Transcript: FY24 Mayor's Management Report: Adams Administration Has Driven Major Improvements in Safety, Affordability

September 16, 2024

Mayor Eric Adams: This is probably one of the highlights of doing this work. When you hear of Shaniqua’s story, it really personifies what this team has been doing. No matter what is going on in the city, we have one mission. And that's the mission of making sure that the city is livable, affordable, and safe for everyday working class people. 

The city deserves to be clean, our streets deserve to be clean, housing should be built, and we should ensure that people can see a future. And I think that although we talk about the MMR report, oftentimes we don't go into the crevices on how it impacts everyday people. And some of the things, the D.M.'s, the deputy mayors, and our entire team of what they have been putting in place so that New Yorkers can see a future. And they deserve every service that their tax dollars pay for. 

There's a symbiotic relationship between your tax dollars and the delivery of services. And far too often, we have betrayed everyday New Yorkers on receiving what their tax dollars are paying for. So this administration was voted into office with a clear message and a single mission of delivering these services for New Yorkers. But don't take my word for it, look at the MMR report. 

I think we have over 2,000 different indicators, so you always find one or two that we're not where we want to be, but we're moving forward. But we're very clear on those big issues that are important. We want to make sure that we highlight them, and we want to make sure that we're able to put it before. Where's my copy of my MMR? Do we have a copy somewhere? 

But it's imperative that today, we're releasing the annual Mayor's Management Report. It's our city's report card. And it details just how much progress we have made over the last fiscal year. From driving down crime, which is the prerequisite to our prosperity, I say over and over again, to getting dangerous guns and illegal mopeds off our streets. Building new schools and record amounts of affordable housing. And all while putting billions of dollars, billions of dollars back into the pockets of everyday working class New Yorker. 

Our economy has never been more robust. When you look at the number of jobs we've brought online, and small businesses that are operating, you hear me talk about it over and over again. Our record job numbers and falling crimes, they have become a trademark of this administration. And the era of employment and safety is something we want to be remembered for, and the opportunities we're giving to everyday New Yorkers. 

I just want to highlight just a few of the impressive metrics right now, especially when it comes to our core mission for New Yorkers. Overall crime rates have fallen over the last fiscal year, driven by another year of double digit decreases in murders and shootings. Our police officers are working harder than ever to keep New Yorkers safe. More felony crime arrests, more quality of life summonses, and more transit enforcement. Since that first bump in January of increase in subway crime, we have witnessed a steady decrease in our subway system and subway crime. Even with some of the high profile cases that we witnessed yesterday on the transit system, with a very dangerous person who was arrested over 20 times in the past. 

In the last fiscal year, we got the opportunity to shut down illegal smoke shops under Operation Padlock to Protect. Very important enforcement power we received, over 1,000 smoke shops we've closed. We also have gone after one of the most troubling aspects of quality of life. We hear it every time, those mopeds and illegal scooters. Over 20,000 of them have been removed off our streets, and we're going to continue to stay focused on getting them off our streets because of the danger that they present. 

Public safety is margin, just what we do with police officers and what they're doing. It's also about protecting everyday New Yorkers. And that's why we installed 27 percent more protected bike lanes, and 94 percent more speed reducers. And we're seeing positive results already with fewer traffic fatalities for pedestrians and traditional bicyclists over the last year. 

We're keeping our cities safer and cleaner too. The Sanitation Department under Commissioner Tisch diverted nearly 130 tons of organic waste from landfills. A 23 percent increase from last year that has made New York City as the nation's largest organic waste program. And over the last year, we have cleared catch basins 24 percent faster. That's going to be shown in the MMR report. We doubled the rate of lead abatement at NYCHA properties and planted 42,000 trees, the most since 2017. And we want to do this to not only beautify the neighborhoods, but it's great for our environment as well. 

And something that we're really proud of, and it's something that Shaniqua is going to talk about, unemployment. Unemployment is down by 8 percent from the previous year. Reaching a low rate of 4.8 percent with significantly improved rates of Black and Latino unemployment, something we saw. Almost a 30 percent decrease we've witnessed thus far, but it was a real focus for us to get people back into the job market. 

