New York City Mayor Eric Adams gave his 2nd State of the City speech on Thursday, January 26th at the Queen’s Theatre in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The speech revolved around what Mayor Adams labeled the “Working People’s Agenda.” The agenda’s focus will be the four pillars that render a society strong and sustainable which are jobs, safety, housing, and care.
“Without a strong working class, this city cannot survive. That’s why, today, I’ve outlined how we plan to build a city for working people, one that is more affordable, safer, cleaner, and more livable,” said Mayor Adams. “You need good jobs and pathways to get those jobs, and those jobs need to be able to support a home for you and a family. You need to be safer, and you need care — not just in crisis but throughout your lives. These are the things that our administration is working for every day to sustain the workers who make this city possible and build a better city for all.”
Jobs
Mayor Adams’ focus will include the creation of well-paying jobs. Adams will launch the Apprenticeship Accelerator which will see 30,000 New Yorkers connected to apprenticeships by 2030. This Accelerator will aid in increasing employment opportunities for adults and youth.
The Adams Administration aims to develop a highly skilled workforce that will ensure adequate work opportunities in the city. This will be done through the implementation of various programs and initiatives. One of them is the operation of the Science Park and Research Campus Kips Bay project which will develop talent in life sciences, health care, and public health.
A New Nursing Education Initiative in partnership with the City University of New York will be launched to assist 30,000 aspiring and future nurses to enter the nursing workforce and build careers.
A new Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion will be launched to support people with disabilities get jobs and ensure that those who are employed gain access to their workplaces. Several measures will be put in place to help people from disadvantaged communities, those leaving school, and communities of color get working opportunities.
“We are going to make sure that all New Yorkers finally have access to good jobs. We’re reimagining our city’s workforce development system from the bottom up — improving education, expanding job training, and creating employment on-ramps at every stage of the process, so that New Yorkers from all walks of life can benefit from this economic recovery. People used to move where the jobs were — but in today’s economy, jobs come to where the talent is. So we are going to bolster, build, and diversify that talent, creating the best-educated, best-prepared workforce anywhere in this nation. Today, I’m proud to announce that we will connect 30,000 New Yorkers to apprenticeships by 2030, thanks to our new Apprenticeship Accelerator. This is on-the-job experience with an opportunity for permanent employment in high-demand careers, and it will ensure employers can tap the talent they need,” Adams said.
Crime and Safety
Crime and Safety will always be a talking point in New York City. Mayor Adams has faced a difficult year dealing with issues relating to crime, but in his State of the City speech he addressed the fact that he still has a plan.
His administration will endeavor to get close to 1,700 offenders responsible for the several violent crimes committed in the city. Adams promises that more effort will go into fighting robberies and burglaries. NYPD crime prevention units will have their scope expanded to combat retail theft, working hand in hand with business owners.
The communities directly affected by crime will be more involved with the expansion of community response teams and the bringing of CompStat meetings directly to them.
Reduction in gun violence, which is a national scourge, will continue to be combatted.
“Our administration came into City Hall with a mission and a mandate: Reducing gun violence. We’ve already made real progress. Shootings are down, murders are down, and major crimes were down last quarter for the first time in six quarters. New Yorkers can finally see safer days ahead after several years of rising crime. I want to thank everyone who has supported this effort, especially Governor Hochul and President Biden. They understand that fighting the scourge of illegal guns is a top priority for our city,” Adams said.
He continued, “We will continue to work with all of our colleagues in government to combat gun violence in New York City and across the nation. That means advocating for common-sense gun reform at every level of government. We’re just a few weeks into the New Year, and already this country has seen multiple mass shootings. Americans have had enough. We must get this done. Because ending gun violence means stopping it before it starts, especially when it comes to our youth. By the time a young person gets a gun, the system has already failed. We’re not going to let that keep happening in our city.”
Housing
Historically, the city has had inadequate housing and Mayor Adams has promised to build more housing for New Yorkers. Under the Working People’s Agenda, the Adams Administration will invest $22 million in tenant protection programs that will include the monitoring of bad landlords.
“We need to invest in our public housing. But we also need to build more affordable housing for all New Yorkers. That is why New York has committed to being a ‘City of Yes’ — yes to more housing, in every borough and every neighborhood. Last month, we released our plan to Get Stuff Built and laid out a moonshot goal of building 500,000 additional homes over the next decade — homes for all people, from recent arrivals to lifelong New Yorkers, homes for seniors, families, and veterans. I said we couldn’t do it alone — and the good news is that we don’t have to. In her State of the State address, Governor Hochul committed to providing more tools for New York City to build the housing we need. I want to thank the governor for her leadership and support. On so many issues, she has been there for our city right from the start. And, in 2023, we are going to accomplish great things together, including building more housing in high-opportunity neighborhoods and near transit hubs. I recently announced plans for 6,000 new homes and 10,000 new jobs around four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx, and we are not stopping there,” he said.
Care
With regard to care, Adams touched on several types of programs which include taking care of asylum-seeking migrants, the homeless, and healthcare. The challenge of asylum-seeking migrants has taken a toll on the city with Mayor Adams requesting assistance, but he has said that his administration has done a commendable job dealing with the task at hand.
“Finally, I want to talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention: Our responsibility as a city to care for New Yorkers in the greatest need. Over the past year, our ability to care was put to the test by the asylum seeker crisis. New Yorkers rose to the occasion, as they always do. Since last spring, we have had more than 42,000 asylum seekers arrive in our city, and we have provided them with shelter, food, education, health care, and legal support,” he said.
Photos courtesy of Mayor Eric Adams delivers his first State of the City address at Queens Theater on Thursday, January 26, 2023. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
