5 Takeaways From Adrienne Adams’ State of the City Address

The speaker of New York’s Council took shots at Mayor Eric Adams and President Trump while touting housing plans, ‘holistic’ centers and transit fare relief.

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams at a media availability event in City Hall in Newy York on Dec. 5, 2024. Oliver Mantyk/The Epoch TImes

NEW YORK—Speaker of the City Council Adrienne Adams gave her State of the City address on March 4 at the Jazz at Lincoln Center concert hall in what may be her opening shot for a mayoral run.

Adams, 63, who is not related to New York Mayor Eric Adams, said that she prides herself on being the first black woman speaker for the female-majority council.

She is expected to announce her decision about possibly running for mayor sometime this week. Speaker Adams has been in public opposition to Mayor Adams. She called for him to step down after four of the mayor’s deputy mayors resigned in February.

Speaker Adams appeared to refer to the mayor and President Donald Trump, saying, “Our democracy faces existential threats from within. It is up to us to counter the tyranny taking place at the federal level and right here, in our own backyard.”

The first issue Adams addressed was her idea that investment could turn community spaces into centers for health and safety. Starting in Southeast Queens, the council will be working to establish a new model for community centers. This “holistic” approach will provide physical and mental healthcare, as well as recreational space, and a partnership with a local library, she said.

The second takeaway is Adams’ plan to address what she calls the city’s housing crisis. She noted that the council had approved 120,000 housing units since 2022, over half of which were affordable housing plans.

The council has created the Fair Housing Framework to “reinforce the responsibility of all neighborhoods to produce more housing,” she said.

Adams also said that the council’s City for All Housing Plan, which is geared toward affordable housing, was created in response to the mayor’s City of Yes zoning law reforms, which she said leaves out the needs of too many.

The third issue was Adams’ continuing commitment to Fair Fares, a program that allows low-income New Yorkers to pay half price for public transit. Adams said the program now serves 360,000 people and that the council wants to keep expanding eligibility.

A fourth major topic was Adams’ vow to preserve the rights of LGBT people, minorities, and immigrants.

“The Trump administration’s cruel crusade against immigrant families within a nation of immigrants is threatening our democratic values,” she said. People are staying at home and not going to work or to buy things because of the Trump policies, and this is hurting the city, she said.

The fifth takeaway is Adams’ announcement of legislation that would allow nonprofit organizations access to their funds earlier in the allocation process.

“[Nonprofit organizations] provide essential services that support New Yorkers at every stage of life, yet payment delays in the city’s contracting process, those delays threaten their survival,” she said.