What We Know About The (Likely) Next City Council Speaker

"defund the police" won't be a priority [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] Here's What We Know About Adrienne Adams, Set To Be The Next City Council Speaker [By David Cruz]( [City Councilmember Adrienne Adams pictured in 2018] John McCarten/New York City Council Queens Councilmember Adrienne Adams made it known last week that she’s poised to become the next New York City Council speaker after securing more than the required 26 votes from her colleagues to win. Barring any turncoat votes in next month’s internal election by members of the council, Adams will serve as the council’s first Black speaker, adding to historic gains made by Black lawmakers across the city this year. As the speaker, Adams will serve as the final voice in deciding who secures coveted committee positions while setting the City Council's legislative agenda. She’ll also have to negotiate her priorities with those of Mayor-elect Eric Adams, whom she has known for decades (the two are unrelated). Here's what we know about Adams, and what we can expect from her City Council. Entry Into Politics After graduating from Bayside High School — where the mayor-elect was a classmate — Adams attended Spelman College, and then began her career in the private sector, working primarily in training roles at companies including MedSave USA, MCI Telecommunications, and Goldman Sachs. In 2009, she turned her attention to volunteering for Queens Community Board 12, eventually serving as board chair from 2012 until 2017 before winning the race for the 28th Council District, a post vacated by then-Councilmember Ruben Wills following a corruption scandal. Legislative History As a member of the City Council, Adams sponsored more than two dozen bills, 14 of which were enacted into law. Among those that became laws were reforms to the sale of tax liens, approvals of street renamings, and enshrining the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics into the City Charter. Adams also chairs the Public Safety Committee, and has presided over pointed hearings involving members of the NYPD. In October, she held a hearing examining the NYPD’s Special Victims Division, which was under scrutiny for its low record of solving rape cases across the city. Notably, Adams has not been among the contingent of city and state lawmakers calling to defund the police. In 2020, amid outrage over the NYPD's [rough treatment of racial justice protesters]( across the city, Adams voted to keep the NYPD’s budget intact. Her politics largely mirror those of the mayor-elect, who ran on a platform to reduce crime citywide. Speaker Priorities At various forums, Adams has offered an outline of her priorities for the speakership, which include the legalization of basement apartments, expanded free legal services to immigrants, help for financially burdened yellow taxi drivers, and making Diwali a recognized holiday. It’s unclear how the dynamics of the speaker’s race will shape the relationship between Adams and the mayor-elect. Eric Adams had backed Queens Councilmember Francisco Moya, who did not have the necessary 26 votes secured to win the race. Speaking to reporters, Eric Adams said that whether Moya or Adrienne Adams won, he could work with either one, given their stance to "keep our city safe." Similarly, Adrienne Adams signaled her willingness to work with the mayor-elect — while maintaining a level of independence. "My hope would be that we would maintain good terms because he does know that I know how to push back, as well as know how to partner," she told WNYC/Gothamist. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- For Further Reading [Eric Adams gives a socially-distanced announcement outside]( A SAFER INAUGURATION [Eric Adams Cancels Inauguration Plans Ahead Of COVID Surge]( The ceremony, which had been planned for the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, has been called off. "All I need is to move my mattress to Gracie Mansion," said the mayor-elect. [Eric Adams poses at City Hall with his deputy mayor apointees]( THE DEPUTIES [Adams Names Five Women As NYC Deputy Mayors]( City Hall veteran Lorraine Grillo, who recently served as Mayor de Blasio's "recovery czar," has been appointed first deputy mayor, one of the highest-ranking jobs in city government. [a line of voters at a polling place in the Bronx]( NO VOTE NOVEMBER [Hochul To Push For Mail Voting After Ballot Initiatives Failed]( After the defeat of proposals that would've made mail-in voting and voter registration more accessible, New York's governor vowed to fund democracy initiatives in 2022. [Mayor de Blasio greets a volunteer under an elevated subway track]( YOUR MAYOR, YOUR PHONE CALLS [Here's Brian Lehrer's Final 'Ask The Mayor' Interview With Bill De Blasio]( "Thank you for what you do for this city by making this dialogue possible," the mayor said. [Attorney General Letitia James at a rally]( A SHORT-LIVED CANDIDACY [Why Letitia James Dropped Out Of The Gubernatorial Race So Fast]( City & State examines how A.G. James, the "Cuomo killer," found herself up against a list of obstacles both in Albany and Brooklyn. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [the logo for the Brian Lehrer Show politics podcast] [More On These Five New Deputy Mayors]( WNYC's Brigid Bergin offers some insight into the women who've been chosen for top positions in the Eric Adams administration. [LISTEN FOR FREE]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [WNYC]( [WQXR]( [NJPR]( [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 All rights reserved. [Terms of Use.]( Want to change how you receive these emails? 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