Editor’s Note: Perception is NYC’s greatest challenge – and it’s Eric Adams’ too

Amid the newsletters, bills and spam that land in my inbox are emails from Eric Adams. Branded “Hear from Eric,” they typically start warmly with, “Good evening Ralph,” before listing the administration’s recent accomplishments. Last week’s email noted how, “we proudly ushered in the first-ever LGBTQ+ friendly St. Patrick’s Day parade on Staten Island,” mentioned the creation of a new Tenant Protection Cabinet, and touted funding secured for a new public park in Queens, electric buses and an electric truck depot. There was more: a settlement on the city’s right-to-shelter mandate in reference to the migrant influx.

I honestly don’t pay much attention to these emails, preferring to get my news from City & State and other outlets. But perceptions of life in New York post-COVID-19 have not been positive, with stories of violence on the subways and the handling of the migrant influx. Both have been compounded by sensational tabloid front pages and most recently a damning report from the Citizens Budget Commission that found only 30% of New Yorkers said they were happy living in the Big Apple. Adams at his off-topic press conference last week repeated some of the same messaging from his emails before he was asked about the findings in the report. “I know New Yorkers are feeling a certain way right now, but this is New York: 8.3 million people, 35 million different opinions,” he told reporters at City Hall.

The mayor also said that the report found New Yorkers saying: “We are on the right track. We are focused on the right issues.” Perhaps that suggests city residents aren’t just skipping over those emails.