Why the new mayor of New York is a blessing
Eric Adams is the name, 61 years old, razor-sharp, witty, streetwise and not afraid of the devil. Perhaps the only one who can get New York back on track because the list is long. Ten percent unemployment, insecurity, many shooting incidents, 30,000 deaths as a result of corona, intensely high housing prices… Touching was this sentence from his inauguration speech: ‘It doesn’t matter where you come from, who you are or what you wear. From today we wear a shirt: Team New York.’ Here are some facts to get to know him better.
1. Troublemaker gone good
Eric Adams is the son of a butcher from Queens. When he was fifteen and wanted to break into somewhere with his brother, he was grabbed by the police and was abused by white officers until a colored officer intervened. A pastor later convinced him not to seek revenge for this incident, but to use it to propel himself forward and therefore choose the right path.
2. The best of the Police Academy
He graduated in 1984 as the second-best student. He has a long career within the New York police where it is always noticeable that he makes no distinction. He also addresses people of color when necessary.
3. Pull up your pants
As baggy pants are particularly in fashion among young people of color in street fashion, he advocates for a different attire. ‘If you want to be taken seriously, you shouldn’t wear sloppy clothes.’ Something that also earned him the nickname Bounty (dark on the outside, white on the inside). A qualification he didn’t care about.
4. 15 kilos lighter
When he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, he decided to eat fully plant-based. He set up a stationary bike in his office and did as much as possible by bike (hence his idea to treat New York to 480 kilometers of extra bike paths) and lost 15 kilos in six months.
5. Famous son
Never been married, but in love. He has a son, Jordan Coleman, who is a TV producer and actor. He is no longer together with his mother. He is now in a relationship with Tracey Collins, who is the head of the New York City Department of Education.
6. In the third person
Eric Adams likes to talk about himself as Eric Adams. ‘Eric Adams was almost on the wrong path, Eric Adams likes it this way.’ Ah, a bit vain, but can a man have a little flaw?
