Mayor Adams’s Farewell To-Do List: Praise Himself, Undermine Mamdani

Before jetting off to Mexico, Mayor Eric Adams held an unusual news conference that included a time capsule, a new theme song and a defense of his one-term tenure.

There is an unwritten tradition in New York City that a departing mayor avoid bad-mouthing his successor and display some grace on the way out.

Mayor Eric Adams is not one for tradition.

In his final days in office, Mr. Adams has made it his mission to provide a positive spin on his one-term tenure; to warn that the city will suffer under his successor, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani; and to see as much of the world as he can.

On Tuesday, Mr. Adams did a bit of all of that. He unveiled a new theme song, featuring the vocals of Jay-Z interspersed with his own voice describing some highlights of his administration. He showed a video featuring his life story, and called on various city officials to display items that were later buried as part of a time capsule.

And he took a shot at Mr. Mamdani, a fellow Democrat, without naming him, suggesting that New York may soon see more protests outside houses of worship and homeless encampments.

Then, after roughly 90 minutes of holding court and burying the capsule, the mayor left without taking questions, heading for Mexico — the fourth country he’ll have visited in the last three months. When a reporter tried to ask what he would be doing there, he smiled and said, “None of your business.”

A mayoral spokeswoman, Liz Garcia, called it a “personal trip” and said no taxpayer money would be used. It was unclear whether the mayor’s police detail would travel with him.

Mr. Mamdani has said he is not focused on the actions of the mayor but is busy planning for his own administration. Many of the mayor-elect’s advisers believe that the mayor’s actions or rhetoric won’t seriously affect Mr. Mamdani’s plans.

“New Yorkers have made it clear they’re ready for a new era of government that works every single day, without distraction, to deliver a more affordable city,” said Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for Mr. Mamdani. “That’s where the mayor-elect’s focus lies.”

The current mayor has a different focus. Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday morning, Mr. Adams disparaged Mr. Mamdani’s plans to decriminalize prostitution, follow through on the legal requirement to close the Rikers Island jail complex and tax the wealthy and mentioned his membership in a democratic socialist organization.

“If he allows the agenda of the Democratic Socialists of America to be the platform of this city,” the mayor said, “we’re going to be in for some real problems.”

Mr. Adams has gone beyond words in his opposition to Mr. Mamdani. He has also taken actions that seem designed to interfere with some of the mayor-elect’s agenda.

The mayor opposes Mr. Mamdani’s plan to freeze the rent on one million rent-stabilized units, characterizing it as a threat to small landlords and the ability of larger property owners to pay for repairs and upkeep. He has not ruled out stacking the Rent Guidelines Board, which rules on rent increases, with appointees on his way out the door. All nine members of the board are named by the mayor.

Earlier this month, Mr. Adams signed an executive order to prevent anyone with authority over city contracting from “engaging in procurement practices that discriminate against the State of Israel, Israeli citizens or those associated with Israel.” Mr. Mamdani is a noted critic of Israel who supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and believes that the country should not exist as a Jewish state that does not give equal rights to all who live there.

Last month, the administration moved to protect the much fought-over Elizabeth Street Garden in Lower Manhattan, declaring it as parkland even though Mr. Mamdani has said he would seek to build affordable housing there.

The mayor-elect plans to end sweeps of homeless encampments. Mr. Adams has repeatedly criticized the plan, including on Tuesday.

And on Monday, Mr. Adams appointed a former Republican councilman, Joe Borelli, to the 15-member Panel for Educational Policy, which oversees New York City schools, a move interpreted as another obstacle to Mr. Mamdani’s plans.

Mr. Borelli said that his appointment, which ends in June, was something he and the administration had been discussing for months and that he would be voting “his conscience” on issues.

“The mayor is the mayor until the 31st of December at 11:59, and then it will be a new day for all New Yorkers,” Mr. Borelli said. “I’m going to be a New Yorker for the foreseeable future and am personally invested in Mayor Mamdani’s success.”

Mr. Adams seems less invested.

In an interview with WNBC-TV, the mayor took issue with characterizations that Mr. Mamdani coasted to “a great landslide victory.”

“Forty-nine percent of New Yorkers said no to the D.S.A. and Zohran,” Mr. Adams added, referring to the Democratic Socialists of America.

Allies of Mr. Mamdani have taken issue with the mayor’s behavior.

“The mayor should look at himself in the mirror and realize that the only person who led to his downfall and to the fact that he was not only not re-elected, but was such a disastrous mayor, was him,” said Gustavo Rivera, a state senator from the Bronx who served with Mr. Adams in the State Senate and is an ally of Mr. Mamdani’s. “The reason I’m not disappointed in Eric is because you have to actually have expectations of someone to be disappointed in them.”

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio said he found Mr. Adams’s comments to be “inappropriate, unhelpful and unprecedented,” noting that he did not undermine Mr. Adams. “I don’t know why he would be doing something that’s actually divisive when the city needs unity,” said Mr. de Blasio, who faced criticism when speakers at his first inauguration criticized his predecessor, Michael R. Bloomberg.

As Mr. Mamdani’s Jan. 1 inauguration grows closer, Mr. Adams has given mixed signals on whether he will attend. Mr. Mamdani has said that the mayor is invited.

Vincent J. Cannato, a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and the author of “The Ungovernable City: John Lindsay and His Struggle to Save New York,” said there has been a tradition in American politics of moving toward governing rather than criticizing after the election.

“I think Adams should show up,” Mr. Cannato said.

There are precedents for Mr. Adams’s behavior. Rudolph W. Giuliani and David N. Dinkins were still exchanging unpleasantries a decade after Mr. Dinkins beat Mr. Giuliani in their first matchup. President Trump criticized his predecessor Joseph R. Biden Jr. at Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January. After Mr. Biden defeated Mr. Trump in 2021, Mr. Trump declined to attend his successor’s inauguration.

Mr. Adams took notice of his own place in history, briefly referring to his becoming the first modern-era New York City mayor to be indicted while in office. He urged New Yorkers to remember him for other so-called firsts, mentioning his diverse administration and his work on building affordable housing and reducing crime.

“Talk about the first mayor being indicted,” he said. “But, dammit, don’t miss the other firsts this mayor has been able to accomplish.”

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