Our city is also putting money back in your pockets. With 25 percent more families signed up for subsidized child care, 19 percent more young people who live in NYCHA housing connecting with jobs. There was a direct correlation of unemployment, we believe, and some of the criminal behavior that we were witnessing. We knew if we give people jobs, we give them opportunities. And 20 percent more New Yorkers without insurance enrolled to receive low cost or no cost health service through NYC Care. 

We're building more, something that Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer talks about all the time. We more than double the number of affordable units we build and preserve for seniors and help more New Yorkers in shelter get into permanent housing. This is just a small sample of what we have done. We have more to do, we know that, but we're moving in the right direction. And we want New Yorkers to go online and look at this MMR report and see the work that we're doing. 

You could access the dynamic Mayor's Management Report with our administration launch. In 2022, many of the advocates was calling on us to do this. We did it. We got it done. And we want to thank Dan and his team over at Operation[s], as well as thank Chief Technology Officer Matt for his team making this happen. So our city's moving in the right direction. We're going to continue to do so. The goal is stay focused, no distractions, and grind for New Yorkers. And that is what we're going to continue to do. 

I'm just really proud of turning the microphone over right now to a New Yorker. A New Yorker that understands what it is to have a vision of opportunity. And she has become a major cheerleader and an advocate for our program to get New Yorkers in our job fairs. Of going into the community, finding those who have been unemployed and wanted stability and was able to accomplish that. And so, thank you for being here. I'm going to turn the microphone over to you.

Shaniqua Rumph: Thank you, Mayor Adams. It is such an honor to be here. My name is Shaniqua Rumph, and I am a proud lifelong New Yorker, native of Brooklyn, and current resident of Manhattan's West Side. As a devoted mother of four, navigating the challenges of raising a family in New York City with one child on the autism spectrum has been both rewarding and demanding. 

I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the recent New York City Hiring Hall event that took place in Brownsville, Brooklyn earlier this year. It has truly been an honor to be a part of such an evolving opportunity. About a year ago, in my quest to seek new employment opportunities to better support my family, I came across the Jobs New York City Hiring Hall event through Eventbrite. Mayor Adams, host of the event, and the inspiring words you shared with the attendees motivated me to explore new possibilities. 

Having worked in various professions throughout my career, I was drawn to the stability and growth potential that a career in city government could offer. My interactions with the New York City Department of Transportation's team during the hiring hall event left a lasting impression on me. And I knew that this was where I wanted to build my future. After a successful interview process and seamless onboarding experience, I am now proudly serving as an apprentice street inspector with DOT's Highway Inspection and Quality Assurance— HIQA unit. 

Under the esteemed leadership of Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez, the DOT has been instrumental in supporting and improving the lives of New Yorkers on a daily basis. Since joining DOT in June, I have been undergoing rigorous training, and I am grateful for the opportunities for professional growth and development that lie ahead. My goal is to contribute to the agency and eventually retire as a dedicated member of the DOT family. 

The day I attended the Jobs New York City Hiring Hall in March was truly life changing for me. I walked in as an unemployed individual and left with a promising career. It is a testament to the resources and support that the city provides for its residents to enhance their lives and create a brighter future for their families. 

Once again, I would like to express my sincerest thank you to you, Mayor Adams, and your team for making Jobs New York City available to New Yorkers like myself. Your commitment to empowering individuals and fostering opportunities for professional and personal advancement is truly commendable and deeply appreciated. Thank you for your dedication to the people of the New York City and for creating pathways of success for individuals from diverse backgrounds. I am grateful for the chance to be a part of this transformative journey. I walked into a hiring hall unemployed and I left out with a career. Again, I thank you.

Mayor Adams: The, you know, being mayor, you often hear me talk about my journal and my journal entries that I make every night. And when you go through those troubling times, I read through these stories. People I meet on the subway, people I meet in schools, people I meet who moved into their new housing. And it reminds us, it reminds those who are behind me, why we do this work. Why we do this work. 

