Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live On 1010 Wins’ “Morning Drive”

October 20, 2023

Susan Richards: 1010 WINS at 92.3 FM. Good morning. I'm Susan Richards. We are joined live on 1010 WINS by Mayor Adams. And we've got a lot to talk about. So, thank you so much for being here, mayor.

Mayor Eric Adams: You are quite welcome. And, you know, you...I know you remember at the beginning of the year I stated that this was going to be an Aaron Judge year?

Richards: Mm‑hmm.

Mayor Adams: And so we are still hinted out the park, the announcement we are making today of our increase in job numbers. We now have more jobs in the city and the...in the history of this city, and more jobs than any city's population in the country. So, we are really excited about this announcement today.

Richards: Yeah. So, specifically, State Labor Department data showed a surge in hiring last month that put the city within 5,000 jobs at the 4.7 million prior to the shutdown, the Covid shutdown, in February of 2020. And what do you attribute that to?

Mayor Adams: Of people, of public spaces and public safety. We said we were going to lean into working class people, those who are really fueling our economy. But the foundation is public safety, so prerequisite to our prosperity.

And after all that we're going through from migrants and covid, we continue to thrive and move forward. And you're seeing the results of that right now. But it was about making the city safe, people back on our subway systems and willing to come and go to our restaurants and be part of our working class community.

Richards: Yeah, there's a lot going on around town. And let's talk about the situation in the Middle East, obviously, because it's causing even more than usual security concerns for New York City. What can you tell us about that and what is your message to New Yorkers specifically about that?

Mayor Adams: Oh, see something, say something, do something. Notify the New York City Police Department. If it feels bad, looks bad, then it's probably is bad. And so we were clear we were going to allow people to peacefully voice their concerns, but we were going to do it in a manner in which we know the police department's capable of doing and that is keeping New Yorkers safe.

You know, we are concerned about some of the calls that are coming from terrorist groups to bring harm to individuals, but we're doing an amazing job. The Police Commissioner Caban, our uniform...our officers are in uniform. For the [inaudible] we have really placed the entire apparatus on high alert and communicating with our partners, but we stand, go about your normal duties and jobs and enjoy the city, but be alert of the things that are around you.

Richards: Shifting gears, after months of back and forth with the Legal Aid Society, the fight over the city's right to shelter rule is now heading into mediation. Legal Aid Society is saying that if that rule is suspended, you're going to have what they're calling mass street homelessness come the winter. What do you say about that?

Mayor Adams: Well, two things. There are two schools of thought in our city right now. One school of thought is that no matter where an individual comes from, from anywhere on the globe, they can come to New York City and stay as long as they want. And New York City's taxpayers should pay for it.

I don't subscribe to that school of thought. And then there's the school of thought that I subscribe to. Our hearts are huge, but our resources are [not] endless. $5 billion we're going to have to spend during this fiscal year. This is not right for New Yorkers to pick up the cost.

And we need to send a message. We're out of a room and the city is not going to accommodate anywhere, anyone on the globe and stay here on taxpayers' dollars. That is not fair to taxpayers and it's not fair to the migrants and asylum seekers.

Richards: So, you recently took a trip to Latin America. Do you think that the message was heard? What kind of vibe are you getting?

Mayor Adams: We wanted to accomplish three goals when we went to Latin America. Number one, to see on the ground, people know how I am. I like to go on the ground and see what we're dealing with. And we were able to do that.

Number two, to get on the major media markets in these countries and state that New York is out of room. And the reality is you're not going to stay in a five star hotel and automatically be able to have a job.

And number three, to coordinate with the local electors in these regions of South America and this region. Our hemisphere has never witnessed this level of migration. Over seven million people leaving Venezuela being absorbed by the South America and North America. This is not sustainable, and I needed to go on the ground and strategize with those leaders down there on how to address this issue.

Richards: Well, let's talk specifics. Where are we at with new arrivals and will there be any new shelters popping up?

Mayor Adams: Listen, it's really frightening when you think about it. 130,000 asylum seekers came through our system already. 64,000 are still in our care. We are getting anywhere from 16,000 a month, 4,000 a week. We're looking at numbers in that area. It unimaginable when you think about it. No city should have to sustain this.

And you're hearing from states like Massachusetts, Chicago and other areas who are stated that the federal government must step up and address this. And so what you saw, the announcement was a step in the right direction of allowing people to work, but it's nowhere near the change that we need to really address this crisis.

Richards: This week you announced the city would lift the cap on electric for‑hire vehicles. So, that...while that might be good for the environment, does that run counter to the idea of reducing traffic congestion?

Mayor Adams: No, it is an alignment. And this is a great announcement. Imagine our city is going to electrify those for‑hire vehicles, those ride‑share vehicles, something that we need to be applaud for as we move forward to deal with the environmental issues that we are facing.

Now, we're going to see congestion pricing coming into effect, soon they're going through the necessary steps, that is going to slow down people coming into our central business district. And then we're going to continue to trend and improving our subway system.

The public safety aspect of it, crime is decreasing on our subway. We're seeing four million riders at the high level. Customer satisfactory surveys are showing that we're doing the right thing.

Now, do we have these incidents where people who are dealing with severe mental health issues that are revolving door in our mental health. System is a problem because it messes...it deals with your feeling of do you feel safe with something like this happening?

We are going to continue to compel our lawmakers, give people the care that they deserve so that we don't have people on our streets that are endangering the lives of the public, but we are trending in the right direction.

Richards: All right, I have one final question then we'll let you go. On a much later note. Yesterday you had a visit from Sally Long Dog, the honorary dog mayor of New York City. So, did she give you any advice and might we finally see a four‑legged family member at Gracie Mansion?

Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, she said it was going to be “ruff ruff ruff!” if we don't get this dealt with. [Laughter.]

But I want a dog so bad. I had one as a child. His name was Speedy. And, you know, that relationship between a dog and a human being, I am dying for a dog. I think that this is around next couple of months. I'm going to try to convince everyone that we need a dog.

I would love a dog running around here at City Hall and Gracie Mansion. You know, let's get one. You know, I'm going to have New Yorkers name it and tell me the best one to get.

Richards: I think we just broke some news on 1010 WINS. We'll have to get animal care centers of New York on the case, right? [Laughter. ]

Mayor Adams: That's right.

Richards: All right. The city shelters, a little plug for our city animal shelters. Mayor Adams, always a pleasure. Thank you so much.

Mayor Adams: Take care.