Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on PIX11’s “PIX11 News At 6 PM”

August 28, 2024

Kori Chambers: Okay, now another big part of this broadcast, it is Mayor Eric Adams joining us to talk about a number of issues tonight. Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Eric Adams: Good to be on with you, and it is hot outside.

Shirley Chan: It sure is. And mayor, we appreciate you taking time out to speak with us. We have much to discuss with you tonight, but let's start with where you were today and that is out on Long Island, where four tons of seized cannabis products were destroyed.

Mayor Adams: Extremely impressive, 4,000 shops were inspected, 1,000 were closed. We had a list of areas where residents were complaining about illegal shops. We went through that entire list, but we're going to stay ahead of the game. And today we want to show New Yorkers what happens to the seized property. It is destroyed, so it won't be recycled into our streets and it won't fill up our landfills. And it was a pleasure being there as I used the controls to drop the illegal cannabis into the chute and it was burned.

Chambers: You know, it's interesting because, you know, walking around the streets, I think all of us have, certainly I've had the experience where, you know, not that long ago it was like every other block, maybe even every block, there was one of these places and you knew they weren't legal because there aren't that many legal places, right? 

We know that. So, and they're out in the open and they had the signs up and the thing and then the flashing lights. I don't see those so much anymore. So I'm wondering, are they actually going away or are they just changing how they're selling the weed?

Mayor Adams: And great. That's a great observation, a combination of things. It really hats off to the governor and Speaker Heastie and the Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Jenifer Rajkumar for the SMOKEOUT act that she was pushing. What's happening is many of them are going away. They know we're onto them, but you have a few that are trying to play the game of changing the sign and turning some of the back rooms into the illegal operation. You would be surprised the creativity that we're finding where those are trying to skirt the law, but it's not going to happen. Neighbors are calling in and they're letting us know about these spots.

Chan: All right. So let's talk about a different topic now. Right now, you're a nominee for the city's top attorney, Randy Mastro. He is going through a pretty grueling confirmation process with the city council. Now, just yesterday, Bridget Anne Kelly, a former aide to Governor Chris Christie, implicated for her role in the Bridgegate scandal, gave some scathing testimony against Mr. Mastro, calling him ruthless and calling him sexist. What did you make of that testimony?

Mayor Adams: Well, it's, you know, and many people talk about that, how hard hitting it was. And let's be clear, I've said this over and over again, that New York City, like America, we have a balance of power. What happens on the state level and the Senate level. So, the City Council has a job to do. No matter what happens, my job is to put up good, qualified candidates. And as you indicated, a person that was against him, there were about 40 people, even a former governor and other professionals that stated, this is the right guy. He's a great New Yorker, a great attorney. He represented his clients as strong as we want a corporation counsel to do.

Chambers: And just to be clear, it sounds like you're saying you stand by him, you're not wavering in your support.

Mayor Adams: 110 percent. I've looked at his record, I've looked through what he has done, everything from suing [those against] Black Lives Matter, suing Donald Trump, what he has represented, and looked at the list of people who supported him, former corporation counsels and other affluent and important people, part of the legal community. 

Listen, attorneys take tough cases. And if we demonize attorneys for the cases they take, that's a slippery slope. Because then we're saying those who commit crimes or those who are accused of crimes don't have a right to due process. That's not the country I live in. 

Chan: Well, November 5th is just around the corner. Now we're less than 70 days until the election. We saw you at the Democratic National Convention. Can we expect to see you on the campaign trail for Vice President Harris?

Mayor Adams: I'm going to do everything possible within the rules. And we look forward to the future of this country moving in the right direction with VP Harris. 

Chambers: Alright. Another big story, of course, the first day of school. The kids are out playing, getting the last play in before school gets going. Talk about what's ahead. Is the city ready? I know you're going to say yes. Are the teachers ready? Is everything ready to go?

Mayor Adams: Are children ever ready for the first day of school? I used to hit that snooze button over and over again when that end of summer came about. It happens so fast, so quickly. But we are ready. 

Chancellor Banks had our new teachers there. They were excited. Just the energy in the room. And we look forward to this year and all the learning experiences that's going to come from it. This is going to be an exciting school year.

Chan: There has been word of a teacher shortage. How many positions are open still?

Mayor Adams: A few hundred, if not thousands. The chancellor is managing that. And we're asking everyone to be part of the recruitment effort. It's so important that we were able to do our job. We settled the union contract, one of the best contracts of the UFT has been able to receive. 

So, we're looking forward to attract those teachers in. And listen, it's a great occupation and a career. I don't believe there is a career that's more important than planting the seeds of hope and opportunity in the minds of young people.

Chambers: You know, let's talk about what's happening in the classroom. We want learning. A lot of folks, a lot of attention lately has been on the cell phones as well. Should cell phones be out of classrooms? I know you said, I believe it was yesterday, that you don't want to go as far as some folks want to go actually banning the cell phones from classrooms. Why not?

Mayor Adams: No, no, I do want to get there. I think that we should not have any distractions in our classrooms. Social media via phones, it has contributed to bullying, it has contributed to, I believe, suicidal ideations, and really impacting on the mental health of our children. We want to do it right. It happened before, previous administrations attempted to ban cell phones, they failed. 

And we want to take our time. My conversation with the [chancellor], we have to make sure that we know how we're going to store it. What do we do with children that are really, really reluctant about giving up their phones? We don't want to be heavy-handed. We got to get it right. Speak to parents, teachers, educators, and remember, there are several schools that are already banning cell phones. We want to learn from them as well.

Chan: Alright. Well, Mr. Mayor, we thank you so much for joining us this evening. We know it's been a very busy day and a very busy week for you. We appreciate it and stay cool in this hot weather.

Mayor Adams: Take care. Enjoy the rest of the summer. 

###