NYC Mayor Eric Adams Stops Holding Libraries Hostage

By Andrew Sanford | Politics | June 28, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Politics | June 28, 2024 |

New York has a problem with conservative leaders who ran as progressives. Kathy Hochul, the state’s current Governor, replaced Andrew Cuomo after he received multiple sexual harassment allegations. Hochul fancied herself a progressive and then tried to appoint a judge with a history of being anti-abortion and anti-labor. Recently, she killed congestion pricing, a new tolling system aimed at curbing traffic in NYC and providing much-needed funds for the city’s subway systems. Still, Hochul is just trying to catch up to NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

Adams, a former police captain, has had an extensive political career in NYC. Still, he’s always been a cop. That has always been at the forefront of what he’s doing. Still, he claims to be a Democrat and ran for Mayor as one. In the lead-up to his being elected, Adams seemed … relatively normal. He parroted many of the values that progressive voters wanted while pushing himself as tough on crime, pleasing the Upper West Siders who were funding his campaign. All that progressive stuff went out the window when Adams was elected.

Since being in office, Adams has lamented the loss of prayer in schools, saying, “When we took prayers out of schools, guns came into schools…” He claimed that empty office buildings could be converted into apartments because he thinks apartments don’t need windows. The man cut funding for new lifeguards, claiming that new lifeguards would come anyway because of their “love” for the activity. He ensured that the NYPD’s budget ballooned to $11 Billion. He’s bad! Still, his least popular move was certainly his budget cuts to public libraries.

Adams cut $58 million from New York Public Libraries. Two days of the NYPD’s budget could make up for that difference. The $225 Adams earmarked for a new mega-training facility for police officers could cover it and then some. But no, Adams insisted that the cuts had to be made. Libraries were forced to cut Sunday service, go without air conditioning in some locations, and stare down the prospect of losing Saturday service as well. The uproar from New Yorkers was deafening.

Public libraries are an important tool for New Yorkers of all ages. It isn’t just about the kids (though, that should be good enough). Many people visit libraries to use the internet, find jobs, and beat the heat. Some go there for free classes and activities. Their importance cannot be understated. All manner of New Yorkers voiced their displeasure with Adams’s unnecessary cuts and, like Palpatine returning, somehow Eric Adams changed his mind.

The Office of the Mayor and the New York City Council announced yesterday that the $58 million would be restored to the libraries. Adams’s office said in a statement, “These institutions are a critical part of New York City’s social fabric, which New Yorkers depend on for their children’s growth and the vibrancy of our city.” It’s the kind of statement that makes you wonder if they just learned how important libraries are. Certainly, they wouldn’t have cut the funding otherwise.

Adams makes this move as his approval hits historic lows. He still managed to reduce the budget for the libraries by $15 million going forward, but this is a clear scramble to curry favor with voters who have rightfully abandoned him. Adams is a cop in a progressive’s clothing. The sooner NYC is rid of him the better.