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‘I need a partner’: Adams endorses Hochul as his top priorities remain in limbo
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jun 15, 2022
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Elizabeth Kim
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Elizabeth Kim
Published Jun 15, 2022
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Mayor Eric Adams officially endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday for a full term, cementing an alliance between New York’s top governing Democrats that has been fraught in recent years.
“We saw how much we were aligned,” Adams said before a crowd of union members at the Lower Manhattan headquarters of 32BJ, a labor organization that represents janitors, doormen and fast food workers. Similar to Adams during last year’s mayoral primary, Hochul has won the backing of key unions.
“I need a partner,” he added.
The relationship between the two marks a shift from that of their two predecessors — Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio — whose rivalry and squabbles often slowed decision-making and came at the detriment of city residents. On Wednesday, Hochul alluded to that acrimonious relationship, saying she wanted to make sure city residents knew “they now have a partnership where none existed before.”
The endorsement, which comes three days before the start of early voting in the primary, will likely help Hochul shore up support in New York City, particularly among Black and Latino outer borough voters, who are part of the Adams’ base. For Adams, it will further lock in an important political ally in Albany, which wields enormous control over the city, from mayoral control of schools to the operation of traffic cameras.
From the start, Adams and Hochul, who are both centrist Democrats, appeared to find common ground on issues related to public safety and helping working-class New Yorkers. Hochul supported making changes to rollback bail reform, one of Adams’ main policy priorities in Albany.
Only some of those proposals eventually passed the state Legislature, but the mayor succeeded in getting other parts of his agenda passed, including an expansion of the earned income tax credit program, which assists low-income workers in the city, and the creation of a trust to help finance public housing repairs.
"Gov. Hochul has consistently supported extending mayoral control and we are reviewing the final bills passed by the legislature," the governor's office said in a statement to Gothamist.
Hank Sheinkopf, a political consultant, said having a good relationship with the governor is always important for a mayor, but even more so for Adams, who faces a left-leaning state Legislature.
“It makes it tougher for the legislature to drive a wedge between them,” Sheinkopf said.
Still, their bond will soon be tested again. Hochul must decide in the coming months whether to sign two pieces of legislation that Adams has vocally opposed: a bill that mandates smaller class sizes in New York City public schools and another that places a two-year ban on cryptocurrency mining, which is supported by environmental advocates.
The first bill, which addresses a decades-long complaint in city schools, has the backing of education advocates and the city's teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). But Adams has said the measure is too costly, citing an estimate of $500 million a year to build new space and hire more teachers.
Asked whether he would ask the governor to veto the bill at a public housing event earlier this month, Adams said, “The governor is going to do her assessment.” But Adams added that he planned to continue to have discussions with the UFT and lawmakers.
Following Wednesday’s endorsement event, a reporter asked Hochul if Adams had reached out to discuss the crypto bill.
“We’re going to talk about that very soon,” she told him, according to a tweet.
State Sen. John Liu, one of the sponsors of the class size bill, said he had no plans to speak to the governor about the bill.
“The governor is smart enough to make her own choices,” he said, noting that the bill passed with overwhelming support in both the Senate and Assembly.
He called the city’s objection based on cost “disingenuous,” pointing out that the state approved an additional $1.6 billion in education aid to help the Department of Education meet the mandate. According to City Comptroller Brad Lander, the DOE also has roughly $5 billion in unspent federal stimulus funding.
In the case of cryptomining, the mayor told Crain’s he plans to ask the governor to veto the legislation. Despite concerns about the highly volatile industry and its negative environmental impacts, Adams has been a stalwart supporter of cryptocurrency.
Kevin Parker, the state senator who introduced the bill on crypto mining, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Political experts said the governor would likely postpone her decision on the two bills until after the primary to avoid political backlash.
A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the class size bill.
Hochul has hundreds of bills pending before her. After she receives a bill, she has 10 days, not including Sundays, to sign or veto the legislation, according to the rules.
Jon Campbell and Rosemary Misdary contributed to this report.
This story was updated with a statement from Gov. Hochul's office.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated who the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) represents. The union represents New York City teachers.
Tagged
new york
Politics
eric adams
Kathy Hochul
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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