The official vote for the next City Council speaker won’t happen until January, but that didn’t stop Queens’ Adrienne Adams and Francisco Moya from declaring victory anyway on Tuesday.
Of course, they both can’t be speaker — but the two Queens reps think they’ve drummed up enough pledged support among their colleagues to win the powerful spot when the new City Council assembles next month.
Four of the remaining candidates put their support behind Council Member Adams to lead the City Council beginning in January and produced supportive quotes in an Adams press release early Tuesday afternoon.
“Today is a historic day for New York City. After much discussion and collaboration with my colleagues, I am honored to have received the necessary votes to become the next Speaker of the New York City Council,” Adams said. “The incoming City Council will be beautifully diverse and wonderfully collaborative in so many ways. As Speaker, I look forward to being a partner with every Member to help advance the needs of our communities. As a Member of the Council, I will always prioritize my colleagues, labor, and the people of New York and have an open door to every voice.”
A lifelong resident of Southeast Queens, the 61-year-old Adams was raised in Hollis and was elected to the Council in November 2017, becoming the first woman elected to represent District 28, which covers the neighborhoods of Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Richmond Hill, and South Ozone Park. She was a classmate of Mayor-elect Eric Adams at Bayside High School, but he reportedly has been pushing for Moya as the next Speaker.
That must have come as news to Moya, who also said Tuesday that he believes he’s going to be the next Speaker.
“I am humbled to announce that our diverse coalition of Council Members and leaders from across New York City has collected a majority of votes to elect the next speaker of the Council,” Moya said in a statement. “I look forward to leading this body into a brighter future for our great city.”
The four candidates that threw their support behind Adams were Councilwoman Diana Ayala, Councilman Keith Powers, Councilman Justin Brannan and Manhattan Borough President and Councilwoman-elect Gale Brewer.
“The next City Council requires an experienced leader and consensus builder,” Brewer said. “I support Adrienne Adams as our Speaker because she has been a leader on her Community Board, a fighter for her district in Queens, and has worked in the private and public sector. She will advocate with Council Members in all five boroughs to bring the positive change needed in our city and will do it with her strong voice. Adrienne Adams has earned my support.”
