sparking a lot of reaction, Jimmy Kimmel taken off the air because of his comments today. You mentioned Zohran Mamdani. He announced that he was going to be pulling out of a town hall on ABC. And then after those comments, we learned that Kimmel will be returning to his gig.
Mamdani is going to work to make that town hall happen. But what do you think about the decision to pull Kimmel from the air? Is it censorship and infringement on the First Amendment? Would you go so far as to boycott ABC if it came to it?
Mayor Adams: No, I wouldn't boycott ABC. I think ABC is one of the stations like News12 who cover this city in a very unbiased and fair manner. I [don’t] know exactly what Kimmel stated. I didn't even look into it. But we all should be conscious when someone is mourning. Two children lost their dad, a mother lost her husband. We should be conscious of what we say and what we do.
And listen, the only way I can say this is let's just stop being mean. There's time to joke. There's time to criticize. But when you lose a loved one in a family member to that level of violence, I don't care if I agree or disagree with someone. I'm not celebrating their death and I'm not celebrating the violence that's used because today is Charlie, tomorrow, who is it? What happens when it’s someone that we care for. Wrong is wrong.
Bossard: All right. Mr. Mayor, I want to get to our first caller of the evening. We have Josh from Flatbush, Brooklyn, on the line. Josh, thanks for your call. And what's your question for the mayor tonight?
Question: All right. The question I'm having is, considering Zohran Mamdani is a communist and he's leading the mayoral race at the moment, what is Mayor Eric Adams's vision or perspective upon that? What do you think he's planning on doing basically?
Mayor Adams: Well, and he has admitted that he is a socialist and the DSA, the Democratic Socialists of America, what they stand for. And I think people really need to understand what he stands for. Yes, we know it's costly to live in the city. That's why we put $30 billion dollars back in the pockets of working class people that removes all low income New Yorkers from paying income tax and a host of other things.
But when you start promoting decriminalizing prostitution, that's harmful to the quality of life of our city. I know what prostitution and sex trafficking does to young boys and girls. When you stand for and believe that you should remove 3,000 people off of Rikers Island, who are some of the most dangerous people in our city, they're going to go back to the communities that they preyed on in the first place.
When you say you don't want billionaires in our city, these 1 percent income home owners, 1 percent income earners. They pay close to 50 percent of our taxes. That's how we have our police, our firefighters, our teachers. His policies are hurtful and harmful to the city. And all I could do is share with New Yorkers, and the New Yorkers are gonna make a choice on what direction they want the city to go into. I know what I accomplished as the mayor and now New Yorkers will make that decision.
Bossard: All right, Mr. Mayor, thanks so much for running through all of those questions and the conversation just getting started here on Ask the Mayor. The time now to call with your questions, 718-861-6800 is the number to dial. We're gonna take a quick break and get back to those questions right after this. Stay with us here.
[Commercial Break.]
Bossard: Welcome back to Ask the Mayor here on News12 with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. And the time to call with your questions is right now, 718-861-6800. We're getting to those in just a minute.
But Mr. Mayor, I do want to touch on some local issues and specifically a big day for the future of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, because after months of delays, we finally have a plan that passed a vote. In it is an all-electric port, parks, community investments, perhaps most controversially some housing as well. Some in the community, though, saying it happened without enough opportunity for public input. What's your response to that and thoughts on this version of the plan that finally passed?
Mayor Adams: Well, you know, and I know, covering New York, 8.5 million New Yorkers, 35 million opinions. All over the city, we hear one thing, housing, housing, housing. Far too many people say housing is right, but then we get in the way of building more housing.
Let's look at the numbers. 6,000 new units of housing, 2,000 permanently affordable, 40,000 jobs to build out this project. That location has remained undeveloped, just a wasteland for so many years. And we do what we do. We land the plane, and there was a lot of conversations with the communities, and hats off to everyone that's involved. You've got to build more housing to deal with the vacancy problem we have in the city, a 1.4 percent vacancy rate. And so, it's time to stop saying no and start saying yes to housing, and we got it done.
Bossard: Now, when it comes to housing in the Bronx, and specifically in this case, supportive housing in particular, a reversal from your administration last week regarding the Just Home Project, which would house formerly incarcerated people on the Jacobi Hospital campus.
Now, some administration officials submitted testimony saying that you're no longer considering that location for this project. What prompted that change? What other locations are now being explored for that plan?
Mayor Adams: Right, I'm glad you said that. We are saying we're not looking at it for the formerly incarcerated at Rikers is going to that location. But that location will still be used for housing, and people need to be clear on that.
We're not walking away from housing in that location, and we were able to find other locations that's more suitable to do the formerly incarcerated individuals. So, we're not giving up on housing like what we did with Elizabeth Street Garden. We found several other locations, almost five to six times more housing. It's being smart. That is the mandate I gave to First Deputy Mayor Mastro. Let's eke out as much housing we can possibly get by me being smart and making these decisions.
Bossard: And those other locations that are now being explored also in the Bronx or elsewhere in the city for the Just Home Project?
