NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York’s City Mayor-elect Eric Adams wants to reset the relationship between the state and its business community, he told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday.
While vowing to give voice to working-class New Yorkers, drawing on his background as a former police captain and as a Black man who cites his own experiences with racism, Adams has also vowed to work with big business to accomplish his aims.
“Let’s hit reset, we understand we did not have a good relationship,” said Adams, 61, due to take office in January.
Adams had courted business leaders in recent months, delivering the opening remarks at the SALT conference, a gathering of the country’s top money managers, in September.
He has presented his approach as a contrast to Mayor Bill de Blasio, a fellow Democrat who has often seemed to be at odds with the private sector.
De Blasio had openly distanced himself from parts of the business community, rarely attending events with business leaders and frequently criticizing them in speeches.
On Wednesday Adams said some leading chief executives in the city had told him they had never met with de Blasio.
“The resources, the expertise, all of that information can be used to help people move out of institutional poverty,” he said.
The Real Estate Board of New York said it shared Adams’ goals of ensuring safe communities, revitalizing the economy and building a more equitable city.
“We congratulate Eric Adams on his successful campaign,” said James Whelan, president of REBNY, a real estate lobby.
Adams acknowledged the contribution that the real estate sector makes to city taxes in the interview.
New York City suffers from a low return-to-office rate compared to other U.S. cities, which has hurt restaurants and other services and slashed investment in Manhattan properties.
Unemployment in New York City was 8.9% in September, or more than double 14 other New York state metro areas, according to the latest monthly figures from the New York State Department of Labor.
(Reporting by Matt Scuffham, Elizabeth Dilts Marshall and Herbert Lash; Editing by Howard Goller)
