New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a “time capsule” sealing ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday (December 16), announcing that objects symbolizing his policies and governance achievements during his term will be sealed and buried at City Hall, to be opened in 10 years. Adams conducted a press conference to review his four-year term achievements, focusing on public safety, economy, housing, and quality of life, and responded proactively to the media labeling him as “the first mayor in New York City history to be indicted,” requesting a comprehensive assessment of his accomplishments during his tenure.
In his address, Adams reflected on the four main pillars of his administration – public safety, economy, housing, and quality of life. He stated that during his term, more than 25,000 illegal guns were seized, leading to a record-low number of shooting incidents, a continuous decrease in subway crime rates, and the closure of over 1,600 illegal marijuana shops. In terms of the economy, he emphasized the increasing number of employed residents and small businesses, attributing it to the post-pandemic recovery and investment policies promoted by the city government. Regarding housing, Adams described his government as the “most supportive of housing in history,” with initiatives such as the “City of Yes” focusing on land rezoning and housing plans that he claimed could provide housing for hundreds of thousands of households. In terms of quality of life and cost of living, he mentioned initiatives such as tax relief, medical debt clearance, expanding early childhood education, and after-school care, stating that it reduced the financial burden on working-class families by approximately $30 billion.
On controversial issues, Adams mentioned the media referring to him as “the first mayor in New York City history to be indicted,” but immediately asked: if discussing being the “first,” one should also consider other “firsts” during his tenure, including policy innovations, public safety statistics, housing advancements, and diverse administrative appointments. He also referenced the departure of “4 deputy mayors,” with media speculating about the impact on city government operations. However, he provided evidence to the contrary, highlighting that crime decreased, housing increased, education outcomes improved every quarter, and policies continued to advance, demonstrating that his team did not halt operations.
The ceremony of burying the time capsule became a political symbol of the press conference. Adams positioned the controversies and negative labels during his term as a record left for successors and citizens, advocating for delaying judgment until “ten years later,” rather than reaching conclusions amid political maneuverings and legal controversies. City officials sequentially placed items symbolizing achievements in their respective policy areas into the capsule, including immigrant services, crackdown on illegal marijuana shops, housing rezoning, the police department’s use of drones, and waste containerization measures. The mayor stated that the policies represented by these objects would be reassessed for their actual impacts in 10 years.