Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on NPR's "Morning Edition"

December 6, 2024

Michael Hill: It's Morning Edition on WNYC. I'm Michael Hill. The new housing plan the City Council approved yesterday was a compromise based on one of Mayor Eric Adams' signature policies. The mayor is also trying to put more money in the pockets of city dwellers with an income tax cut that needs state lawmaker approval.  

Mayor Adams and First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer join us now. Mr. Mayor, Deputy Mayor Torres Springer, thank you for joining us and good morning. Mayor Adams, let's jump right into this. Your housing plan is an overhaul of the city's zoning codes to make it easier for developers to build. How soon will those codes change and when will buildings actually go up? 

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. And I think it's just important for New Yorkers to know our number one concern was the 1.4 percent vacancy rate that we were experiencing in the city. And this is the most comprehensive housing reform since 1961 and not in the history of this city. And those particulars, I'm joined by First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, she'll go over those exact particulars of the implementation of this. 

First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer: Good morning. We will not lose any time in making sure that we can start building these new homes. This is 80,000 new homes over the course of the next decade and $5 billion worth of investment in infrastructure and housing.  

So the types of new homes that we are going to see from office conversions to modest apartment buildings to accessory dwelling units, this can all happen as soon as possible. And we want that because New Yorkers for too long have been suffering from housing insecurity. And the mayor made sure that we didn't just craft a proposal, City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, but that we implemented it as quickly as possible. 

Hill: Ms. Deputy Mayor, have developers shared any proposals that they're ready to submit as soon as the new rules take effect or will any ongoing projects be affected? 

First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer: Well, we do know, hearing from the development community, that different types of office conversions or the modest apartment buildings on commercial corridors and near transit, that they have been waiting for the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity to be passed. That happened yesterday.  

And so what I think this means is that we are really starting a new era of housing access and housing affordability in this city. It's really a watershed moment. The zoning code has not been overhauled in this way for 60 years. And it's about time that we acted with the type of urgency and velocity that New Yorkers deserve. 

Hill: Mayor Adams, you recently announced a proposal to reduce or eliminate income taxes for working class New Yorkers, but you cannot enact that yourself. How do you plan to get this through the state legislature? 

Mayor Adams: I thought a clear indicator of that was yesterday, standing side by side with us was Governor Hochul. Governor Hochul gave us a billion dollars towards this Housing City of Yes initiative, and she has been a real partner.  

This is an important bill for all of us. $63 million is going to be returned back in the pockets of over 582,000 New York City residents and families. To break that down in a simple level, a mother with a child is going to, if she's making $31,000 a year, she'll be seeing it and she'll be excused of paying her city personal income tax. And we will get it to Albany. We have great partners up there, like all the other initiatives that we push through. 

Hill: Mr. Mayor, your audio is dropping out there. I'll try another one here. There are other ways to affect affordability in the city without having to go through a legislative body. Mayors appoint the members of the Rent Guidelines Board, for instance, which decides how much stabilized rents can go up in the city. What do you say to those who argue you could simply freeze rents? Mr. Mayor, can you hear us? 

First Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: I'm happy to jump in here. We have been squarely focused on driving down rents and affordability in the city. We passed a historic budget with $26 billion for NYCHA and for housing affordability. We are making the types of investments in affordable housing with back-to-back records. We are using public sites in order to build housing, and we're building that housing faster.  

And so I don't think there's any dispute that housing affordability has been at the top of our list, a major priority. And yesterday's win is yet another evidence in our mission, which we are in common cause with the governor and with the City Council, to continue to drive down rents on behalf of New Yorkers. 

Mayor Adams: And the partnership is real. When you look at what we were able to accomplish in year two of the administration of dropping the earned income tax credit, when you look at it, we were able to bring down the cost of child care from $55 a week to less than $5 a week.  

All the initiatives that we have been putting in place is focused on low-income New Yorkers, everything from medical debt relief. We know we have to make this city more affordable, and we've used every tool in our toolbox to ensure that it is done.  

We put over $30 billion back in the pockets of New Yorkers, low-income New Yorkers, and we're going to continue to do that, and we need the help from Albany. And our speaker, Heastie, and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, they have been real partners with us. 

Hill: Mr. Mayor, I want to shift gears here real quick. You said the Constitution is for Americans. What did you mean by that? 

Mayor Adams: It was a clear response to those who are committing those illegal crimes. This is a city that's open to all, and everyone has a right to the protections of the Constitution. The whole dialogue that we were speaking about was those who are repeated offenders.  

I've stated this for almost two years now. Repeated criminal offenders, the small numbers who are coming here committing crimes, we need to ensure that they don't remain in our city in doing so, and our Constitution is for all of us. 

Hill: Even for undocumented immigrants? 

Mayor Adams: Even for undocumented immigrants. 

Hill: You've also been accused of some crimes, Mr. Mayor, while you're pleading not guilty. You also said that the Justice Department is politicized. You're a former law enforcement officer. Should New Yorkers have faith in the justice system, or are you saying it's rigged? 

Mayor Adams: Actually, at the press advisory, I read from the New York Times. In the New York Times, we heard the president of the United States say that. We heard the incoming president state that. You heard me state for over a year now, no American should be going through what I'm going through. I have a great team of attorneys that's handling that.  

I told New Yorkers when this indictment was first handed down, I'm going to be focused on moving the city forward. And that is what we have accomplished. But we should have a justice system that is fair. And I think this comment from the president of the United States is a real reflection of what my concerns were. 

Hill: Mr. Mayor, I hope you come back and see us again. First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, you as well. Thank you for your time this morning.