And so we took an unstable parent employment wise and stabilized her with that she's able to take care of her children and even that lovely child that's on the autism spectrum. We have her, she's going to have health insurance, a pension. She's going to have all the stable things that it takes to raise healthy children and families. And we hear these stories often, over and over again. And we knew we had to go into the communities just on this specific aspect. Go into the communities and do hiring halls. People should not have to come down to City Hall. We need to go into their communities and do hiring halls. 

And so all of these successful, successful actions that we have done during this administration. This is why we do the work we do. So why don't we open to a few questions on topic, then I'll take a few off topics because I haven't seen you guys. You know, and start off the first questions, just start off and say Eric, it's good to see you back from COVID. You know, say something nice, okay?

Question: I’ll ask an on topic, have you addressed some of the concerns about processing food stamps and getting benefits to low income New Yorkers?

Deputy Mayor Anne Williams Isom, Health and Human Services: Yeah, we're not where we want to be, but we have improved in both of our cash applications. And it's still, the applications that we're getting in are still pretty historically high. And we're also doing better in our SNAP applications, too. So much improved. We will definitely, I don't think— we will definitely make more progress.

Question: Mr. Mayor, neither I nor any of my colleagues remember you ever having a press conference on this issue. And, you know, while we recognize the report's importance to New Yorkers, we're wondering if this press conference and this, if this is at all an attempt to distract from all the scandals and resignations that have involved your administration.

Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, you can't distract, because remember the motto. Stay focused, no distractions, and grind. No, we are proud of what we have done. You guys write about the MMR often. You look through the over 2,000 pieces, and sometimes people will take one or two. And I told the team, we have to write our own narrative. Because if we don't show the success and we don't have a person who has benefited from what we're doing, it just doesn't seem to get covered. And so we won't, don't want to distract. We want to have folks pay attention of how successful this administration has been.

Questions: So is it intentional to focus on this narrative amid everything that's going on?

Mayor Adams: No, it's my intention to focus on this narrative so I can write my story. Oftentimes, history is someone else writing your story. I want to write my own story. And this story is how great we have done this administration around housing, around public safety, around employment, around some of the other key indicators that are in the report. What's happening?

Question: Just skimming through the reports so far. I notice that Deputy Mayor Phil Banks isn't here. But the response time for the FDNY and the NYPD have gone up again. What is your administration doing to address those concerns?

Assistant Deputy Mayor Chauncey Parker, Public Safety: Chauncey Parker, assistant deputy mayor for Public Safety. So for the Fire Department, there's three initiatives in particular that we're working on to relentlessly push to lower those response times. 

One is there's a hospital liaison officer program where in each of the hospitals there's a pilot project in five hospitals. So when the EMTs come to the hospital, the EMTs can drop off the patient with a smooth handoff to an EMT team that's located in those hospitals. And then they can get back onto the street. It normally takes 45 minutes. So we're very hopeful that that's going to help reduce the response time and get these EMTs back on the street. 

Second of the mayor's initiatives is to create paramedic response units. So as you know, the paramedics are for the highest degree of emergency and care. And oftentimes when they come to a crisis, they may not be at that level. But they're still the ones who could transport the patient to the hospital. And that redirects the paramedics to other really high-level jobs. So these paramedics are going to be coming with the EMTs. And if it is a lower-level response, then the EMTs can take the patient to the hospital. And that will relieve the paramedics to go to high-level calls for service, which will also save time. 

Then a third initiative to try to reduce these response times is using the principles of telehealth. With the consent of the patient, people can call 911. And their request may be, I've run out of my prescription for insulin. I need to get the prescription filled. And that may be a 911 EMT call. And with the consent of the patient, they can be instead, instead of it being an EMS response, it can be a response where we can connect that patient with a doctor through H&H. And that doctor can do the prescribing and do the care through telehealth, which we do in many other circumstances. 

So those are three of the mayor's initiatives to relentlessly push to reduce these response times. 

Question: And when did those initiatives start? 

