Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Holds Medai Availability After Testimony

February 15, 2023

Mayor Adams: …clear throughout my time in public life that I want to scale up what works. When you create these boundaries that certain things that are successful based on what they're called, that you're not willing to scale up what works. I just don't subscribe to that. I've gone into district schools that have been wonderful. I've gone into charter schools that have been wonderful. So why not look at those who are educating our children and say, "Let's scale up what works." They have to figure out how that's done in the law. I don't have any role in doing so.

Question: But Mr. Mayor, do you support removing the charter cap? You did talk about this on your campaign.

Mayor Adams: Yes. And I clearly talked about what's called zombie charters, these charters that are open, sitting there. There's no reason we're not filling them. We're already allocated those numbers. There's no reason we're not. That comes with a cause and the state should assist in that cause. That is what's important.

Question: And as a follow up, your testimony kind of got cut short a little bit. A bunch of senators left and Senator Liz Krueger did say this at the end. Do you think that because of what's happening with the last minute floor vote on Justice LaSalle, did that cut short your opportunity to make your case for what New York City needs in front of the lawmakers?

Mayor Adams: No because I have an amazing State Legislative Affairs committee up here. I personally believe that it got short because many of them just believe I'm doing a great job with the city. There's no reason to keep questioning me. They speak to me all the time and they would tell you, "You should do a poll with these lawmakers." They will tell you this administration is the most accessible administration probably in the history of government. I think you wrote the story of the little girl in the school who texted me and 30 to 40 seconds later, I responded to her. That's how this administration is. So they don't have to wait for me to come to Albany to testify. They're speaking with us all the time. We enjoy getting engaged with our local electeds.

(...)

Mayor Adams: No, no. Nope.

Question: Mayor, when the state lawmakers were asking you what specific amount the city should be funding the M.T.A., I feel like you didn't give a specific dollar number. Is there a specific dollar number that you guys would be agreeable to?

Mayor Adams: Well, I believe we have already done that. We were mandated several years ago to put billions of dollars into the M.T.A., and we have done that. I don't think that we should continue to look towards New York City. I think Senator Jackson is right. When you look at many of the initiatives that are unique to New York, I mean, we're paying into a healthcare fund that we're not getting $1 for. So we can't continue to just look towards New York. I think we have done our share when it comes down to the M.T.A. and everyone should share that cause. And I think the state has an obligation to make sure we fill those gaps.

Question: Just as a follow up, you didn't get pressed very hard on the bail reform issue, but do you think that the bail reform changes should be happening within the state budget?

Mayor Adams: And they don't have to press me hard because I've been clear, and I think that Speaker Heastie, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the conversations we've had at the end of the year and at the beginning of the year, how we have sat down. I hear them loudly and clearly. They want a holistic approach that falls in alignment with what I want. I believe we made a big mistake last year that we allowed the narrative to be hijacked to say this was just about bail reform. It is not. It is about a criminal justice system that is broken, and we want to fix that entire system and make sure that people get justice if they're a victim of a crime and people get justice if they're accused of a crime. And I'm not going to make that mistake we made last year of just focusing on one aspect of it.

There's more to it. Defense attorneys must get the funds they need. Prosecutors need the funds that they need. I believe that we should have some form of judiciary discretion. We need to put all these things together and we need to stop the feeders, the environments that cause crime in the first place. That's the approach I'm taking as I come up here and speak with my colleagues.

Question: Yeah, thanks. Mayor, Joe Spector from Politico. Two things that you mentioned earlier I wanted to follow up on. You were saying in your testimony that charter schools, were they to expand, would actually be a hit to the city budget. You have to address that. Can you explain a little bit how that would work and how it would be more of a hit on the city's budget? Just to follow up the other point about what you were saying about the bail piece, you're saying you would just as soon have that in the budget?

Mayor Adams: First thing with the charter school piece. It's the job of saying what I did today was to say what's the cost of the action? And we need assistance in the cost. That is what my role is today. The lawmakers have to determine what they're going to do with this conversation and there are opinions on both sides, and I'm going to leave it up to them. It was my job to say the cost and my budget director said, "This is what it's going to cost New York." I wanted to share that with the lawmakers that are here.

With the question around bail, what I would like to see in the budget is a holistic approach to dealing with public safety. It's not just bail. I got to keep saying that over and over again because if I don't, Bernadette is going to write that I only said bail. It's not just bail.

Question: John Campbell with W.N.Y.C. and Gothamist. Two questions for you. One, we spoke about the $500 million in the M.T.A. plan, the governor's M.T.A. plan, but what about the payroll mobility tax? Is that something that you think businesses in New York City can and should take on? And also, are you planning on changing your approach in Albany in any way this year in terms of strategy, in terms of who you're sending up here in…

Mayor Adams: You're talking about the payroll mobility? No, my approach was a good approach. How it was reported was a bad approach. The first day I came up to Albany, everyone said Eric was beaten up. The headline just wasn't true. Only two things I did not get from Albany last year. People missed the fact that I had a banner year in Albany last year. I received the money I wanted for N.Y.C.H.A. I received the money I wanted for childcare, Earned Income Tax. We got what we needed for hotel conversion. You go down a list, that was a banner year. I surfed up here. I know what it is to come to Albany and leave with nothing.

