From Our Mayor Eric Adams

When I became mayor on January 1, 2022, I was stepping into my position at a turbulent time. We New Yorkers were experiencing a mass tragedy event – more than 43,000 New Yorkers lost their lives to COVID-19 and many more lost jobs, income, and many of the systems and supports we depend on. Amid the fear, trauma, and the uncertainty we also witnessed remarkable acts of solidarity. We did what we had to do to care for ourselves, our families and our neighbors, and to keep this city moving. These pandemic years have tested our resilience and our ability to extend our understanding and our compassion to one another.

I was elected to serve as a mayor for these times, for our entire city – and to do that, I knew I had to hear from New Yorkers. In this first year of my opportunity to serve, I turned to you through NYC Speaks to understand what you want me to accomplish as your mayor. We asked, what issues are at the top of your list? How should we approach the challenges in your community?  What stories do you want to share? Not surprisingly, New Yorkers had a lot to say.

Earlier this year, an historic 62,000 New Yorkers responded to the NYC Speaks survey.  But you didn’t stop there – you showed up at community conversations, planning workshops and more. Our thought partners on this project are local restaurant owners, artists, religious leaders, teachers, activists, hospital workers, and many more – all dedicated to making our city even better.

We heard you, New Yorkers. Our communities want holistic approaches to public safety. We want housing for all NYC residents. We want mental health support for our children and community centers in all our neighborhoods.

The NYC Speaks Action Plan is a roadmap for your priorities. But we won’t stop here. This is just the first step in an ongoing effort to build out our civic infrastructure and maximize the opportunities for New Yorkers to help shape our city. We will ensure that every New Yorker has an opportunity to make their voice heard, especially those of us who all too often have been sidelined.

Eric Adams, Mayor of the City of New York