In the history of New York City’s 109 mayors, there have been mayors who have run for president, mayors who were involved in scandals, and mayors who have shaped national policies. However, there has never been a mayor who has been federally charged. This all changed with the 110th mayor of New York City: Eric Adams.
Eric Adams, a former New York Police Department officer, was born on Sept. 1, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York. Adams grew up in a working-class family in Brooklyn. Growing up, Adams faced challenges with poverty. His family’s financial struggles were so great that he often brought a bag of clothes to school with him in case his family was suddenly evicted from their apartment. Poverty, along with bad influences, led Adams to eventually join a gang at the age of 14. As a consequence of his crimes, Adams was held in police custody, which ultimately inspired his interest in joining the police department. After going to college, Adams joined the New York Police Department in 1984 where he served for 22 years, managing to rise to the rank of captain before retiring. This is where Adams’s political career began.
In 2006, Adams ran for the New York State Senate. Adams was elected and served as a senator until 2013, when he was elected Brooklyn Borough president, an office he held for 8 years. In 2021, Adams ran for mayor of New York City and was elected as mayor from the ranked-choice voting system. As mayor, Adams’s policies focused on improving public safety, police reform, and addressing homelessness. Even with a focus on these policies, Adams has a rather bizarre leadership style.
“He honestly has been quite weird and sporadic, but also strange in important ways,” said Jonas Du, a Westminster alum and current senior at Columbia University, majoring in political science.
There are viral clips on the internet of Eric Adams holding ridiculous press conferences and other media events, including one in which he promotes the standardization of using trash bins by wheeling a trash bin down a driveway while “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z was playing. He proceeds to open the bin and dump a black bag of trash in it, then starts talking about trash.
“Stylistically, he seemed a little off as a politician,” said John Monahan, an Upper School history teacher. Instances like these have set Adams apart as a unique politician.
In November 2023, while at a party in Midtown, federal agents seized the phone of Adams from his car. Adams responded that he was going to cooperate fully with federal authorities, claiming that he had done nothing wrong. On Sept. 26, 2024, Adams was indicted on five federal charges, including bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of soliciting contributions by foreign nationals. Prosecutors accused Adams of having been bribed by Turkish officials and doing favors for the Turkish government. The indictment alleges that Adams began his relationship with Turkish officials as early as 2014 when Adams accepted benefits and bribes such as lavish gifts and luxury international travel. Adams pled not guilty. Adams has said that he will not resign, and in addition, he is aiming to run for reelection in America’s largest city. According to recent polls, up to 69 percent of New York residents believe that Adams should resign.
“It seems to me that he needs to resign,” said Biz. Kechejian, an Upper School English teacher. Adams is currently doing everything he can to keep his political life afloat.
“Part of the challenge to survive the scandal that he is in the middle of is that he has not achieved many trademark policy goals,” said Monahan. Adams will have difficulty fighting out of this case without any significant accomplishments during his term as mayor.
“For the upcoming mayoral election, I would not be surprised if New Yorkers looked for someone who was squeaky clean,” Monahan said.
Edited by Sara Dixon
