New York Liberty WNBA Victory Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City; Reception Celebrating Diwali; Questions From New Yorkers On News12; Extra Day Off For Winter Recess In Public Schools; Diwali Celebrations; Infrastructure Grants In NYC: Mayor Adams

City Hosts Ticker Tape Parade, to Light Up City Hall andMunicipal Buildings Tonight to Honor National Champions

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams awarded the Key to the City of New York to members of the New York Liberty, the 2024 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) champions. This is the first time in the franchise’s history that the team has won the WNBA Championship. Earlier today, Mayor Adams hosted a ticker tape parade that led down the Canyon of Heroes and ended with a ceremony at City Hall, where he presented the members of the Liberty with Keys to the City. 

“Keys to the City are reserved for those who know how to bring home the trophy — true champions — like the New York Liberty,” said Mayor Adams. “Every step of the way, the New York Liberty made our city proud, from making franchise history to securing the best record in the league, to inspiring all New Yorkers that our city is full of champions. I am proud to deliver the highest honor I can offer — a Key to the City — to each member of the New York Liberty, who have created a lasting legacy for our city.” 

“The Liberty are proud to bring the WNBA championship to New York, and we are honored to accept this Key to the City. We have been chasing this dream since 1997 and would not be here without this incredible team who showed grit and determination all season long, Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, and each and every Liberty legend who paved the way,” said Keia Clarke, CEO, New York Liberty. “We take great pride in what the Liberty built during this historic season, and to all the Liberty fans celebrating across the city and around the world, we thank you. This championship is for you.” 

A Key to the City was presented to each of the New York Liberty’s 12 players: Kennedy Burke, Marquesha Davis, Ivana Dojkić, Leonie Fiebich, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Nyara Sabally, Jaylyn Sherrod, Breanna Stewart, Kayla Thornton, and Courtney Vandersloot. Keys were additionally presented to Head Coach Sandy Brondello; Assistant Coaches Roneeka Hodges, Olaf Lange, and Zach O’Brien; and Board of Governors Joe and Clara Wu Tsai.   

Founded in 1997, the New York Liberty were one of the eight original franchises of the WNBA. Led by Head Coach Sandy Brondello this year, the New York Liberty had the best record in the league this season, winning 32 games and only losing eight. They defeated the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA finals on Sunday night to win their first-ever championship.

In addition to City Hall, the following city buildings will be lit up seafoam tonight to celebrate the Liberty’s national championship:   

• Brooklyn Borough Hall: 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 

• The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 

• Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11424 

• Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301 

The Key to the City of New York was first awarded in 1702 by New York City Mayor Phillip French, when he offered “Freedom of the City” to Viscount Edward Cornbury, governor of New York and New Jersey. By the mid-1800s, it became customary to award the Key to the City of New York as a direct symbol of the city’s wish that a guest feel free to come and go at will. Today, the Key to the City of New York is a beloved symbol of civic recognition and gratitude reserved for individuals whose service to the public and the common good rises to the highest level of achievement.  

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS HOSTS AND DELIVERS REMARKS AT CEREMONY CELEBRATING NEW YORK LIBERTY

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Ros Gold-Onwude: Good afternoon, New York. New York, what’s up? Make some noise for the champs up here. My name is Ros Gold-Onwude. I’ll be your master of ceremonies for today’s championship celebrations. 

This season, I was on the New York Liberty broadcast as an analyst, color commentator. What an honor to cover a team so talented, so awesome. And also as someone who was born and raised in Queens, New York City. Queens, what’s up? As someone who remembers when the WNBA first started. I know I speak for all of us when I say it feels so good. It feels so good. To witness the first ever championship in franchise history come to the New York Liberty. It feels so good. The championship resides in New York. 

We needed this. New York, we were hungry. We were hungry. And it took the right group of players. It took the right group of visionaries. The right group of leadership. To get this franchise over the hump. This historic franchise. One of the original eight franchises in WNBA history. This championship was the first for the Liberty in 28 years. It’s New York City pro basketball’s first championship in 51 years. This team was excellent all season long. Tying a franchise best finish of 32 and 8. They clenched the number one overall seed in the playoffs for the second time in franchise history. 

