July 12, 2021 - Washington, DC, United States: Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams doing a TV interview at the White House. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA)
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams at the White House
NEW YORK CITY (77WABC) – After initially expressing reservations, New York City Mayor Eric Adams now says he will support the controversial non-citizen voting bill passed by city council. Adams just released the following statement Saturday night.
Nearly 800,000 New Yorkers are covered under the legislation, largely green card holders. The legislation does not allow those same lawful permanent residents or people with authorization to work to participate in federal or state elections.
Former Mayor de Blasio had questioned whether the bill was legally sound, but promised not to veto it. He also didn’t sign it before leaving office.
Adams had been voicing concerns that the bill, which the City Council passed on Dec. 9, would apply to noncitizens who have been city residents for as few as 30 days.
“I love the idea [that] if you’re here in the city for a period of time, you should have a right in local elections; that’s so important,” Adams said. “But for a person that’s here for only 30 days to have the substantial determination on who’s going to be your mayor, your comptroller, your public advocate — that’s concerning to me.”
When asked recently if would sign the bill, Adams was non committal.
Adams stated to reporters on his first day on the job, “I understand the importance of local elections, but to give that power to someone that’s here for 30 days, I think that’s a problem, and I need to in the next couple of days make a determination about what we’re going to do.”
The bill — one of the more divisive in recent Council history — split Adams’ two closest allies in the legislative body.
Rodriguez, the bill’s prime sponsor, was one of Adams’ top boosters on the campaign trail.
