Jan 29, 2025 11:14 PM EST | by Annie McDonough | City & State NY
At one point, each candidate was asked to name two things they had in common with other candidates on the stage. Everyone on the dais agreed, Comptroller Brad Lander ventured, that “neither Eric Adams nor Andrew Cuomo should be the next mayor of New York City.”
“None of us canceled MLK events to go to a Trump inauguration, and none of us are trying to get a pardon,” former Assembly Member Michael Blake added.
While the mayor’s absences at previous forums haven’t raised too many eyebrows – his incumbent status allows him to stay in the mix without running around to forums across the city every week – his absence this week created a void that sucked up plenty of the attention.
For the past three days, Adams has had no public schedule, with a City Hall spokesperson notifying press on Sunday night that Adams hadn’t been feeling his best and saying that he would attend “a number of doctors’ appointments and undergo routine medical tests.” Citing his right to privacy, representatives for the mayor have not provided more information about his health condition but have said that he continues to work remotely. On Monday night, he hosted two major labor supporters – Rich Maroko, president of the influential hotel workers union, and Manny Pastreich, who leads building service workers union 32BJ SEIU – at Gracie Mansion for private meetings, Politico New York first reported.