Liberty loyal fans, you showed up. Make some noise for yourselves. Make some noise for yourselves. Barclays Center was rocking all season long. And broke attendance records multiple times. We packed that place out. Barclays was the place to be. Brooklyn, what up? Brooklyn, what’s up? Brooklyn, stand up. Brooklyn, stand up. BK all day. Okay, okay, okay. We hear you, Brooklyn. We get it. While we’re at it, is Bronx in the house? Staten Island, what’s up? Manhattan if you from the city. Alright. New York, here. 

In so many ways, this was a record shattering season for the New York Liberty. Guys, this was a record shattering season for the entire league, for the entire WNBA. This comes at a pivotal time when all of women’s sports are garnering well-deserved attention and popularity. And in the midst of all of that momentum around women’s sports, it’s your team that shined brightest. It’s your team that was crowned champion. What a time it is. 

So today, we heard from all the boroughs. We heard from everybody repping in New York. We’re celebrating all over the city, whether it was the ticker tape parade that the players just came from, or right here at City Hall for the championship ceremony celebration. But we’re finishing with a bang in Brooklyn tonight at Barclays Center. And the championship party will finish at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. So I hope you got some energy, y’all, because we’re going all day long. 

Without further ado, let us get to the official celebration, the championship ceremony. Let’s get it started. As we begin our celebrations and championship ceremony, we are joined by distinguished government officials today. Our first address will be from the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul.

Governor Kathy Hochul: Welcome to the sweet land of liberty. On behalf of 20 million incredibly proud New Yorkers, I say welcome home to our champion women. Let’s do it again next year. 

I also want to thank the leadership organization led by Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsai who believed in empowering women, investing in them, giving them the resources they need, and never giving up faith. You created a team of champions. You said you could create an elite team of professional athletes. And my friends, you have succeeded. Let’s give them a round of applause. And it comes down to coaching too, does it not? You need to have a coach who believes in you that you can trust. And I want to thank our incredible coach as well, Sandy Brondello, for leading us to victory. 

This has been a magical ride. I have been in that arena. I will say I’ve been to hundreds of sporting events. I have never seen the electricity in one place that I see led by the timeless treasures, torches, but also, hold it up, torches, hold it up. To me, to me, they’ll always be timeless treasures. How’s that for recovery? But what about Ellie? Ellie’s not here? When I had a chance to meet Ellie, I’ve met lots of celebrities, lots of big shots, lots of people who think very highly of themselves. But there is one person in a league of her own, and that is Ellie the Elephant, our mascot. She was stupendous. 

But to go to the games and see these women leave it all on the floor, the energy, the drive, the ambition they had, they’re an inspiration to all of us. And not just the thousands of little girls who now can see themselves as possibly rising up to this great position or knowing that there’s nothing they can’t do. Because the women have won, and they’ll continue to win under this great leadership. I’m so proud of them. As the first woman governor, I love a women’s team that brings home the championship. 

But as we’re coming to the end of this month I have one message from the boys because the girls, the women have done it, now it’s up to you New York Yankees let’s do another parade following these great women let’s go for a twofer thank you everyone

Gold-Onwude: Thank you Governor Hochul, and now we continue our ceremony with an address from the mayor of New York Eric Adams

Mayor Eric Adams: They tell me this is a national coverage right now so we want to send a message loud and clear, there are only two types of Americans, those who live in New York and those who wish they could. This is the greatest city on the globe. There’s no place like New York. 

And think about this name for a moment because oftentimes you listen to the names that’s associated with a team and you just think it’s a calling card. This team is called Liberty. Free to express yourself the way you want to be. Look at the players of this team. They personified the energy and the spirit of this city during a time when so many people are trying to figure out how do I express myself so I don’t be judged. They’re saying the hell with you judging me. We’re going to be who we are and we’re going to play to win. And they were able to play to win. 

That’s what this is about. It’s about the greatest city on the globe, having a bald-headed, earring-wearing, mayor, being able to lead this city with everyday people who make this city what it is. This team is amazing. It’s amazing because they fought hard. You think about Clara and Joe, the vision they had of building this team to what it is right now and being able to win at the capacity that they deserve. 

