First 100 Days: Amid rising crime and COVID, Mayor Eric Adams says he's laid the foundation for change
NEW YORK -- Sunday marks Mayor Eric Adams' 100th day in office. To say Adams took office at a difficult time would be an understatement.
The city is still battling COVID, there's rising gun violence and increasing homelessness. But while many of those metrics have yet to improve, the mayor said he's laid down the foundation for change, CBS2's Christina Fan reported.
During one of his first public events as mayor, Adams declared he wanted to bring swagger back to New York City. He's certainly dressed the part and has no shortage of confidence.
When CBS2 political reporter Marcia Kramer asked how his life changed since taking the oath of office on January 1, Adams said it wasn't the type of problem, but the number.
"The volume is a lot, every day, all day. No more drinking out of a garden hose. You're drinking out of a fire hose," Adams said.
His best day so far? Announcing a program to create jobs for foster children.
His worst? When NYPD officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora were killed and Adams met their families at the hospital.
"It was just so painful. I remember walking into the room and watching the faces and, you know, sometimes pain reaches an intensity point then it starts to dissipate. In that hospital, never dissipated. It just stayed at the level of pain and it was hard, it was hard," Adams said.
On day one, Adams pledged to, in his words, "get stuff done." So far, that includes:
- Putting more cops in the subway
- Establishing neighborhood safety teams to get guns off the street
- A promise to improve safety at 1,000 traffic intersections
- A blueprint for economic recovery
Adams ran into a buzz saw of criticism when, as part of the economic recovery blueprint, he decided to lift the COVID vaccine mandate for sports and entertainment figures.
Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets is one of the most prominent unvaccinated athletes.
Public employees were furious because more than 1,400 had lost their jobs because they would not get vaccinated. Thousands more could still lose their appeals.
When asked it he would rehire those who lost their jobs, especially cops, firefighters and emergency medical personnel, Adams firmly said, "No."
"If you love the job, you're not going to allow a COVID shot to get in the way," he said.
The mayor is busy planning for his next 100 days. Soon, he plans to give a major address to New Yorkers that will lay out the scope of the city's problems and what his office plans to do.