If any single poll should worry Mayor Adams, it’s not his abysmal approval rating. It’s the findings of last month’s Citizens Budget Commission survey, which found that New Yorkers are incredibly upset with their quality of life.
Among the key findings, 30% said their quality of life is good, down from 50% just seven years ago. Only 37% said they feel safe in their neighborhoods, also down from 50% just seven years ago. Just 24% say the quality of government services are good or excellent, down from 44%.
Only 11% say that our government spends tax dollars wisely. And perhaps most damning of all, when asked if they expect to still live in the city by 2028, only half answered yes. Half of respondents would rather live somewhere else.
This, of course, creates a blueprint for a challenge to Adams in next year’s election. Beating Adams would require significantly higher turnout by voters who aren’t as reflexively progressive as the usual voters in local elections — in other words, most actual New Yorkers. Mobilizing the people to save their city is not impossible, provided you have the right platform — one that would look something like this:
First, padlock the thousands of illegal weed shops. They are creating an epidemic of addiction among teenagers with no end in sight. The new state budget gives you the authority you need. Just padlock them and let the shop owners sue (and if they reopen, send the customers and workers to Rikers). We’ll see you in court in 2028. If you still live here by then.
Second, repeal Local Law 11. It plagues our sidewalks with scaffolding. Giant swaths of every neighborhood in Manhattan are covered in scaffolding. Beyond being visually unappealing, they darken our streets and make them more dangerous. And you no longer need scaffolding to inspect building facades as required in Local Law 11. Drones can do it at a fraction of the cost and puts the interests of tenants and homeowners ahead of landlords and rich scaffolding companies.
Third, we need a lot more cops stationed on the subways and platforms. Recent experiments with this have worked. Turns out actual policing keeps people safe. And if Albany is not correcting the mistakes they made with bail reform, you need to use your bully pulpit and put political pressure on the five district attorneys to secure jail time for repeat offenders. It’s a lot harder to keep assaulting people when you’re behind bars and not on the street.
Fourth, bring back broken windows policing. Going after the small stuff is what led to the massive decrease in crime here in the 1990s. Some of the people committing minor crimes are also the same people illegally carrying loaded guns. Catching that first saves lives.
Fifth, come to the aid of retailers suffering from a shoplifting epidemic. Making it impossible to own a small business (or even a CVS) only creates more vacant storefronts, more blight, and more crime. We need to hire thousands more police officers and some should be dedicated to fighting retail crime.
Sixth, give the migrants New York work permits so they can find jobs and support themselves. Immigrants have come to our city for hundreds of years without receiving free food and housing. The migrants just want to work. Let them.
Seventh, increase involuntary confinement. If someone is living on the streets or subways and poses a danger to themselves and everyone else, they need mental health care whether they realize it or not. Their right to suffer does not trump everyone else’s right to be safe.
Eighth, enforce the rules. If people are riding bikes on sidewalks or the wrong way down the street, ticket them and impound the bikes. If drivers are accumulating dozens of red light camera tickets, impound their cars before they kill someone. Stop giving everyone the message that anything goes. People don’t want to live in a city where no one is in charge.
The good news is, Adams actually agrees with most of these positions. He’s held press conferences on virtually every single one of them. The bad news is, other than reducing the rat population, he seems utterly incapable of getting things done.
I don’t really care if the next mayor is Eric Adams or someone else. I do care that our city is falling apart. We need strong, competent leadership to fix it. If Adams can finally wake up, build a better team and course correct, great. If not, someone should adopt the platform above and run against him.
Tusk is a venture capitalist and political strategist who runs the Mobile Voting Project.