Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on NY1's "Mornings on 1"

December 6, 2024

Jamie Stelter: A narrow majority of the City Council voted yesterday to approve the City of Yes housing plan. It's one of the mayor's signature policy initiatives designed to rapidly increase the supply of new housing across the five boroughs.  

Governor Hochul joined Mayor Adams at an event celebrating the plan, which now also includes state funding for infrastructure improvements and tenant protections. She praised both the mayor and City Council for getting it done. 

Governor Kathy Hochul: The decades of people saying we cannot do this, it's too hard, and our people going to other cities and other states because they had the bold ambition to build, that era is over. And mayor, when you said you needed a billion dollars to get it over the finish line, I will tell you this, because I'm so committed to building housing in our city and our state, you actually had me at hello. 

Stelter: Joining me now from Gracie Mansion, Mayor Adams and First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer. Good morning to you both, thanks for being here this morning. Mr. Mayor, let's start with you. There were some compromises made to your original proposal along the way during the negotiations with the City Council. Is the plan as it passed still going to make the difference that you wanted to on housing? 

Mayor Eric Adams: Well, without a doubt, and you know, being in government for quite some time for us, you know, as senator, borough president, now as the mayor, you go into compromise. You go in to hear from your partners across the aisle.  

The City Council had some concerns, and we were able to sit down at the table and get it done. 80,000 units. This is the largest, most comprehensive reform to our housing since 1961 and probably in the history of this city. So trust me, New Yorkers, this is going to really start the process of getting everyday New Yorkers into housing. 

Stelter: Deputy mayor, we got a behind-the-scenes look on your social media yesterday. You were crossing or seemingly crossing off the City of Yes off of your to-do list. I got to tell you, I'm a to-do list girl. I love the feeling of crossing something off a list, especially a big item, but that is just the first step. Let's talk about what is the next step. The first step in implementation. 

First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer: Well, I have to be clear. When I was appointed, the mayor gave us a very long to-do list, but near the top of that list was making sure that we were doing everything that we needed to do to make a dent in this housing crisis where we have a 1.4 percent vacancy rate.  

We released this moonshot of 500,000 homes over the course of the next decade, and the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity makes a real dent in that moonshot. We are not sitting on our hands. Because of this historic reform, we're finally going to see, Jamie, the type of building across the city that will bring relief to New Yorkers. So the reforms are effective immediately, and we will set about to really use every tool that we have so that seniors and young people and working families across the city can finally breathe a little bit easier. 

Stelter: I want to talk about another way that you're hoping to bring relief to some New Yorkers. Mayor Adams, you recently pitched a new proposal that would eliminate city taxes on personal income for low-income New Yorkers.  

It's called Axe the Tax to the [Working] Class. You would need the state legislature in Albany to make it happen, though. Are you confident that there's going to be enough support to make that happen? 

Mayor Adams: Well, let's look at the record. The relationship with the governor and I, we have clearly stated that we're going to move this state forward, me particularly here in the city. This is an amazing and important proposal of anyone, any family that's making 150 percent below the federal poverty line, we're going to excuse their city income tax.  

For example, a mother that's making $31,000 a year with a child, she would be excused from paying income tax, city income tax. When you add that to what we did two years ago with the earned income tax credit and the other ways we're putting money back in the pockets of New Yorkers, this is out of the deputy mayor's shop, over $30 billion back in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers.  

This is what we're supposed to do. And the sweet spot here for me, the personal sweet spot is it's not only what we have done, but what we have overcome. Everything from COVID to 200,000 migrants and asylum seekers. We have not stopped. We have shown New Yorkers grit, grind and focus. And I'm really proud of this team. 

Stelter: Alright. Well, we will see what happens with that in Albany. I have to move on to the murder in Midtown, Mr. Mayor. It has now been 48 hours since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down right outside the Hilton Hotel.  

We've been getting drips of details along the way. Today, we've got those new surveillance videos trying to connect the dots of the presumably 10 days that he spent here in the city before the killing. Are you worried that they haven't found the guy yet? 

Mayor Adams: Not at all. I'm extremely impressed. A fully masked individual. When we unrolled the entire process here, how this person was fully masked and we use good old fashioned police work to come up with the picture that you have, as well as the coordination with our partners in various law enforcement agencies across the city and across the country.  

We're seeing good old fashioned police work here. We are on the right track. We're going to bring this person to justice. And I'm really proud of what this agency has done. We wanted to make sure that the city knew this was not a random act of violence. That could strike at the core of New Yorkers that this appeared to be, from preliminary investigation, a targeted shooting. And we are on the pathway to bring this person to justice. 

Stelter: That definitely gives New Yorkers a small peace of mind that it was targeted. But beyond that, with all of the security that was around for the Rock Center tree lighting not too far away, all the surveillance cameras, all the technology, you've talked about drones and all the ways in which we're going to try and keep New Yorkers safe. What do you say to New Yorkers who are still wondering why this guy is still on the run? 

Mayor Adams: Well, we want to be extremely clear because sometimes it's often missed because of the random act and some of the isolated incidents that we have, like when we saw three New Yorkers stabbed. We don't, not one New Yorker should be the victim of a crime, but this is the safest big city in America.  

We need to be extremely clear, 8.3 million people. Our subway system is at almost a 14-year low in overall crime and crime has continued to drop in this city. Our Police Department is doing an amazing job. You do have these random acts of violence. You do have these targeted shooters. But when you look at the tools that we're using, we're keeping this city the safest big city in America. My goal is to make it the safest city in America, and that's what I'm going to continue to focus on. 

Stelter: Another way that you've talked about bringing more safety to New Yorkers is your tone on migrants and the border. And there has been a lot of talk about how your tone has shifted dramatically since the election of Donald Trump. You are sounding like a pro-Trump mayor in a mostly anti-Trump city. Are you worried that that tone might backfire? 

Mayor Adams: Well, you know, some of these critics also stated that, hey, Eric, you may hurt your base by doing this housing that we're doing. Not one homeless person is going to say, we don't believe you're doing the right thing. And so you don't do this looking, hoping to be reelected. You do it for the reasons you [were] elected. I have a housing crisis. I have to address it. I have a border migrant asylum seeker crisis. I have to address it.  

My tone has not changed. I've said the same things for really the last 35 years. Safety is the prerequisite to our prosperity. I stated prior to the election, we need to do something about those migrants, the small number of them that are committing crimes in our city.  

I've constantly stated we need to modify the sanctuary city law. So it wasn't about the election of the incoming president, who I refuse to be warring with. I'm going to be working with to bring resources home to this city and those who want to spin it the way they want, at the end of the day, people are going to see this is a city I loved. I served as a police officer, and I'm going to serve as the mayor of the City of New York. 

Stelter: I have to ask, because I know you were enrolled as a Republican from 1997 to 2001. Would you ever consider rejoining the GOP? 

Mayor Adams: The party that's the most important for me is the American party. I'm a part of the American party. I love this country. This is the home of the free, the land of the brave. My 19-year-old [uncle] died on the fields of Vietnam protecting what this city and this country represents. And that's the party I'm going to always be a member of. And I did it as a police officer when I wore that bulletproof vest for 22 years, and I'm going to do it with this blue suit as the mayor of the City of New York. 

Stelter: Alright. Well, we are looking forward to your meeting with the so-called border czar next Thursday. In the meantime, Mayor Adams, First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Springer, thank you both for being with me this morning. 

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