Congratulations to Liberty. I’m going to be so proud giving out the key to the city to go with this amazing trophy. Keep doing a great thing you’re doing. Let’s win it again next year. Thank you very much.

Gold-Onwude: Thank you, Mayor Adams. And now we will hear from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams: What a day. What a day. You know we’ve got electricity in the air and it is because we have been liberated by the Liberty. I’m so excited right now. But we are here to celebrate this amazing team. I’m so very proud to lead our historic women majority City Council and our most diverse council. 

This women-majority Council is thrilled to celebrate the 2024 New York Liberty team for making history with its first WNBA championship in franchise history. Herstory. The first title is always the sweetest and our city has been beaming with pride all season long. It has been over 50 years since New York brought home a basketball championship and I’m elated that our women athletes made it happen. It’s fitting because we know like you that women get the job done. 

Your victory capped off one of the most memorable seasons in WNBA history during which, attention and focus on women’s basketball was magnified through your remarkable teamwork, grit, and determination. You demonstrated to the world how a women’s sports team can unify a city. From the leadership of Breanna Stewart. Yeah. And Sabrina Ionescu we have now, we have captured a WNBA title and an Olympic gold medal in one year. 

Also to the dominance of our WNBA Finals MVP, Jonquel Jones. Come on here. This entire team has shown that it has the heart. That’s right. That’s right. That’s right. You all are role models to so many young athletes, many of whom are out here in this audience cheering you today. To girls and to women, we cannot forget about our beloved Ellie. We don’t know who she is, but we shout her out too. To the entire New York Liberty franchise supporting this historic team, thank you, thank you, thank you for an unforgettable season. 

I just want you to know that yesterday the New York City Council, through the leadership of Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Tiffany Cabán, passed a resolution. They’re over there cheering [for] you. We passed a resolution to honor your championship win by designating October 20th every year as New York Liberty Day in the City of New York. Congratulations, Liberty.

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

New York Liberty Ticker Tape Parade, Key To The City By NYC Mayor. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS HOSTS ANNUAL RECEPTION CELEBRATING DIWALI

State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar: [In the] community they actually call him the Hindu mayor, and when I went to him and said, mayor we need to make Diwali a school holiday, he said yes, yes we will, and yes we must because anything is possible and your community is possible.

So let me hear it for our great Mayor Eric Adams. Let’s make some noise for our Hindu mayor. And when there was a hate crime at our beloved Tulsi Mandir, Mayor Adams stood with us. And he made sure the NYPD classified it as an anti-Hindu hate crime because he is always standing up for our community. Are you happy about that?

When I think of our mayor, he is someone that enjoys his job, loves his job. More than anyone loves his job. He reminds me of Arjuna from the Mahabharata. My dad used to tell me there were five Pandava brothers and they were all asked to shoot a bird. You know the story. But only Arjuna could shoot the bird. And when they asked Arjuna, how did you do it, he said, I saw only the eye of the bird. My dad always told me focus on the eye. Well Mayor Eric Adams is someone who focuses on the eye from morning to night.

He focuses on making lives better here in the City of New York. But on this occasion of Diwali, he also reminds us of Ram, Ram, who had to wage an incredible battle to defeat evil. Ram had to put everything in to achieve victory. And on this Diwali, what do we celebrate? We celebrate Ram’s victory when he returns victorious to Ayodhya.

Our mayor is the Ram of New York City, as he works to battle homelessness, as he works to battle crime, as he works to uplift New Yorkers every day. But ladies and gentlemen, Ram cannot defeat Ravana alone. Ram needs Hanuman. Ram needs the army of monkeys and bears. So on this day, let us all pledge to be the mayor’s Hanuman. Will you make that pledge with me today? He has always stood with our community. And that is why on this Diwali, the Festival of Lights, we will always stand with him. So please, give a warm welcome to the 110th mayor of New York City, Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Wow, look at you, look at you on this Diwali celebration. Each year we will continue to do it and our assemblywoman is right. She personifies what it is to come to this amazing country, participate in government, not only for the entire state, but specifically for the community that supported and encouraged her to run.

When she had the vision of making sure that Diwali was a recognized holiday, they told her, it was not possible. We lobbied, we fought, and as she stated, there’s nothing more determined than an Indian woman, and she showed that. And today, we celebrate Diwali as a citywide holiday, and it’s something that we should all acknowledge.

