Opinion | Here's why I'm optimistic about an Eric Adams mayoralty. By jbarro.
Of course, in some areas, this coalition ties Adams' hands. I am skeptical that he will crack down on. He's unlikely to be in a good position to push for financial concessions from the unions that form a key part of his base — not necessarily a big problem if the economic recovery continues to be strong, but a potential pitfall if the city's financial condition worsens.
Some of Adams' proposals, if taken literally, are likely to raise a great deal of ire in specific neighborhoods. He says he would shift the burden of development from poorer areas by upzoning where the rich already live. Anis already leading to much garment-rending. Adams owes nothing to either of these groups — the former largely threw its lot in with Kathryn Garcia and the latter with Maya Wiley — and therefore their voices should be diminished in the next administration.Well, I sort of did — I ranked him on my ballot below Andrew Yang. Because my first choice made it to the final round, my vote didn't transfer to him, but if the race had come down to him and Maya Wiley, I would have been transformed into an Adams voter.
Take parking placards. Officially, he is committed to fighting public employees' rampant abuse of official parking placards. In practice, as borough president, he allowed his staff to park all over Cadman Plaza at Brooklyn Borough Hall, and heOr you can look at real estate. Rhetorically, Adams is committed to the idea that New York must build to become more affordable. He has the word"upzone" right at the top of his housing platform.