Assistant Deputy Mayor Parker: The hospital liaison officers started over the summer in a couple of hospitals as a pilot project. And the paramedic response units will be in the next month. 

Question: [Inaudible.]

Assistant Deputy Mayor Parker: The NYPD, this is something that the NYPD is working on, constantly pushes it. It's part of everything that the NYPD does through CompStat, maybe probably the most accountable agency in the world, the NYPD. It's focusing, again, relentlessly on how to do better at protecting and serving people. So that's all part of, by relentlessly following up and using creative, imaginative, evidence-based strategies, they're going to drive that number down.

Question: We reported that more than 1,100 young people were turned away from DYCD funded shelters in the first six months of this year, compared to the same time period last year, which was nine people. I don't know if maybe Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom or Almanzar wants to comment on this uptick. And I know some critics have said that the funding has remained stagnant for DYCD shelters. Do you think there should be more beds added or more funding added to facilitate for runaway homeless youth? And I know in this case, it's a lot of asylum seekers.

Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar, Strategic Initiatives: Thank you, Katie. And the question that you bring up refers to that number that we saw, and the increase was predominantly in the first four months of the year, in that it goes concurrently with the increase of migrants that we saw coming to New York City from January all the way to May. The number has decreased since then. 

We have about 95 percent or so occupancy rate on those beds throughout the entire system. And we work with every single one of those young people to make sure they find beds throughout the system, through the DHS system. Most of those were men between the ages of 18 and 24, and we work with them through all the nonprofits that we partner with to make sure they find the beds that they need.

Question: Can you guarantee that all of the people who were turned away from DYCD shelters, did you know, did they all end up in DHS or DSS shelters, or were some people sleeping on the street? I know the mayor often says that people don't sleep on the street.

Deputy Mayor Almanzar: And just to clarify, the 1,100 number that you're quoting is 1,100 contacts, not individual persons that came through the system. Most of them had multiple contact with us throughout the month. So we do work with them, with every single one of them, to find them a location where they can spend the night. 

And just to your question, and you spoke about how we're working to make this more permanent, DYCD and the other agencies work together to find permanent housing for about 545 young people this year alone. And we continue to work to find them other services so they can have permanent housing. Thank you, Katie.

Question: Good to see you, Mr. Mayor. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: Ten months ago, we were all in that room and you told us that your administration never had a D.M.O. list, we know nothing about a D.M.O. list. This morning, two FDNY officials were indicted by federal prosecutors. They talked about this list. They say it was pretty well known in City Hall. 

Do you stand by that, that you never knew about a D.M.O. list? And then, second, just to add, what do you say to New York at this point? We've seen all of these scandals and are starting to feel like there's widespread corruption in this administration.

Mayor Adams: Well, okay, let's first go to the D.M.O. list, and I'm going to have this list that you're talking about. I'm going to have Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi communicate. And if you looked at the wording of that indictment, these allegations, these actions started in 2021. And from what I read, and it was a brief reading, that they stated that that was the terminology that the FDNY used. 

We stated it then, and we're going to state it again, that this administration did not have a list named like that. And we made that clear, and we stand by that. And so when you ask the question about what are you saying to New Yorkers, that is the purpose we're doing this. As the question was asked, why are we doing this? We want New Yorkers to know that this administration is working hard for them, and we're producing real results. And when things happen to an administration, the real question is, do you have the ability to stay focused and provide the services that the city is expecting? And that's what we're doing every day. 

Question: How are you doing, Mr. Mayor?

Mayor Adams: Good. 

Question: How are you feeling?

Mayor Adams: Good, good. Excellent. 

Question: So I guess the question is this. Two Italian chiefs from the Fire Department were indicted on charges of accepting $190,000 worth of bribes to expedite building inspections. I wonder if this is the kind of case that undermines the public's confidence in your administration and is the kind of thing that maybe led to this kind of press conference?

Mayor Adams: Well, it didn't lead to this type of press conference. We had the press conference to show the work we're doing. But let's go back again, Marcia, because I think that what happens when action is taken during administration, people rarely look and see when the action initiated. 

