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More transit discounts, more housing, more pools: NYC Council speaker unveils vision in State of the City
By
Michelle Bocanegra
and
David Cruz
Published Mar 8, 2023
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Ron Adar/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
By
Michelle Bocanegra
and
David Cruz
Published Mar 8, 2023
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New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams laid out her vision for the coming year in her second State of the City speech on Wednesday, floating ideas that include more affordable housing, the expansion of a transit discount program, and support for understaffed municipal agencies across the city.
The speaker, a Democrat and the first Black woman to lead the Council, held her speech the same week as councilmembers began poring through the city’s $102.7 billion preliminary budget plan. Adams, who is the city's most powerful elected official after Mayor Eric Adams (no relation), spoke about shaping a budget that “delivers for our communities and our working families.”
Any proposal Adams presented will likely be part of budget negotiations ahead of a final plan due in June.
Here are a few takeaways from her speech:
A proposed expansion of Fair Fares
Adams pledged that the Council would work to expand the city’s Fair Fares program, which slashes the price of bus and subway rides by half for eligible residents. Adams’ proposal would broaden eligibility to include New Yorkers who earn a yearly salary of $27,180. Adams said on Wednesday this would nearly double the number of people covered by the program.
“Rent, food, childcare and transportation costs are approaching all-time highs and Speaker Adams' expansion proposal would put several hundred dollars back in the pockets of the New Yorkers who most need a break,” Danna Dennis, senior organizer at Riders Alliance, said in a statement.
The speaker and the mayor struck a deal ahead of the mayor’s city budget proposal last year to fund the program to the tune of $75 million. The program, which launched in 2019, has faced criticism from advocates who say it has excluded scores of New Yorkers who stand to benefit from discounted fares. More than 280,000 residents are currently enrolled in the program.
A push for more housing
The speaker also unveiled a plan to address the city’s severe housing crunch: She proposed the development of more housing on unused land owned by NYCHA, an idea similar to ones put forth by previous mayoral administrations.
Under her proposal, new public housing units would be constructed on NYCHA land, with the hope of upgrading residential conditions for residents who have seen a scourge of quality of life issues. Though public housing would be prioritized, the land would also be used to develop affordable housing and mixed-income residences.
“Let me be clear. Whether this advances should be decided by tenants,” Adams said in her address.
Closing Rikers Island
Adams supported a yearslong push to close jails on Rikers Island. The facilities on the island have long been mired in controversy over conditions faced by detainees, many of whom have not been convicted of crimes and are awaiting trial.
The city has embarked on a plan to close Rikers and replace its facilities with borough-based jails by 2027 — though the mayor has expressed skepticism that the current deadline could be met.
“Week after week, we see someone lose their life on Rikers at levels that are nearly unprecedented,” the speaker said. “This is inhumane. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to tragedy or ignore the pain this inflicts on families and communities.”
Adams added that her own mother had been a Rikers corrections officer who believed the jails should have been closed “a long time ago.”
“Rikers is no longer serving our city,” Adams said.
Addressing a staffing crisis
The speaker said she’d stand “in solidarity” with public, private and nonprofit sector workers, and presented a series of agenda items that included stemming the tide of outgoing city employees.
Adams said she would push for more funding to staff critical agencies affected by a crippled workforce.
“We recognize it has created a domino effect, and now New Yorkers who rely on essential services are feeling those impacts in real time,” Adams said on Wednesday. “When a New Yorker can't access their SNAP food benefits because of agency delays, a family is left hungry. When a CityFHEPS housing voucher is slow to be processed, a family faces eviction.”
The speaker would also advocate for more funding for public defenders and civil legal service providers who assist low-income residents.
“For years, our funding needs have largely been ignored, and now we’re faced with widespread staff attrition and mounting operational costs that threaten our ability to deliver the robust legal representation that millions of New Yorkers rely on each year,” read a joint statement from several legal service organizations, including the Legal Aid Society.
But the organizations said just increasing funding wasn’t enough. Contracting procedures needed an overhaul to allow for automatic payments “without arduous vouchering procedures and faster contract registration,” the statement reads.
Adams pledged to enact legislation that would bar noncompete agreements from employment contracts. The federal government is eyeing a similar overhaul.
The speaker also outlined a series of other zoning-related priorities in the vein of creating more jobs, including a push for amendments that aim to revitalize industrial districts within the city.
More year-round pools
Adams also prioritized a move to expand access to city-owned pools through legislation that would offer year-round swimming and free swimming lessons, as well as create public access to pools operated by the city education department.
“Some of us can recall when Black families were excluded from public pools – often the only access we had to enclosed water,” Adams said. “And so today, when 1 out of 3 Black students can’t swim, while only about 1 out of 10 white students cannot, access to public pools and swimming programs must be considered a matter of justice.”
Adams said a bill to expand pool access is a priority the Council intends to pursue.
Tagged
state of the city
Politics
city council speaker
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Michelle Bocanegra
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David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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