'Write our own narrative': Adams shifts focus away from City Hall scandals
In the midst of arrests, resignations, and FBI investigations, Mayor Eric Adams is eager to share his perspective.
TroibNews 
NEW YORK — Eric Adams is making a concerted effort to reshape the narrative surrounding his administration, which is currently marred by a series of scandals, arrests, resignations, and FBI investigations.
On Monday morning, he gathered members of the often preoccupied press corps in the rotunda of City Hall to present findings from a routine municipal report that usually garners little attention from his office.
"I told the team we have to write our own narrative, because if we don’t show the success and we don’t have a person [here] who has benefited from what we’re doing, it just doesn’t seem to get covered,” Adams shared with reporters.
“We don’t want to distract,” he continued. “We want to have folks pay attention to how successful this administration has been.”
The Mayor’s Management Report, a charter-required collection of agency statistics tracking metrics such as ambulance response times and recycling rates, typically receives media coverage.
Adams' straightforward acknowledgment of his communications strategy emerged just hours after federal prosecutors announced the indictment of two fire chiefs under his leadership in connection to an alleged corruption scheme. This incident adds to a growing list of scandals, including arrests, resignations, and FBI raids, that have plagued his administration.
“The strategy is we’re going to do lots of official shit and look mayoral,” commented Chris Coffey, a Democratic political consultant with experience in former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration. “Is it going to work? Probably not. If the worst stuff has happened then yes, you have a shot at getting through this.”
This month alone, federal agents have raided the residences or confiscated phones from at least five high-ranking city officials. The police commissioner resigned amid a probe into an alleged corruption scheme involving his twin brother. Additionally, the mayor announced late Saturday that his chief city lawyer had stepped down—reportedly due to conflicts over personnel advice. City Hall also let go of an aide following reports of his involvement in an alleged scheme to extort nightclub owners facing strict enforcement from the NYPD.
While Monday's press conference was ostensibly about the release of the city’s annual performance report—marked by this being the first time it has been paired with a press event in years—Adams did not shy away from acknowledging that the event was part of broader messaging efforts aimed at deflecting attention from the growing list of controversies.
“Why are we doing this?” he questioned, reflecting on the goals of the press conference. “We want New Yorkers to know this administration is working hard for them, and we're producing real results. And when things happen to the administration, the real question is, you have the ability to stay focused and provide the services that the city is expecting.”
Throughout the 40-minute announcement, Adams emphasized his administration's achievements in tackling crime and enhancing job numbers in the city, noting a 15 percent decline in murders and an 18 percent drop in shootings over the past year, alongside a record high in job numbers.
When pressed about the ongoing scandals, he deflected the inquiries.
“I don’t go into private conversations,” he repeatedly stated in response to questions about the resignation of his top attorney, Lisa Zornberg.
“The people who did the actions should be blamed for it,” he asserted, further attributing the alleged misconduct of the indicted FDNY officials—accused of taking bribes to expedite building approvals—to the previous administration. Prosecutors allege that this misconduct began in 2021, prior to Adams taking office.
Currently, two state legislators have called on Adams to resign, echoing similar pressures from other city politicians. However, Adams dismissed any notion that such calls might lead him to reconsider his position.
“They call for me to leave over and over and over again, but these numbers are showing that I'm working on behalf of New Yorkers,” he noted while pointing to a screen featuring positive statistics, such as a 21 percent increase in city electric vehicle charging ports and a 94 percent rise in speed bump installations.
In contrast, last year’s report was released on a Friday afternoon, and the year prior also saw its publication at a similar time.
“It's intentional to focus on this narrative so I can write my story,” the mayor concluded. “Oftentimes history is someone else writing your story. I want to write my own story. And this story is how great we have done.”
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
On Monday morning, he gathered members of the often preoccupied press corps in the rotunda of City Hall to present findings from a routine municipal report that usually garners little attention from his office.
"I told the team we have to write our own narrative, because if we don’t show the success and we don’t have a person [here] who has benefited from what we’re doing, it just doesn’t seem to get covered,” Adams shared with reporters.
“We don’t want to distract,” he continued. “We want to have folks pay attention to how successful this administration has been.”
The Mayor’s Management Report, a charter-required collection of agency statistics tracking metrics such as ambulance response times and recycling rates, typically receives media coverage.
Adams' straightforward acknowledgment of his communications strategy emerged just hours after federal prosecutors announced the indictment of two fire chiefs under his leadership in connection to an alleged corruption scheme. This incident adds to a growing list of scandals, including arrests, resignations, and FBI raids, that have plagued his administration.
“The strategy is we’re going to do lots of official shit and look mayoral,” commented Chris Coffey, a Democratic political consultant with experience in former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration. “Is it going to work? Probably not. If the worst stuff has happened then yes, you have a shot at getting through this.”
This month alone, federal agents have raided the residences or confiscated phones from at least five high-ranking city officials. The police commissioner resigned amid a probe into an alleged corruption scheme involving his twin brother. Additionally, the mayor announced late Saturday that his chief city lawyer had stepped down—reportedly due to conflicts over personnel advice. City Hall also let go of an aide following reports of his involvement in an alleged scheme to extort nightclub owners facing strict enforcement from the NYPD.
While Monday's press conference was ostensibly about the release of the city’s annual performance report—marked by this being the first time it has been paired with a press event in years—Adams did not shy away from acknowledging that the event was part of broader messaging efforts aimed at deflecting attention from the growing list of controversies.
“Why are we doing this?” he questioned, reflecting on the goals of the press conference. “We want New Yorkers to know this administration is working hard for them, and we're producing real results. And when things happen to the administration, the real question is, you have the ability to stay focused and provide the services that the city is expecting.”
Throughout the 40-minute announcement, Adams emphasized his administration's achievements in tackling crime and enhancing job numbers in the city, noting a 15 percent decline in murders and an 18 percent drop in shootings over the past year, alongside a record high in job numbers.
When pressed about the ongoing scandals, he deflected the inquiries.
“I don’t go into private conversations,” he repeatedly stated in response to questions about the resignation of his top attorney, Lisa Zornberg.
“The people who did the actions should be blamed for it,” he asserted, further attributing the alleged misconduct of the indicted FDNY officials—accused of taking bribes to expedite building approvals—to the previous administration. Prosecutors allege that this misconduct began in 2021, prior to Adams taking office.
Currently, two state legislators have called on Adams to resign, echoing similar pressures from other city politicians. However, Adams dismissed any notion that such calls might lead him to reconsider his position.
“They call for me to leave over and over and over again, but these numbers are showing that I'm working on behalf of New Yorkers,” he noted while pointing to a screen featuring positive statistics, such as a 21 percent increase in city electric vehicle charging ports and a 94 percent rise in speed bump installations.
In contrast, last year’s report was released on a Friday afternoon, and the year prior also saw its publication at a similar time.
“It's intentional to focus on this narrative so I can write my story,” the mayor concluded. “Oftentimes history is someone else writing your story. I want to write my own story. And this story is how great we have done.”
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