The action initiated under another administration, and I think sometimes we skip over that. These investigations often take a while to actualize, and when they take a while to actualize, we identify with the administration that's in office. But this action initiated under a previous administration.

Question: But you're saying that these people have nothing to do with your administration, even though they were doing this during the time that you were mayor? And then, I mean, it would seem people are going to blame your administration because this was going on while you were mayor.

Mayor Adams: That started under the previous administration. Let's do that first, okay? We acknowledge that. Second, when the fire commissioner, Laura Kavanaugh, became aware of it, she self-reported it. That's what administrations are supposed to do. She self-reported it to the Department of Investigation. 

Question: [Inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: DOI do what they do. I don't know their procedures for doing so. I allow them to feel free to carry out their action. 

Question: [Inaudible] your administration discovered it, reported it, and shouldn’t be blamed for it?

Mayor Adams: No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying the people who did the action should be blamed for it. Started under the previous administration. Our administration became aware of it. They took the proper steps and reported the action. DOI conducted their actions when they became aware of it. That is the way the system is supposed to work. 

Question: Hi mayor, welcome back.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. 

Question: I need to get my booster myself. I wanted to ask about Chief Counsel Zornberg's resignation. Did she advise you to begin clearing house or at least take a closer look at people around you? And as we continue to go through this with numerous federal investigations, are you looking to clear house to protect yourself?

Mayor Adams: First and foremost, you guys have heard me say it over and over again. I do not go into private conversations. Little did I know that when Lisa came on board, not only is her professionalism, but that we were going to develop such a friendship that we did. I like Lisa a lot, and she's made it clear that, Eric, I'm here, that even that I'm not with the administration, feel free to reach out to me, communicate with me. 

She has been a great advisor. There are many things she advised us on, and we moved on. But I'm not going to go into the private conversations that the two of us have. I like Lisa a lot, and I'm pretty sure if you were to ask her, she'd say the same thing.

Question: And then to you, sir, are you looking to clear house to protect yourself with these numerous federal investigations?

Mayor Adams: I'm looking to continue to do this, and that's produce for New Yorkers. And I think that those, when I communicated with previous mayors, they all stated that, Eric, there's going to be moments that you can be distracted from doing this job. This is a big city, and there's so many things that happen. Things that happened in previous administrations materialize in your administration. But can you maintain the focus to continue to move the ball down the field? And that is what this administration has been successful in doing.

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. How are you?

Mayor Adams: Good. How are you?

Question: I'm doing well. I wanted to ask you just for clarification. So there was a priority list that existed for inspections when it came to the FDNY, and your administration was aware of it and following that policy? Or they became aware of it and stopped following that policy?

Mayor Adams: You want to speak on that? D.M. Meera Joshi.

Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Operations: Sure. I just want to clarify, and I think I said this at an off topic quite many, many months ago. There is not a D.M.O. list. And there is a system that was set up by this administration to systemically address what had been a longstanding backlog. It's encompassed in a report called Get Stuff Built. It's 111 recommendations about agencies working closely together to make sure both New Yorkers and the agencies who themselves are subject to plan review are able to work through their projects quickly.

Question: You talked earlier, mayor, about taxpayers being betrayed when it comes to efficiencies in the city in regards to the MMR list. I'm wondering, at this moment with these two former chiefs, what they did was kind of betray taxpayers by putting certain projects over the public's projects. What's your response to that? How does that work? They weren't fulfilling the duties of helping everyday New Yorkers.

Mayor Adams: Well, what I think D.M. Meerra Joshi said is very important with the Get Stuff Built list, Get Stuff Built report that we put out. When I was on the campaign trail visiting businesses and others, there are some very clear concerns about the bureaucracy of government.

I sat down with D.M. Meera Joshi, and I sat down with Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer to say all of our agencies, we need to get out of the way that's preventing government and businesses to move forward. If anyone abused those actions, they should be held accountable. And I think the full investigation is going to determine if someone abused that. But we have never been apologetic or not transparent about our desire to see government move more efficiently and stop getting in the way of the growth.

