New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday said he is not worried about his low poll numbers as the mayoral race gets underway ahead of the June Democratic primary.
Responding to questions about poll results that were published in Politico New York, which had voters favoring former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo even though he hasn't made a formal announcement to run, Adams pulled out a printed article from 2021 announcing Andrew Yang as the frontrunner for during the last mayoral race.
“We don't say Mayor Yang. We say Mayor Adams,” said Adams during his weekly press conference.
About 32% of poll respondents favored Cuomo, while only 6% liked Adams. The mayor pointed out that Yang’s double-digit early lead several years ago didn’t compare to the authenticity that he had toward voters and New Yorkers. “Polls don't make mayors. People do,” said Adams.
Adams stated that he wasn’t nervous to go up against Cuomo and preferred to focus on the needs of the people and New York citizens. “Campaign is the playoff… No matter how well you do in the season, when it’s the playoff, your game changes,” said Adams.
When asked about a possible pardon from President-elect Donald Trump, Adams repeated that he was innocent.
“Even the recent announcement of someone who pled guilty, you know, as my attorney said, we have discovery from the federal government. And in that discovery, this person stated over and over again that Eric didn't know anything about this," he said.
As divisive New Yorkers start to weigh out their transportation options about a week after the start of congestion pricing, the mayor said he has opted out of commenting on the plan because the decision comes from the state.
“I was just allowing the process to play out. I just did not want to throw more hysteria into this whole thing. This is a major change,” said Adams.
Adams stated he still hopes for the city to be the ‘bodies’ that determine how the streets are managed instead of Albany. Over the weekend Republican lawmakers met with Trump in hopes of killing the congestion pricing program.
“I don't control that. I know what I control, and I control what I control. And we have done a darn good job in controlling what we control,” said Adams.
The mayor this week announced the closing of over a dozen migrant shelters, with a large facility opening up in the Bronx. “We're going to continue to decrease the population based on our policies that we put in place,” said Adams.
The current closure of shelters stems from a 27-week decrease of newcomers in the city’s system, as well as the Adams administration’s 30-and-60-day limits on migrant shelter stays.
“We successfully managed a humanitarian crisis. And that's what history is going to show,” said Adams.
Meanwhile, the mayor denied media reports that said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had refused help from the city as it battles wildfires.
“Our heart goes out to Los Angeles. This is so devastating, what we're seeing unfolding there,” said Adams, adding that he has instructed his staff to reach out to Bass to see if she can use any "management relief."
The mayor also made two personnel announcements. Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack was elevated to the role of Deputy Mayor for Administration, and that Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tiffany Raspberry will serve as Deputy Mayor for Inter-Governmental Affairs.
Varlack, who started her career as an assistant district attorney in Kings County, served as chief of staff since January 2023. In this role, she led the administration’s response to the ongoing migrant crisis, coordinated citywide natural disaster and storm management and oversaw a portfolio of 11 offices, agencies and commissions.
Raspberry, who grew up in the Cooper Park Houses, a NYCHA complex in East Williramsburg, served as a senior member of the Adams administration overseeing the city’s legislative, regulatory and budgetary priorities across Washington, D.C., Albany and New York City as director for intergovernmental affairs.
