New York City mayor Eric Adams hit out against his predecessor’s administration on Wednesday, accusing the former mayor of leaving the city in “disarray” that has been difficult to repair.
Adams specifically targeted former Mayor Bill de Blasio for his administration’s policies regarding education and crime, rejecting criticism from former city officials as being unusual and unproductive.
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“I am so tired of the previous administration and their antics,” Adams said during a press conference Wednesday to discuss expanding the city’s electric vehicle fleet. “I don’t remember an administration in history that says we want a full frontal assault in the first year of an administration.”
Adams argued the previous administration had no standing to criticize the way the current government is handling things, noting he had recently called de Blasio to complain about the smears coming from former officials. While de Blasio has rarely issued criticisms toward Adams, several members of his administration have voiced concerns about the mayor’s policies.
“They had eight years to do their job — eight years to fix Rikers, eight years to deal with crime, eight years to deal with education, eight years to deal with early childhood education for children with disabilities, eight years to fix NYCHA,” Adams said. “They had all that time to do their job.”
“And did they?” a reporter asked.
“No,” he replied.
De Blasio responded to Adams’s comments on Wednesday evening, acknowledging the struggles Adams faces and expressing support toward the mayor.
“I sympathize with his frustration with certain critics but want to emphasize this: No one speaks for me but me,” De Blasio said in a statement.
Adams has generally been amiable toward de Blasio during his first as mayor, noting his predecessor has been “extremely helpful” during the transition and that much of his frustration is directed toward others within de Blasio’s administration. The mayor specifically called out one of de Blasio’s staffers for his criticism: former press secretary Bill Neidhardt, whom Adams referred to as the “worst comms guy in the history of communication.”
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Niedhardt responded to Adams’s criticisms, defending his previous comments for questioning his policies.
“Every New Yorker has a right to speak out when Mayor Adams slashes school budgets, raises rents, and echoes right-wing talking points,” Neidhardt told the New York Times. “Instead of whining and attacking his constituents, the mayor should tackle the crises working people face every day in our city. Grow up.”
