Dahved Levy: Hello. Good night, sir. How are you doing?
Mayor Eric Adams: Rocking you. Rocking you, brother. Rocking you.
Levy: We got the mayor. New York Mayor Adams is checking in. How are you doing, sir? How are you feeling, sir? How’s everything going? How are you holding up?
Mayor Adams: Very well. Very well. Listen, let me tell you something. I don’t think there’s been a mayor in the history of the city that has been on Caribbean Fever as much as I have. And that’s the same all over the city, being in the neighborhood, and folks elected me to stay true through my roots, and I’m going to live up to that.
Levy: Okay, sir. Listen, I know you don’t have a lot of time, but I really appreciate you taking a moment out of your schedule to call in. What do you feel when I mention these words to you? Supporting small businesses and the working class, what does that do to you when you hear that?
Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, you have heard me say over and over, Dahved, that we need to have a working-class agenda. Now a lot of people are catching up to that after the loss of the presidency and saying working class, working class.
I have always stated that working class should be at the forefront. What does that mean to me? It means the union members that I gave contracts to make sure that they could afford to live in the city. It means the small property owners and shop owners that pull up the gates every day to give their hard work 12, 13 hours.
I looked at how do I help working-class people. Number one, in small businesses, we stopped all of those fines that were hitting our small businesses. We were able to save millions of dollars of small businesses so they’re not hit hard.
Number two, we made sure we looked at the M/WBEs. We have over 30 percent of our procurement contracts are going to M/WBEs, and that’s how you’re seeing so many people being able to develop and build their small businesses in the city.
Working class people for me are those who are trying to make sure that they can provide for their families. Many of them are living almost paycheck to paycheck, but they are focused on making sure this city provides for the children and families of this city.
Levy: Sir, in a city that is unique as New York City, all this hustle and bustle, what are your thoughts on solar vehicles and are they really having a positive impact as was initially intended?
Mayor Adams: You said what type of vehicles?
Levy: Solar.
Mayor Adams: I’m sorry.
Levy: Solar energy vehicles.
Mayor Adams: The electric vehicles?
Levy: Yes.
Mayor Adams: It is going to continue to evolve. We’re at the beginning in the entire process of electric vehicles. We just started to really see the full progress of that. Our city fleet eventually is going to transform into EVs, they call it, electric vehicles, but the goal is you got to build out more charging stations. You have to have faster charges. You know New Yorkers. They’re not going to sit around for 20 to 30 minutes and charge their vehicle.
We must continue to allow this technology to evolve. One way of doing that is the demand. The more and more cities’ fleet convert to electric vehicles, more and more you’re going to see the need of a charging station. You’re seeing so many people are doing it. Uber and Lyft, they’re getting ready to transform their vehicles to electric. You see many that are doing it already.
Levy: Sir, this is an interesting question for you. We have been hearing plenty about robots. As mayor, will you be willing to give up 100 human jobs to 10 perfect robots? You hear that, sir? Would you be willing to give up 100 human jobs to 10 perfect robots?
Mayor Adams: No. The goal is always going– No matter how much technology moves– Remember when they said that we were in a computer age that we were going to lose jobs? No, we created more jobs. Even in the AI, artificial intelligence age, people say, “Well, eventually, robots are going to take over,” that is just not true. We’re always going to need that human interaction.
In fact, what we want to do in the state and in the city, is to turn this into the Mecca of artificial intelligence. That means instructing our children at a young age in our schools out to embrace this new technology. AI is going to create more jobs. It’s not going to replace the human interaction, just the opposite. We’re excited about that.
Levy: Sir, before you go, it has been a hectic 2024. Tell us what your workout schedule is like. What do you do to keep healthy and fit, and has it changed, developed as a mayor?
Mayor Adams: That’s a great question. We often don’t take care of ourselves. There’s a reason the airline stewardess or the captain say, in case of cabin pressure drop and the mask come out, put the mask on yourself or you put it on yourself before you put it on your travel companion because we’re no good to anyone if we’re not good to ourselves. I’m big on how do we stay healthy no matter what goes on in our lives.
It starts early in the morning. The first thing I do, I wake up, get on my knees, and give thanks to God. God is at the center of my life. Then, I do breathing exercises because people don’t realize how important breath work is, and then I will sit down and do meditation. Then I will do some calisthenics and some other form of exercises to get the heart rate up. Before I sit down and read the paper, I get a nice green smoothie, kale or spinach, and some cacao powder and some other good powders in it with blueberries or blackberries. This is what you start your day right.
You don’t want to leave in your driveway in your car without putting the right gas in your vehicle. You need to put the right gas in your body to make sure that it could perform at optimal level. Fast food, junk food, sugary food, unhealthy food, that is not going to make sure your body operates correctly. I’m always focused on that, mind, body, and spirit.
Levy: Sir, thank you very much for calling in. I give you the last word, sir.
Mayor Adams: Listen, rocking you, rocking you. I say to everyone that my life is a life that has gone through many ups and downs and turmoil, but when you are rooted in God, sometimes you have to let go and let God.
Everybody morning that I turn on my GPS, my God positioning satellite, and let Him guide my route and guide my direction. He never said there won’t be any potholes. He never said won’t be any difficult turns, but if you just stay true and follow that GPS, it’s going to take you to your mission, and He’ll make sure you reach your destiny. That’s how I live my life.
Levy: Sir, thank you very much for calling in. Talk to you later. Have a good evening.
Mayor Adams: You do the same.
November 24, 2024 Manhattan, New York
Sources: NYC.gov, Midtown Tribune
Big New York news BigNY.com
