On ‘Tin Cup Day’ Eric Adams to meet several of his rivals

After being sidelined by an unspecified illness last week, Mayor Eric Adams’ reemergence will continue Tuesday, with an appearance at the state Capitol for “Tin Cup Day” – an event that will put him face-to-face with several of his reelection challengers.

Unlike his eight major opponents in the race, Adams hasn’t been participating in any of the mayoral forums that have been held around the city so far, which have given the challengers copious amounts of face time with each other early in the race. But in Albany on Tuesday, not only will Adams get some of that facetime, he’ll be answering some of their questions directly. 

At the annual marathon joint hearing in the state Legislature, local government representatives deliver testimony to advocate for funding and other priorities to be included in the state budget. Adams, along with other members of his administration, will travel to Albany to deliver their own pitch – and likely, to be grilled by state legislators on why the administration ought to be granted its requests.

It’s unclear exactly how much facetime Adams will get with all his challengers; City Comptroller Brad Lander, for example, will testify separately. But several of Adams’ opponents are state legislators who belong to committees that participate. State Sen. Jessica Ramos is on the Finance Committee, for example, and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani is on the Cities Committee. 

Mamdani, for one, seems eager for that opportunity. “There are many years when Eric Adams has been the mayor where his attempts at winning over the Legislature have started so late that we are starting to wonder whether they even started at all,” Mamdani said in his interview with the New York Editorial Board last week, noting that he’s looking forward to Tin Cup Day, where he’ll have three minutes to question Adams.

While some contentious issues may be off the table this year – Adams secured a two-year extension of mayoral control of city schools last year, and Gov. Kathy Hochul has said the budget won’t include more funding for migrant services – there’s still plenty for the administration and lawmakers to dig into. Among the Adams administration’s priorities in Albany this year is the mayor’s proposal to ““Axe the Tax for the Working Class,” which would eliminate the city’s income tax for low-income New Yorkers. The mayor is also pushing for changes to the state’s discovery law and legislation that would lower the standard to involuntarily hospitalize people experiencing mental health crises.

Adams has often found alignment with Hochul on some of his key issues in Albany, but he has struggled to mobilize support in the state Legislature. Adams has repeatedly said that that criticism is unfair, arguing that his record of success on his Albany wishlists is higher than he is given credit for. And Adams is hardly a fresh face in Albany. In addition to his previous tin cup visits, he served as a state senator for six years.

This year’s Tin Cup Day comes as Adams faces undeniable political vulnerabilities. The incumbent mayor is facing a competitive reelection in June and – for now, at least – is scheduled to stand trial for the federal corruption charges in April. (Adams has pleaded not guilty to the charges.) As the city’s top elected Democratic official, Adams has struck up a remarkably warm relationship with Republican President Donald Trump. Chances seem good that state lawmakers – who already relish their opportunity to pepper the city’s mayor with questions on Tin Cup Day – will ask about how the city will work with the Trump administration.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and City Council Member (and city comptroller hopeful) Justin Brannan will be taking their tin cups to Albany too. Brannan, who chairs the council’s Finance Committee, will be testifying before state lawmakers on behalf of the council, while Speaker Adams will make their case in private meetings.