Mayoral candidate Eric Adams argues NYC has too many cars, says he was ‘wrong’ in ’90s smear of female cop
Eric Adams on Tuesday promised to build a stronger bike culture in New York City and apologized for his role in a Black fraternal police organization’s smear campaign against a female officer in the early 1990s, saying: “I was wrong.”
Adams, the Democratic nominee and prohibitive favorite in the city’s mayoral race, made the cycling commitments and mea culpa as he collected an endorsement from StreetsPAC, a local political organization committed to street safety.
In the Democratic primary, StreetsPAC endorsed Kathryn Garcia, the former sanitation commissioner who narrowly lost to Adams. But Eric McClure, the executive director of the political action committee, said Tuesday that the bike-loving Brooklyn borough president was “high” on the organization’s list in the spring.
McClure’s group stood behind Adams in Greenwich Village as he pledged to build a bike lane on Brooklyn’s bustling Atlantic Ave. — part of his commitment to construct 300 miles of new protected paths in the city — and vowed to cycle to City Hall often if he’s elected.
“Let’s face it, there are too many cars in our city,” Adams told reporters after riding a Citi Bike to the endorsement event on W. 14th St. “I have close friends that won’t even ride their bikes because they’re so afraid and so intimidated.”
The former police captain acknowledged he may face challenges in some neighborhoods, saying, “sometimes I’m going to win, sometimes I’m going to lose.”
He also took a dig at his Republican opponent, Curtis Sliwa, who has argued that little-used bike lanes should be scrapped. “Bike lanes are not used because we’re not encouraging and promoting and incentivizing the use for it,” Adams said in reference to Sliwa’s stance. “I don’t even think he knows how to ride a bike.”
Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, has said that he used to ride as a paperboy when he was young, but doesn’t frequently hop on two-wheelers now. His stunt-focused campaign has focused heavily on protecting pets and fighting crime.
Adams and Sliwa are due for their first debate of the race on Wednesday. The Nov. 2 general election for mayor is widely considered a formality; Democrats outnumber Republicans in New York City by more than six to one.
Adams, who has courted wealthy donors during the general election, is carrying an intimidating war chest and recently started to roll out TV advertisements. His campaign released a 30-second ad this week that highlights his plans in a range of areas including housing, vaccine access and gun violence.
But he’s kept a relatively low profile in the lead up to the election, apparently hoping to avoid unnecessary slip-ups in a race he is all but guaranteed to win.
On Monday, Sliwa aimed criticism at Adams over a report published by The City news outlet.
The City reported that Adams led a sexist smear campaign in 1991 against Officer Lizette Lebron — calling her a “scorned lover” — after she alleged that members of the Guardians Association had cheated on a sergeant’s exam.
Three members of the Guardians, a fraternal organization of Black police officers, were convicted of charges after a probe triggered by Lebron, according to The City, and she filed a libel lawsuit against Adams, who was then a transit cop, and other defendants.
“I went through a lot with this,” Lebron told The City. “I’ve moved on and I really don’t want to go back there, anyway. I moved four hours away to be away from New York City.”
She couldn’t immediately be reached for comment by the Daily News.
In Manhattan, Adams said he would apologize to her if saw her. But he said he did not intend to contact her and does not know where she moved.
“It was inappropriate what we did,” Adams said. “When I’m wrong, I’m wrong.”
With Michael Gartland
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