But more than that, what we have done with Dilip and others, and how it took 110 mayors before we were able to have an Indian woman to be a deputy mayor, in Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi. You are continuing to see your political strength. You’re continuing to see what you are capable of doing. This is one of the most well-educated communities, business leaders. What you did during COVID with your doctors and medical professionals like other immigrant groups, you kept this city going.

And that is why I want to make sure that you no longer live in the shadows of the American dream, that you empower yourself to be self-determinant on what the future holds for this entire city, if not the entire country.

And don’t lose sight that running for president is a woman with Indian and African-American background. You are moving at a rate that no one thought was imaginable. So you can never go back. You can never find yourself back into the shadows of the American dream. You must continue your progress. and as you grace us today here on Gracie Mansion, we owe you as much as you owe this great country, we owe each other.

Let’s continue to grow. Let’s continue to strengthen ourselves. And I say, as Diwali is the light that moves out darkness, let’s displace the hate and the darkness that is pervasive across the globe. It starts here in New York. It starts here on Diwali. It starts here with this great community. I love this community. Keep doing the great things you’re doing. Thank you very much.

Diwali celebrations. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

Diwali celebrations. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

Diwali celebrations. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

Diwali celebrations. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

Diwali celebrations. Image Credit – NYC Mayor

TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS APPEARS LIVE ON NEWS12 AND TAKES QUESTIONS FROM NEW YORKERS

Amanda Bossard: Hello, everyone, and thanks for being with us here on News 12 for Local Matters. I’m Amanda Bossard, and this is Ask the Mayor. It is a pleasure to be back here with you for the next half hour as we’re giving you the opportunity to ask New York City Mayor Eric Adams your questions right here on the air. The recorded dial is 718-861-6800. It will be on the bottom of your screen throughout the program for reference, and it is our pleasure to welcome back Mayor Eric Adams once again. Thanks so much, Mr. Mayor, for being here.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Good to be with you.

Bossard: Absolutely. As we wait for some of those questions to come in, I do want to kick off the conversation tonight by asking for your reaction to everything that has developed since the last time that we spoke with you here on News 12. And of course, specifically, that there is now a federal case and charges that you are facing.

Mayor Adams: And it’s, you know, there’s a natural desire to respond to the one-sided presentation that was shown. All of us would want to defend ourselves. I’ve lived my life as a member of the law enforcement community, and I’ve always held myself to a high standard. And there’s going to be an opportunity for me to answer the inquiries that I’m faced with, and I’m looking forward to doing that. But I must continue to do what I have done when this investigation first came to light. I must continue to run the city, and that’s what we’re doing. 

The numbers are clear. Back in October, when this investigation first came to light, our team continued to make our city safe, create jobs, educate our children, deal with the issues around public safety, both in our subway system and on the streets. And that is what I must do. And I want New Yorkers to know this is hurtful for me, hurts a lot, but I am dedicated and committed to carrying out the job I was elected to do, just like many of you are doing every day. Give me an opportunity, and I’m sure I’m going to be clear of what is taking place right now.

Bossard: Last time you were with us, we also talked about some of the recent changes in your administration. At this point, when can we expect to see permanent replacements named for several of those roles that are being filled right now on an interim basis? Specifically, I’m thinking NYPD commissioner and health commissioner, specifically.

Mayor Adams: Right, two. Those are the only two that are interim. The others have been filled. But I say this over and over again, New York City and our administration, we have a deep bench. There are so many people that want to serve in both those positions. I think I’m up to 10 different resumes who would like to be the police commissioner, a coveted position in law enforcement across the entire globe. 

Right now, we have Interim Commissioner Donlon, who’s continuing what Commissioner Sewell and what Commissioner Caban [were] able to do, and that’s drive down crime, nine straight months of decreasing crime. I’m so proud when I think about the month of August, which is traditionally a place in a time when we have major shooters in our city, we have the lowest number of shootings in the recorded history of this city. 

And the same when you look at robberies on our subway system, the lowest number of robberies on our subway system in the history of the city. So the question is not, are we going to take someone from interim to permanent? [But] are we going to continue to drive down crime? And that’s what we’re doing, making this continue to be the safest big city in America.

