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Eric Adams Will Be Sworn In As Mayor At Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration
By
David Cruz
Published Dec 29, 2021
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Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock
By
David Cruz
Published Dec 29, 2021
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Eric Adams will be sworn in as New York City's 110th mayor shortly after midnight at the Times Square ball drop gathering, his team announced Wednesday. His decision comes days after postponing a planned indoor inauguration ceremony because of the sharp increase in coronavirus cases across the city.
Adams will take the oath of office just after midnight on Saturday in Times Square, according to a press release. Last week, the city announced that it will scale back the Times Square New Year's Eve event because of the rising number of coronavirus cases driven by the omicron variant. A maximum of 15,000 spectators will be able to take part in the event and are required required to be fully vaccinated and masked. Before the pandemic, an estimated 60,000 people attended the annual confetti-laden bash.
Adams will take the oath of office using his family's bible, his team said. Members of his family are expected to join him.
“Times Square has long been synonymous with the New Year — a place of excitement, renewal, and hope for the future," Adams said in a statement. "These are the same themes that animated my campaign and will inform my mayoralty, as I prepare to lead the city out of this challenging period."
While the plan was for Adams to always be sworn in midnight, he was originally set to hold an inauguration ceremony at Brooklyn Kings Theater on the evening of January 1st, opting not to follow the tradition of holding it outside City Hall. Along with Adams, Comptroller-elect Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams were supposed to have been sworn in at the same event. But as the number of coronavirus cases swelled across New York City, and with pressure building to hold off on an indoor event with such a large number of people, Adams postponed the inauguration ceremony for an undetermined date. Last week, he told reporters that he refused to put "people in a dangerous situation."
He added at the time that the ceremony was not specifically for him but for his supporters.
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David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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