NYC mayor's race heats up as Mayor Eric Adams touts decreases in gun violence and Andrew Cuomo spars with Brad Lander
With public safety becoming a key focal point of the New York City mayor's race, Eric Adams lashed out Monday at opponents who he says don't give him credit for making huge inroads in reducing gun violence, implying they are not on "Team New York."
"The numbers don't lie"
The mayor posed with a high-impact machine gun and eyeballed tables of ghost guns and other weapons confiscated by the NYPD -- 1,000 in just the last two months. He then bragged about historic reductions in crime and slammed opponents who insist the streets are not safe.
"We are the safest big city in America. So those who have not read the memo, stop saying our city is in chaos and crisis. It is not. The numbers don't lie," Adams said.
Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said shootings for the first two months of this year -- a 21.5% decrease in January and a 20.8% decrease in February -- were the lowest in the city's recorded history.
"If you are 'Team New York,' you should be accurate in your assessment and not dump on New York. Lift New York up," Adams said.
Andrew Cuomo and Brad Lander exchange barbs
Adams' comments came as the mayoral contest continues to heat up. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo talked about public safety as he picked up the endorsement of the 29,000-member electrical workers union, IBEW Local 3.
Without naming names, Cuomo slammed opponents like City Comptroller Brad Lander, who at one time called for defunding the police, which Cuomo said has made it difficult to recruit officers and has led to a drastic reduction in troop strength.
"They spend over $1 billion in overtime because they cut the number of police. A little common sense. What we should do is go out and hire 5,000 police officers, make the city safe, and it'll cost you half of what you're spending in overtime," Cuomo said.
Lander continued to slam Cuomo over the sexual harassment charges that led to his resignation as governor. Lander pointed to a report by the state comptroller that found the Cuomo scandals cost taxpayers $60 million.
"One thing he can do is return the $60 million and put it to public safety," Lander said.
As CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer reported, it's only fair to point out that of the $60 million, $18 million was spent by the state to defend Cuomo and his top advisors in civil sexual harassment cases. Millions of dollars were spent by State Attorney General Letitia James to hire outside lawyers to investigate the allegations.
NYC mayoral race continues to ratchet up in intensity
The Democratic primary is still three months away, but Kramer reported the increase in attacks by the candidates is not unexpected.
Cuomo led all the polls before he entered the race and so the natural inclination of all the candidates is to try to topple him or at least knock some of his poll numbers down, Kramer reported.
Kramer added it's not like Cuomo didn't know what was coming, so that's why he has tried to stay above the fray, adding he has been issuing position paper after position paper day after day on issues he thinks people care about, from public safety to housing to affordable child care.
On Monday, Cuomo called for e-bike regulations, including mandatory registration of bikes and e-scooters with the city's Department of Transportation, and license plates so riders can get tickets for road violations.
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