Bossard: Back to the larger looming issue, if you will, if you are ultimately found culpable of any wrongdoing at trial, would you resign?

Mayor Adams: Yes, I would, you know, a jury of my peers, but I’m not going to speculate. I’m going to move forward and allow the process to take its course.

Bossard: All right. I appreciate you addressing those issues that are at hand. I do want to get to our first caller of the evening. We have Janine who has dialed in from Flatbush. Janine, thanks so much for calling in. And what’s your question for the mayor tonight? […]

Janine, are you on the line? Can you hear us? All right. As we tried… Oh, there we go. There we go. 

Question: Hello?

Bossard: Janine, go ahead and ask your question when you’re ready. Yes. We hear you, Janine. Can you hear us? Go ahead.

Question: Yes. Yes. Good evening. Good evening, mayor. Good evening. Good evening to you. Thank you. I live in Flatbush and the authorities have closed down a couple of months ago, all the weed shops on Flatbush Avenue and thereabouts. 

Now the people that were inside the stores are outside the stores selling, still selling. People go up. They don’t go inside. They’re sitting in tables and they’re still selling the weed. Can you do anything about that, mayor?

Mayor Adams: Yes. And as you indicated, we closed down 1,200 illegal cannabis shops, 1,200. Tens of millions of dollars in confiscation, millions of dollars in fines. What I need for you to tell me [is] the exact location you’re seeing this and I will have someone go there tonight, do an observation, and start the process of addressing the illegal weed that you’re seeing that’s being sold on our streets. 

Which area are you talking about, or give me a stretch of real estate that you’re talking about, and we want to get someone over there.

Question: Flatbush, from the junction all the way down to Avenue [inaudible], all the way down to King Highway practically.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Now on Flatbush itself?

Question: Yes.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Well, I’m going to get my Deputy Commissioner of Operations to do an observation and we’ll put a plan in place because we’re not going to allow people to be displaced from indoors selling illegal cannabis and on our streets.

Bossard: Mr. Mayor, a quick follow-up to that question. I know in the Bronx we had been tracking a deli that was shut down for allegedly selling illegal cannabis, and I believe it was part of a bust that was worth a million dollars in illegal products that had been confiscated. 

We checked back in last week, and they were preparing to reopen because I believe the court ordered that they could resume conducting its business at the premises. Do you find that situations like that are happening often as the process plays out in court, and does it undermine the crackdown on the illicit market?

Mayor Adams: Well, they may be allowed to open as a supermarket. I don’t believe they were given authority to operate as an illegal cannabis location. But we go back and monitor any shop that we close. 

That was why it was important to get the New York City Police Department to be partners in this, and that was some of the legislation we were able to get passed in Albany because it allowed the normal sector patrol to do drive-bys and see if someone reopened the shop and they continued to do illegal sales. So this was extremely important. We constantly monitor the locations that were closed.

Bossard: All right. We do have another caller joining us from Riverdale. I believe [Mary Anne] is on the line. [Mary Anne], thanks so much for dialing in. And what’s your question for the mayor this evening?

Mayor Adams: Yes, thank you for listening, Mr. Mayor, Mayor Adams. I’m sorry. The reason why I’m calling is I have a concern for my daughter who lives in NYCHA that’s located at 140 West 174th Street. My daughter is in a mobile wheelchair. She has a young daughter that lives with her. At the end of September, she was told by an abatement surveyor under NYCHA that her paint had lead in the apartment, and that she had to vacate the apartment for three months, which to me sounded very unreasonable and irrational, disrupting her life like that and her child’s life. 

She’s in a mobile wheelchair. It sounded like really unreasonable. Why three months to paint an apartment? I googled it, how many days it takes NYCHA to do the lead paint abatement, the cleanup, and it said it shouldn’t not take any more than two days. So this has me very confused. They’re disrupting her life. As I said, she’s disabled, you know, we’re trying to help her, you know, pack up. I use a cane, you know, and she’s really depressed behind this. You know, she’s expressed it to her psychologist counselor that she speaks to. And also her daughter is very unhappy.

