Can Eric Adams turn around New York?

TO BE MAYOR of New York City is no easy task. Bill de Blasio, the departing incumbent, was once a progressive darling. However, his unique political talents—a penchant for self-aggrandisement and a smug disdain for dealing with the city’s problems—along with constant bickering with the governor, rendered Mr de Blasio ineffectual and widely loathed. He will soon be limping out of Gracie Mansion, leaving behind some daunting problems for his successor. Economic growth is choked by regulation and insufficient house-building. There has been a dramatic increase in shootings and homicides. Were it not for a timely federal bail-out, the city would be facing severe cuts to its budget.The man New Yorkers will choose to pick up these pieces is Eric Adams, a black, vegan, ex-police captain from Brooklyn. In a crowded field, Mr Adams narrowly won the Democratic primary with support from a broad coalition of non-white, non-Manhattanites. As with President Joe Biden, his supporters were the working class, the elderly and minorities. He promises to be mayor for the Bronx and Brooklyn, not the Upper West Side.