Adams locks up victory in speaker race
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City Councilmember Adrienne Adams declared victory in the race for the next speaker of the City Council on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. Eagle file photo by Paul Frangipane
By Jacob Kaye
Come January, the New York City Council will likely be led by City Councilmember Adrienne Adams.
Councilmember Adams declared victory in the race for council speaker, sharing that she had the support of 33 of the body’s 51 members. If the count holds for the January vote, Councilmember Adams will become the first Black woman to lead the council. She will also become the first Queens member since Peter Vallone Sr. became the first-ever speaker of the City Council in 1986, a position he held until 2002.
“I am honored by all those in the [City Council] who put their faith in me,” Adams said in a statement on social media. “This is a moment not just for me, but for all women, women of color, individuals from all backgrounds, and the good people of [New York City].”
The announcement comes a few days after both Adams and Queens City Councilmember Francisco Moya declared victory in the race on the same day, a mathematical implausibility that led many to speculate one of the candidates had vastly overestimated the support they had received from their colleagues.
Moya, who was believed to have the backing of Mayor-elect Eric Adams, conceded the race Friday.
“I am proud to have brought together a broad coalition of leaders from all corners of the city who supported my campaign as the next Speaker of the City Council. At this point, it is clear that I do not have a path to victory,” Moya said in a statement. “I have worked alongside Councilmember [Adams] for many years. She is a dedicated and thoughtful leader who I know will work closely with all councilmembers. I will fully support her leadership as we continue to fight the devastation of the pandemic.”
Councilmember Adams also received words of congratulations from the mayor-elect. The two Queens-raised lawmakers, who are not related, were classmates at Bayside High School.
“After weeks of hearing from incoming Council Members and leaders I trust across New York, I am convinced that Adrienne Adams will be the best choice to lead our City Council forward, and I believe she has the support to do it,” Mayor-elect Adams said. “Let me be the first to congratulate my good friend Adrienne Adams on securing the votes to become the City Council’s speaker and making history. I look forward to working with her in partnership.”
The mayor-elect and his supporters were behind a push to get Moya elected to the seat, a seemingly early political failure for the incoming mayor set to take office in several weeks.
Hank Sheinkopf, a political strategist and political science professor, told the Eagle early last week, that the biggest lost for the mayor-elect comes with several major unions’ decision to back Councilmember Adams.
“The unions who supported him did what they wanted,” Sheinkopf said. “They have now learned that they can break loose from the mayor at will.”
However, Sheinkopf added that the loss isn’t a be-all-end-all for the mayor-elect because “there will be other times where he will be able to exert power.”
U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, who leads the Queens County Democratic Party, was believed to be behind a big push to get Councilmember Adams elected as speaker.
The first sign that the race was shifting toward Councilmember Adams’ favor was on Wednesday, when four other candidates for speaker – Councilmembers Diana Ayala, Keith Powers and Justin Brannan, and Councilmember-elect Gale Brewer – dropped out of the race and endorsed the Queens lawmaker. Councilmember Carlina Rivera, the only other candidate in the race besides Moya, didn’t endorse Adams on Wednesday, but did so on Friday.
Adams received support from all of the borough’s current and incoming Democratic councilmembers.
Councilmember Adams, who represents parts of Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village and South Ozone Park, was first elected to the council in 2017. She currently serves as the chair of the council’s Committee on Public Safety, a leadership position that helped catapult Queens Borough President Donovan Richards to his current seat.
