Democrat Eric Adams Elected Mayor of New York

NEW YORK – Democrat Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain who has made anti-racism a principle in his career, became New York’s new mayor on Tuesday. This is the second time that a black man has won an election in the largest city in the United States.

Adams, who takes office on January 1, succeeding unpopular Bill de Blasio, will have to grapple with the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit the city hard, as well as insecurity, a major concern for voters. He is trusted for his extensive experience spanning 22 years in the police.

The Republican former policeman defeated 67-year-old Curtis Sliwa, founder of Guardian Angels and a cat lover.

Excited after voting in Brooklyn, where he was born to a poor family, Adams said this election is revenge for this “little boy” who flirts with crime and social exclusion, as do many low-income New Yorkers.

Adams, who won his party’s primary with strong support from middle-class voters, the black community and the labor movement, vowed to reduce the inequalities that prevail in the capitalist temple.

Insecurity and inequality

Insecurity is the primary concern of a portion of voters, who hope Adams’s 22 years in the NYPD will be an advantage.

Unlike de Blasio, Adams has courted business leaders, who he says must play an important role in the economic recovery of the city, which has been hit hard by the pandemic that has left more than 34,000 people dead in New York.

Adams presents himself as a resolute leader, defender of the middle and popular classes, and the banner of the struggle against apartheid.

From the mayor’s office, Adams will lead the largest police force in the United States, the New York Police Department, which has 36,000 employees, and has promised to deepen its reform. It will manage a budget of $98.7 billion for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, the largest for a US county. / France Press agency