Eric Adams (D) was sworn in early Saturday as the 110th mayor of New York City just after the New Year’s Eve crystal ball dropped in Times Square.
Adams, a former city police captain, proclaimed that “New York is back” during the ceremony, according to the New York Times.
“Trust me, we’re ready for a major comeback because this is New York,” he told a pared down crowd. An indoor inauguration ceremony in Brooklyn had been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
During the ceremony in Times Square, Adams held a picture of his late mother, Dorthy, who passed away last spring and was sworn-in using a family Bible, the Times noted.
Adams won the Democratic primary last summer against Kathryn Garcia by about only one percentage point. Before entering politics, Adams called himself “the future of the Democratic Party,” the Times noted.
Adams, 61, is the second Black mayor in New York City’s history. His entrance into office comes as millions of residents navigate the easily transmissible omicron variant surging across the city and state. New York, which was an early pandemic hotspot in 2020, reached a new single-day high of 67,000 COVID-19 cases this week with a growing number of hospitalizations.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), who has served two terms, was also in attendance at the celebration, along with his wife, Chirlane McCray. The pair were seen dancing offstage while waiting for the midnight countdown, according to the Times.
As mayor, Adams said he would retain the city’s vaccine requirement for the private sector, put in place by de Blasio. The mandate went into effect Monday.
Adams will also face how to handle school reopenings as the holiday break comes to an end. He has insisted he will not shut down schools.