Mayor Adams: And it’s enough to be, to be displaced under normal circumstances for three months is extremely traumatic, and I can only imagine being in a wheelchair and especially needing to take care of her child. Let me look into this. My understanding [is] outside contractors handle this, but let me look into this. 

Please leave your contact number and I’m going to reach out to your daughter when we get offline. I’m going to reach out to NYCHA and find out what exactly is taking place here. We can’t have her outside her location for three months. We’re going to find a resolution to this, but please leave your number. And when I get off the station, I’m going to reach out to your daughter or you, whichever you prefer, and we need to get this expedited.

Bossard: We will absolutely connect you with that information offline, Mr. Mayor. Real quick, does that timeline at all indicate to you the backlog of cases that NYCHA has to address currently?

Mayor Adams: Without a doubt, and you know, doing lead paint abatement is so important, particularly when it’s exposed. You know, you saw we just announced how we’re looking at private water lines to deal with the lead that are in some of the pipes. Lead can be extremely dangerous to children. It could impact brain [development], and it could be harmful if it’s not addressed accordingly and covered up through paint or some form of abatement. 

But that isn’t indicating, I will find out tonight, how far the backlog actually is. But listen, every once in a while, you have to take special circumstances into account, and you can’t have a person that’s in a wheelchair—

Bossard: Alright. 

[Commercial Break.]

Bossard: Welcome back to Ask the Mayor with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. If you have a question for him this evening, the number to dial is 718-861-6800. And before we get right back to your calls tonight, I do want to touch on the topic of street safety, Mr. Mayor, because we have covered several deadly hit-and-runs in our boroughs over just the last couple of weeks. 

I know that traffic deaths are up in both the Bronx and parts of Brooklyn so far this year. Just today, the governor signed new legislation that will quadruple the number of red light cameras here in the city. Do you think that will help drive down those numbers?

Mayor Adams: Yes. And before we do that, I had my team look into the question about the lead paint. And they shared with me that NYCHA did a record level of lead paint remediations last year. But I’m going to find out exactly what’s going on with the timeline. 

Street safety is important and it’s something that Ydanis Rodriguez, our commissioner of DOT, has pushed forward. And these red light cameras, they work. And whomever believes that they do not is just untrue, particularly around our school zones and other areas. The red light cameras, unfortunately, sometimes you have to give people fines before they regulate their behavior, but there’s more we’re doing. 

Everything from making sure we redesign our intersections, how we are lighting the intersections, how we are making sure we go after those ghost vehicles on the street. Over a thousand have been removed. Many people who are speeding and driving without any registrations or license or insurance. So it’s a full court press that we are going after dangerous drivers in our city.

Bossard: And as we talk about street safety, I believe we have Joe who’s dialed in from Borough Park this evening. Joe, thanks so much for joining us. And what’s your question for the mayor this evening?

Question: Thank you. Hey, Mr. Mayor. The perfect segue to your topic now about street safety. I’m a constituent and I voted for you, Mr. Adams, but, however, my problem that I see in the streets now are these unregulated e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds that go up to 70, 80 miles an hour. 

On Ocean Parkway, and particularly with the big accident yesterday, I’ve seen a group of kids, no older than 15 years old, with five or six of these mopeds, popping wheelies, no regulations, no safety, no nothing. I’ve also seen families of four with like a two-year-old child with no helmet on the front, just driving around with no regulations. 

However, if we hit them, our insurance goes up. Now, there’s no regulations on them, but, however, you just talked about putting new red light cameras that hurt regular drivers, law-abiding drivers. I also have a possible solution. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I know it’s tough to regulate with all these food-sharing programs and everything, but there is a solution if you’ll let me voice it.

Mayor Adams: As long as you can give us a quick one so we can get some more callers in.

Bossard: And we want to make sure he gets an opportunity to answer your question, too, Joe. 

Question: 30-day grace period. In 30 days, full-blown campaign. After 30 days, all these e-bikes that go to anything above 25 miles an hour need license and insurance. You need to be over 18, and you have to be regulated. 30-day grace period.

