Eric Adams was elected as the mayor of New York City in 2022. With his first term coming to an end, he is now seeking reelection for a second term in office: something which should not be an option. Adams originally won the mayoral election in a landslide victory against Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, securing 67% of the vote. He had campaigned with passion and strong promises to improve the city through taking important action, which was appealing to most after former mayor Bill de Blasio’s term in office. One of Adams’ most prominent goals, practically the face of his 2021 campaign, was to target rates of crime in the city since there had been a 35.7% escalation in crime rate in 2021 from 2019 from the COVID-19 pandemic. New York City has never been a place that’s anything less than crazy, but people were truly afraid of the increase in crime that had become the norm. Cracking down on crime was a huge promise for Adams to take on, but one that hit home for many New Yorkers and effectively garnered support.
However, just three months into Adams’ tenure, major crimes across the boroughs spiked by an insane 58% in February compared to the year prior, despite Adams’ assurance that NYC was on the right track. Of course, three months cannot truly define growth, but things didn’t change after that, either, despite Adams’ hands-on approach. In 2023, a Siena College poll showed that 61% of NYC residents were afraid of becoming a victim of a crime, with 41% saying they’ve never felt so worried about their personal safety before. When New Yorkers, the people often characterized as being used to it all, are feeling more scared than ever it means something is wrong.
According to USA Today crime at the end of 2024 dropped, although only 1.9% from 2021 for major crimes, and 5.7%for overall crime. In his reelection speech, Adams claimed that, with 20,000 guns being taken off the street and illegal cannabis shops being shut down during his tenure, New York City is still the safest big city in America. Despite his words and beliefs that crime has gone down, there have been some much notable incidents that have recently taken place. There was a woman who was burned alive on the F train, a potential serial killer in Brooklyn that police are choosing to ignore and the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown. Looking at just handling crime alone, which Adams has prioritized the most in his campaign and still failed at, it’s clear that NYC needs someone new in the picture to bring things back on track, or at least closer to it than Adams did.
Adams’ time in office is also frequently criticized because of the major budget cuts that he’s justified time and time again, each time with a new reason. In his 2022 election party speech, Adams said, “You pay your taxes, we deliver your tax dollars through goods and services. We have failed to provide those goods and services — Jan. 1, that stops. That stops!” Failing to provide goods and services did not, in fact, stop. At first, it was to fund the NYPD while cutting from other areas like the Department of Education and even public libraries. Eventually, funding was also cut from the police in early 2024 to direct it toward the migrant crisis that hit the city. Adams planned to cut a total of 15% from the city’s budget to redirect toward these asylum seekers from the Southern border. They were sent up to NYC in huge waves, both on their own and as directed by Texas governor Greg Abbott, and Adams himself said that the issue would “destroy New York City.” Despite this sentiment, he remained eager to help the asylum-seeking families.
While this is a lovely perspective, it’s important to realize that this city is already stretched thin and is struggling across all its departments. As mayor, it’s important to take a stand and know how to put one’s own city first. Welcoming the migrants with open arms and ensuring shelter for them when there’s been a more than prominent homeless problem in our city already just doesn’t seem to make sense. Adams hasn’t ensured the shelter of those who have suffered with homelessness here but seemed ready to give up hotel buildings to hold the incoming migrants, which is far from a permanent solution. Yes, there have been efforts to build new shelters for these migrants, but that requires more funding that will be taken, again, from the city’s budget.
In addition to his past issues, Adams is currently under federal investigation for numerous reasons, including bribery and corruption as well as additional charges currently being added. The list keeps growing, and he is currently set to face trial in April. In the meantime, Adams has decided to grow an acquaintance with Donald Trump, facing criticism from fellow Democrats for doing so. It’s clear he has a motive, though: the hopes of a pardon, which Trump has revealed he may actually give. Trump claims that Adams is being treated “pretty unfairly,” which is rich coming from the first convicted felon to be sworn in as president.
Overall, it’s not looking good for Eric Adams, with only 12% of NYC voters supporting his reelection. He doesn’t seem to understand, though. He says, “I always say, there are two types of Americans – those who live in New York, and those who wish they could.” With the way Adams has kept things going so far, those who live here don’t even wish to anymore.
Haniyyah Usmani FCRH ’27 is undecided from The Bronx, New York.