Mayor Adams: In the Bronx as well. We're still looking for, and we still have identified suitable locations in the Bronx. So, it's not that we're moving the obligation outside the Bronx, but we don't want to overburden the Bronx.
When you look at some of the Bronx sites, when it comes down to shelters and other issues around housing, people with special needs, et cetera, mental health issues, the Bronx has been inundated. And we want to be fair to the Bronx as we did the development of Fordham South, a site that has remained empty for years, but we were able to get it done and many of the other projects that we're doing in the Bronx.
Bossard: All right. We'll continue to follow that closely as it develops. I want to get back to some of our callers on the line. I believe we have [Denitria] dialed in from Canarsie. [Denitria,] thanks for your call. What's your question for the mayor?
Question: Hi. Yes, ma'am. I'm calling– I just wanted to find out whether or not the ferry, when he was borough president, he promised us that if he was elected mayor, that he would ensure that we got a ferry. And I just wanted to know prior to him ever leaving office of mayor, will that ferry come into fruition for Canarsie residents?
Bossard: Great follow-up.
Mayor Adams: Thanks. Thanks for that question. And we need a ferry in Canarsie and several other locations. And that's what EDC and Andrew Kimball, what we're looking at, what new routes and yes, I do want to get that ferry in Canarsie. It’s needed. When you look at the transportation desert, you only have the L train really that's going out in that direction, when you look at Canarsie and Rockaway, those two areas where I would love to get a ferry in those locations because they need it because of the transportation desert that they're experiencing.
Bossard: Another area where a ferry has been floated about is of course Coney Island as well. And today when talking about Coney Island, I know your office put out an economic impact report on the potential casinos coming to the city, of course, among them, the Coney proposal in Brooklyn.
After that, several Brooklyn lawmakers and members of that community advisory committee that decides the project's fate say that they're going to vote no. Does that impact your support of the proposal at all, Mr. Mayor?
Mayor Adams: Here’s where I am, just as in the project that was with Jay-Z, the first African-American that will probably have a casino in this area, in the city, as well as the other projects, we should allow them to go to the final stage.
You saw what happened in the Bronx at one of the locations in the Bronx, the Bally’s. It was killed on a local level in the City Council. One vote was going to make a determination. We vetoed that and they did not override our veto because the Bronx elected supported it. And so, I say, let's let these bids go to the final location and let the governor and her team make the determination.
When you look at the fact, when you have these casinos, they bring billions of dollars, economic development. They become anchors. All you have to do is look at what is taking place out in Queens with the Aqueduct. You see how successful these projects are and I think they should go to the final level. And our representative on the local community, they sit on the local community boards. They voted in favor of it and I'm hoping everyone else gives them a chance.
Bossard: Are you at all surprised how many of the community advisory committees with regards to the Manhattan proposals, this Brooklyn proposal as well, have voted no though?
Mayor Adams: Yeah, I think that people have a misinterpretation of casinos. I was the former chair of Racing and Gaming. I think they bring a lot to the plate.
Bossard: All right. The conversation continues here on 12 right after this break. Stay with us. We'll be right back here on Ask the Mayor.
[Commercial Break.]
Bossard: Thanks for staying with us here on Ask the Mayor on News12 with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. I want to make the most of the time we have with you, Mr. Mayor, and get right back to our next caller on the line, Dee from the Wakefield section of the Bronx. Dee, what's your question for the mayor tonight?
Question: Good evening. What I want to know is the protection for the number 2 train because, you know, we have the police that they're always on the platform texting, and we need the police to be actively walking through the cars on the train, not on the platform. So, what are you doing about making that happen so that people could be safe on the number 2 train?
Mayor Adams: Thanks so much. And, you know, we did an analysis to see where crime was taking place on the subway. And believe it or not, it's the platforms. That's where the crime is taking place. And then when you do a larger analysis, we get five– We have 5.6 million riders a day. 5.6. We have an average of five felonies a day.
This system is the safest it has been in recorded history. If you take out the two years when no one was on the subway. And so, the most important thing Commissioner Tisch must do, and Chief Gulotta, is to analyze where the crimes are happening, to deploy the police personnel there correctly. And they're getting it right. And we're going to continue to drive down crime. And we have officers that are on the platform sticking their heads inside the cars. Those who ride the trains, they walk through the trains and that is what they are doing. And you're seeing the results are based on how safe our system has become.
Bossard: Mr. Mayor, before we let you go for the evening, I do want to touch on these ballot proposals that voters are also going to be deciding on in November, some of them sparking some back and forth with the City Council. They appear to be housing related.
The council, specifically questions two through four aim to streamline the process, but they also remove the opportunity for public input and feedback during the process. Your response to that stance from the council on those questions?
Mayor Adams: Still will have public input. Listen, we all know that the government is too bureaucratic. It has bottle necked up the ability to build housing. And in many cases, one council person can actually kill an entire project of building housing. There should be more conversation. This is a smart thing to do. And look what Speaker Adams did today, which is unfortunate. She in the dead of night snuck in some amendments that she wants to do in the council. That was the wrong thing to do.
Bossard: All right, Mr. Mayor, we appreciate your time and the conversation always here on News12. And thank you all for watching and calling in.
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