That is how we got the highest number of jobs in the city and the largest number of small businesses. We went in to say, hey, how is government getting in the way for those who want to provide businesses to the city? And if someone's abused that, they would have to be held accountable.

Question: Good morning, sir. Nice to see you back. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you. 

Question: You're doing well, that's great. On the topic of Ms. Zornberg, did you try to talk her out of it, first of all? And second, are you concerned about the optics of that? Not just the practical impact, I mean, without a counsel, but the optics of that, how that looks at such a critical time.

Mayor Adams: You know, I don't get into optics. You know, because if you get into optics, you're going to not do what's factual. And the depth of the conversations I had with Lisa, again, you know, if you guys heard me say this over and over again, I don't go into private conversations. That's why people are really comfortable with having very candid conversations with me, because they know what they share with me is never repeated. 

And this team that's behind me and beside me, they know they can walk in my office, they can call me up, and they can engage in any type of critique or conversation, and they know they never hear it again. I'm just a strong believer when people speak with you, you should not share those conversations. And I'm not going to do that. 

Question: [Inaudible.] 

Mayor Adams: Listen, I adore Lisa. I thought that she was funny, she was energetic. You know, we've enjoyed each other's company and talked about a slew of different topics. You know, people make decisions, and I respect the decisions that people make.

[Crosstalk.]

I'm going to take three more, then I got to bounce. Go ahead.

Question: Mr. Mayor, Ray Martin was fired from your administration following an NBC report showing that there might be maybe some corruption there. What exactly were the details? What did you guys find? And are you worried that he did have access to certain levels of information? Are you going to do an investigation? 

Mayor Adams: DOI handles that, and I don't interfere. If you were to speak with the DOI commissioner, she would tell you, Eric, do not interfere with any type of review. That's a big belief that I have. This way, people can have faith in the process as it moves forward.

Question: So you're not doing an [inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: DOI would do that, and they would come back and tell us the outcome of that.

Question: Did they launch an investigation right away after he was fired?

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry?

Question: Did they launch an investigation right away after he was fired?

Mayor Adams: I'm sure a review was put in place, and when we discovered what we appeared to be inappropriate, he was immediately terminated.

Question: Hi, Mayor. 

Mayor Adams: How are you? 

Question: I'm glad you're feeling better. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you. 

Question: My understanding is that at least one member of the City Council is going to call for your resignation and that others might too follow. I know you said you haven't been accused of any wrongdoing, but if you are, would you consider resigning?

Mayor Adams: Well, let's be clear. I don't think any of those members put me in office. The 700,000 or whatever number thousand, they voted me in office. And, you know, those who anytime anything happens in this city calls for me to leave, are we supposed to listen to them now? They call for me to leave over and over and over again, but these numbers are showing that I'm working on behalf of New Yorkers. 

The goal for me, I was elected by the people of this city, and I'm going to fulfill my obligation to the people of this city so I can continue to do the great things that I'm doing. And so if I'm going to listen to those members, whomever they may be, that have critiqued this administration from the beginning. So why would they do anything different now? We’ll do one more. I got to bounce.

Question: There have been a few reports that Lisa Zornberg resigned because you rejected advice by top administration involved in corruption investigations. What's your comment to that? And are you seeking a new counsel?

Mayor Adams: There's one thing about city government. There's a deep bench. There are some great folks who are in the counsel office and now my conversations with them. They're dedicated public servants and they're going to continue to do the work that they're doing because, you know, there's a calling to do this work. 

You know, you're not doing this work because you're looking for fame and fortune. You're doing it because you believe in the people that you're helping every every day. And we have some talented people who are there. They're going to continue to do the work. And, you know, even when mayors come and go, you know, there is a solid core group of people that make sure even in that transition period that the city continues to provide for for New Yorkers. And so we're going to make sure that someone else becomes the chief counsel. But in the interim, I'm very comfortable with the people who are there that doing the day to day work. Okay folks, see you tomorrow.