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Mayor Adams returns focus to state bail laws, days after the election
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
Jon Campbell
Published Nov 10, 2022
Modified Nov 10, 2022
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Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
Jon Campbell
Published Nov 10, 2022
Modified Nov 10, 2022
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Two days after watching his party suffer key congressional losses and a too-close-for-comfort margin of victory in the governor’s race, Mayor Eric Adams renewed his call for Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to make another round of changes to the bail laws.
Since taking office, the mayor has repeatedly sought to tie New York’s policies of bail reform to the city’s rising crime rate. But in the weeks leading up to the election, he stopped raising the issue and instead emphasized a more “holistic approach.”
On Thursday, Adams appeared to be back on message. He told reporters he wanted to see the state further expand the list of crimes that require bail for repeat offenders to include all grand larceny, burglary and robbery charges. Repeat offenders who cause harm to another person or property — including theft, under a revision to the bail laws passed in the spring — can already face cash bail in most cases.
“I think they need to immediately take on the heart of those reforms that are allowing repeat offenders to return to our streets,” he said during an unrelated press conference.
The mayor later added that the electoral performance by Republicans — who made gains in some parts of Brooklyn — should prompt a “wake-up call” to Democrats.
Hours earlier, Adams expressed his desire to see New York further tighten bail laws to a national audience on MSNBC.
"Too many people in Albany have dug in," he said. "To not recalibrate is a big mistake."
Adams' remarks on MSNBC drew a response from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a frequent progressive critic of the mayor.
“The sooner we stop repeating false Republican talking points, the sooner we can flip these seats back blue,” she wrote on Twitter.
From the start of his mayoralty, bail reform has pitted Adams, a centrist Democrat, against both Hochul and members of his party, including Democratic state legislative leaders who have pointed out that available data suggests no clear link between the rise in crime and changes to the state’s bail laws.
In her first post-win interview with WIVB-TV in her hometown of Buffalo, Hochul declined to commit to making any further changes to the bail laws, though she did say she is “always open to improving our laws.”
Progressives have accused the mayor of fanning fears around public safety at a moment when crime is still nowhere near historic highs and the number of homicides is falling compared to last year. Although overall crime remains high citywide compared to last year.
On Thursday, Adams forcefully brushed back those criticisms.
“I'm just waiting for Rod Serling to come out because that's simply the ‘Twilight Zone,’” he said. “Come on. Let's get real here.”
He added: “The problem was we ignored the concerns of everyday New Yorkers.”
Other Democrats are also calling on the party to reassess its messaging and outreach.
Hochul’s 6-point victory laid bare plenty of discontent — particularly on Long Island, where her Republican challenger Rep. Lee Zeldin defeated her by 150,000 votes. It was also on Long Island where Republicans all won their congressional seats.
Zeldin’s campaign was almost singularly focused on the issue of crime and public safety — and particularly the state’s 2019 cash bail reforms, which Zeldin had pledged to unilaterally suspend.
Under the reforms, judges are prevented from holding someone on cash bail in most misdemeanor and nonviolent felony cases. The idea was to ensure that someone without the means to post bail wasn’t held in jail for a long period of time before being convicted of anything.
At times during the campaign, Hochul expressed frustration that the changes she did make to the bail laws — which she pushed through the state Legislature in April — didn’t garner more attention. Among other tweaks, those changes made it easier for a judge to order bail for someone who is arrested in separate cases in quick succession.
On Thursday, Hochul said rising crime rates were not unique to New York state.
“It’s a national phenomenon. I get that. And I'm not going to be worried about us compared to other states,” she said. “All I care about is the state of New York, and I want to make sure that everybody who lives here has that sense of safety that they deserve.”
Zeldin said his strong showing was proof that his crime messaging resonated, and he urged Albany policymakers to pay attention.
“Those controlling Albany should take note,” Zeldin said in his concession statement. “New Yorkers of all walks of life are sick of the attacks on their wallets, their safety, their freedoms and the quality of their kids’ education and are hitting their breaking point, as proven by these results.”
Any changes to the bail laws would have to be approved by the state Legislature, which will remain controlled by a huge Democratic majority after Senate and Assembly Democrats were able to ward off the type of red wave that engulfed their congressional colleagues on Long Island.
All told, Democrats appear poised to hang on to their two-thirds supermajority in the Assembly, while the party has declared victory in 40 of the 63 Senate races with at least two races still too close to call, putting the Democrats' supermajority up in the air.
Shontell Smith, the former chief of staff to state Senate Democrats who is now a consultant for Tusk Strategies, said one of the lessons of the election is Democrats need to be more comfortable speaking about crime
“For a long time, I think Democrats were either afraid to speak about (crime) or they were just ignoring it,” Smith said. “So I do think that we could be comfortable speaking about crime and bail and just own it, because if you're not going to make changes, own it and feel comfortable defending it.”
Clarification: This story has been updated to better reflect Adams' stance on bail for repeat offenders.
Tagged
Lee Zeldin
Bail reform
new york
Election 2022
Kathy Hochul
Politics
eric adams
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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