New York City has had a rough few years. It lost nearly four percent of its population during the pandemic. There was a historic crime surge, particularly violent crime. Buildings were empty as people continued to work from home. Pundits all over the world declared New York City “over.”
Into that breach, last year, stepped a new mayor: Eric Adams.
He’s the kid raised in a rat-infested tenement in Bushwick, beaten up by police as a teen, who later became a cop himself. He’s tough on crime, but also critical of police brutality. He’s the health nut who makes his own vegan ice cream, but who also likes to go out on the town. But above all else, he’s the mayor who’s tried-and-true New York City.
Adams was elected on the promise of not just bringing back New York, but of reviving an old kind of Democrat that today feels like an endangered species: a practical, personable, no-bullshit type of politician. As one congressman put it: “He’s an antidote to the party’s likeability problem.” More than a year in: has Mayor Adams lived up to the hype?
Today, has Mayor Adams fulfilled his promise to make the city safer? How will he address massive educational setbacks in public schools? Does New York City risk becoming like San Francisco? What does he really think of AOC? And is his brand of politics winnable nationally for the Democrats?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Disappointing. Barri seems starstruck whenever she interviews a famous person. She's so proud of getting the interview, she seemingly makes it as pleasant as possible. The complete lack of follow up questions just made this an opportunity for the mayor to platform his agenda.
This is one of the rare moments that I read the comments before considering listening to the podcast. I'm glad I didn't waste my time. I'm sure Eric Adams is a decent man with some good intentions but lacks the intelligence, skills and imagination to pull NYC back from the brink. That would require a very unique individual. But it's over for NYC. The world has moved on. What was once a great city built on excellence in engineering, architecture, the arts with a unique culture and urban experience that was specific to that once great metropolis has been systematically destroyed through incompetence and by demagogues who try as he may Mayor Eric appears to be one.