Mayor Eric Adams presented his fourth and possibly final State of the City address Thursday in Harlem, sharing a vision — but scant details on how — to make it easier to raise a family in the five boroughs.
As he walked out on stage at the Apollo Theater, the mayor rubbed the famous Tree of Hope stump for good luck, then rattled off a slew of ideas from building more housing to helping kids learn to swim.
“Extreme costs are forcing too many people, especially working class families, to make hard choices: between groceries or child care, medicine or clothing, making the rent or moving out,” Adams said, as he acknowledged the city’s issues.
Adams, who’s been in office for three years, said he planned to make the city “the best place to raise a family, the safest place to raise a family, the most affordable place to raise a family, the most welcoming place to raise a family.”
It starts, he said, with safety — and he highlighted the addition of hundreds more police officers and crime statistics that dipped last year.
He also announced a $650 million investment in curbing street homelessness, including adding 900 new Safe Haven beds and building a new housing facility for people with serious mental illness. It was unclear where those beds or the new facility would be located.
Adams also unveiled “The Manhattan Plan,” with an ambitious goal of building 100,000 units of housing through zoning changes across the island.
The proposal comes a month after the City Council passed Adams’ City of Yes agenda, which will let developers build an estimated 80,000 units of housing through a citywide zoning overhaul – but there were few details on which neighborhoods could be rezoned under The Manhattan Plan.
He also announced an investment of $163 million in programs to help young people, including Fair Futures and College Choice, which both serve youth in the foster care system.
The city will also expand a learn-to-swim program for 4,800 more kids and add another afternoon cleaning shift for the city’s parks, Adams promised.
A Little Help From His Friends
But many of the mayor’s big announcements will require buy-in from the state legislature in Albany, like his hyped “Axe the Tax” proposal to eliminate the city’s personal income tax for New Yorkers making under a certain amount.
He also asked for the state legislature help to pass the Supportive Interventions Act, which would change the state’s involuntary commitment laws for people struggling with mental illness. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her push for the bill in late December, with the mayor signaling his support earlier this month.
“This crucial legislation will help us get those in need the care they deserve, provide assistance to those who can no longer care for themselves, and keep all New Yorkers safe,” Adams said.
The mayor’s annual address comes as ahead of his federal corruption trial beginning in April and the Democratic primary in June as he hopes to win a second term .
His opponents seized on his speech Thursday, with mayoral hopeful State Sen. Zellnor Myrie saying that Adams “must be living in a different New York.”
“Stop telling us the city is safer than ever when New Yorkers are nervous to get on the subway. Stop claiming our city is more livable when no one can find an apartment,” he said in a statement.
“Eric Adams can keep calling mediocrity success — but no one is buying it.”
And former City Comptroller Scott Stringer said “Eric Adams has always put on a good show, but his act at the Apollo today isn’t going to distract New Yorkers from the reality they see every day.”
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani attended the speech in person and criticized it from the audience, tweeting a recent article by THE CITY about unsheltered New Yorkers not being able to get beds.
Current comptroller Brad Lander was also in the crowd at the Apollo, where he tweeted that “Mayor Adams has had three years to show whether he can lead this city, and has failed at every turn.”
Meanwhile, Adams at the end of his speech addressed his legal woes and calls to resign.
“There were some who said step down, I said, ‘No, I’m gonna step up,’” he recounted, to a few cheers.