But it was reported because I did not get what my interpretation was around the adjustments in criminal justice reform, which mind you, there was much of my reforms. I didn't get that adjustment. So people took just that item and said Eric had a failing year in Albany. That's not true. I had a banner year in Albany then because of my approach of sitting with lawmakers. We're going to have a banner approach this year. We don't have to change our approach. You got to change your reporting.

Question: And on the mobility tactics?

Mayor Adams: Yes.

Jacques Jiha, Director, Mayor's Office of Management and Budget: Yes. Many of the businesses in New York City understand that the subway system is critical, the engine of New York City. So therefore many of them are willing to pay at least a little extra in terms of the mobility tax. But again, what the mayor said earlier. It's imposing another $40 million on us because the city is (inaudible) also. So the increase in the mobility tax is also going to impact New York City.

Question: Mayor, people were asking you about your specific ideas about how to avoid having New York City pay the $500 million towards the MTA's operating deficit. There have been a couple things that the state has kind of fallen off on. One is its own matching funds under the 18-B transportation program and the other is on the payroll mobility tax, the replacement funds that the state had created (inaudible) four years ago. They haven't been paying what they owe. Are you going to talk to legislators about specific ideas like this? I don't know if Jacquescan talk to it at all, but are these specific ideas that you're hoping that state legislators will take up since the governor is not including using their budget?

Mayor Adams: We have an amazing group of New York City lawmakers that really protect the city and what our job was today is to say to those lawmakers that this is going to impact the services and the delivery of services in the city. With that information and knowledge, they're going to go back to their respective chambers and they're going to fight on behalf of New York. This is what I did when I was up here. This is what Senator Savino did. We factored in the governor's budget, how does it impact us locally, and we're going to continue to present ideas that we believe, but to ask them to go in and fight on behalf of the city.

Question: Mayor, Jay Root from the New York Times. You and Governor Hochul have both talked about how you have such a great relationship, but if you do have such a great relationship, why is she hitting you in this budget with a bunch of unfunded mandates, including this $500 million? How would you describe the relationship now?

Mayor Adams: And I want to be clear on this, I cannot really emphasize how much she has been a real partner. When I reached out to her for the subway safety plan, she was there. When I reached out to her last session to look at some of the reforms we needed around discovery and others, she was there. The governor has been a real partner and when you look at when she gets placed in the budget, many of them are my proposals and things that I asked for. We disagree on the fiscal aspects of it. So it does not take away our friendship and my respect for her and ability to work with her. To the contrary, I think that we are going to sit down. We are doing a great job speaking with her team, our team, and explaining this is how this is going to impact. So that doesn't impact what I believe. We've had a great partnership. I'm going to the New York Times’ Valentine's party today. I don't hold grudges.

Question: You were asked a couple times about how to speed up distribution of food stamps and benefits. I don't think I heard any specific details from you. I mean, is there anything that the state can do or is this just a management issue within your own city office?

Mayor Adams: No, we received a substantial number. As in any new administration, we received a substantial number of people who transition and go into other employment. Post pandemic has changed the game. I mean, it has impacted everyone nationally around employees. My analysis last year, we were not doing a good enough job in recruiting and we're changing that game. D.C.A.S. is now being compelled to do so. Deputy Mayor Wright is overlooking the entire recruitment campaign. Too many people who were looking for a job was not aware that we had jobs that are available. Our goal is, number one, to use technology to staff up and really get these benefits out to people. If there's one thing I'm disappointed about, I'm disappointed that we had the backlog that existed. It's just not acceptable and I'm not going to allow that to continue and we're going to move forward.

Question: Related to that, you said on Sunday that Gary Jenkins, who still does oversee that, that there was kind of an agreement at the beginning that he would only serve a year or not the full-time. I just wanted to confirm my understanding there. I mean, are you saying that you knew when you appointed him that he was not long for that job?

Mayor Adams: No. First of all, while he was there, if anyone does an analysis of what he went through as the head of that agency and state that he didn't give his all, that would be a weird assessment. He was out at night in shelters. He was on our subway system. 45,000 people in the system in January 1st, 2022, as I stated today. In one year, we have 43,000. He has done a remarkable job. There were people who came into the administration that I asked, "Can you come in and help us build the team and foster a good team?" And they did that. Gary was one of them. With his experience, he came in, he stated that, "I'm going to come in. I'm going to put in place a good system for your good foundation that you can build on." And he did that. I cannot ask more of him and what he did and how he performed for the people of the city under just some unbelievable odds.

I don't know anyone in this room who would've taken that job. And little did he know when he said yes, that he was going to have the asylum seeker crisis that he was facing and dealing with the forward-thinking of removing people off our streets who are dealing with mental health issues at the point that they can't take care of themselves and they're dangerous to others. He has been part of all of this and I thank him for what he has done and he's decided, as people do in government, people decide to transition. All you could ask is while they are there that they gave their all. Gary personifies that.

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