Mayor Adams: Got it. Got it. We got you. We got you. Let me respond. So, first of all, I want to peel back, because you said several things. Number one, the red light cameras don’t go after innocent New Yorkers. They go after people who speed, and vehicles cause serious injuries. I was one of the early advocates that lowered the speed limit and pushed for it when I was a state senator. We need safe streets no matter who’s driving on those streets, and even pedestrians need to be wise on how they don’t cross in the middle of the road. 

Now, let’s specifically talk about these three-wheel, two-wheel scooters and dirt bikes. We have removed over 30,000 off our street. Over 30,000. And we have destroyed many of them so they’ll never be placed on the street again. And I agree with you, because after COVID, we had a large number of people who started to deliver out and started to use these alternative to transportation, but they have to be regulated. 

We have to catch up to the explosion of dirt bikes and scooters on our streets, what we call micromobility. That’s why we’re going to need state help to do so. I don’t think we should be selling any in the city where they can go over a certain amount per hour, like you stated, and they should be registered and insured with license so that if someone does strike an innocent person, they can be held accountable for it. So you have some great ideas. I want you to reach out to your local state elected. Your senator, your assembly person, share those ideas, because I support much of what you were saying.

Bossard: And Mr. Mayor, we just learned new details today. We’re talking about e-bike safety, of course, on the roads, but just overall, sometimes the hazards they pose if they are unregulated batteries. More details have been announced now about this trade in programs citywide for delivery workers in order to get rid of some of those unlicensed or unregulated, I should say, mobility devices and in return get certified equipment. How is that going to work out? What’s the timeline for when we could really see that at play?

Mayor Adams: Yes, and it is so important. And what you were talking about are lithium ion batteries. We’re allocating two million dollars starting early 2025. This is the first exchange program in the country. And we’re doing it in conjunction with our City Council members, our deliver easters, the men and women who legally deliver food to many of us who call all of the time and as well with FDNY. 

So it’s a combination of education, enforcement and getting these illegal batteries off our streets. It has taken lives. We’ve been extremely successful this year. This year we’re down from from 14 last year, down to four deaths this year because of the education and the other initiatives that we put in place. But we’re very excited about this exchange program.

Bossard: And something we’ll continue to follow closely as it rolls out. Still much more conversation to come here on Ask the Mayor, (718) 861-6800 is the number to dial if you have a question. We’ll be right back after this.

[Commercial Break.]

Welcome back to Ask the Mayor, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams here on News 12. Already a lot of good calls tonight, and I do think we have time for one more, Mr. Mayor. So with that, let’s hand things over to Lisa, who is dialed in from East New York. Lisa, thanks so much for your time in the call. What’s your question for the mayor?

Question: Goodnight. Thank you so much for having me, and goodnight, Mr. Mayor. You recently visited the prestigious, and I think one of the best, if not the top, daycares in all of Brooklyn, Friends of Crown Heights. 

And we’re really honored that you graced us with your presence. But one of the questions that I do have is in reference to the pay parity, pay parity in reference to, in comparison to the Department of Education. As we know, daycare is not babysitting. We nurture and we take care of the young children, the young babies, until they are five. 

And a lot of complaints are that in comparison to the Department of Education, even though we’re working just as hard, the pay is minimal and almost next to nothing. Is there anything in place to consider a raise when it comes to that, or what, is there something to, is there something else in place to, a top going, or…?

Bossard: Lisa, I just want to make sure, I apologize for the interruption, but I want to make sure he has enough time to address the question. Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: At first, the entire organization, Friends of Crown Heights, the work you do is commendable. And I strongly agree with you. And I know we just settled a contract with the employees where they had a respectable increase. I believe it was ratified. If not, it’s going to be ratified. And you’re right, we need to make sure that you are paid a salary that is respectable to the work that you’re doing, particularly for our children. 

Early childhood education is something that we’ve leaned into in this administration. We believe it’s important, the expansion of seats, reaching out to family members, getting them inside the childhood facilities. And this is not only professional for me, it’s personal. Many people know my mother was a cook at Amstead Daycare Center. She actually opened that center for many years and it is still there for the most part. And so our commissioner of Labor, Renee Campion, sat down with your unions and your representatives and we made sure that there was a respectable rate for you.

Bossard: Mr. Mayor, not to interrupt, I apologize, but thank you so much.