Eric Adams, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, stepped before the finance community Monday with an offer in mind: cooperation in return for a focus on hiring New Yorkers amid the city’s renewal after COVID-19.

Adams ran as an unabashed centrist against a slate of left-leaning candidates who were viewed more cautiously by the business community. His pitch centered around fighting crime, restoring public safety and addressing its socioeconomic roots, which resonated with enough voters to win him the nomination in June.

Speaking before the SALT Conference in Midtown Manhattan organized by hedge fund manager and former Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci, Adams proclaimed that New York will not be “anti-business” under his watch. He repeated his campaign pledges on public safety and social ills like homelessness, but offered assurances that he wanted to work together with the city’s business community.

"This is going to be a place where we welcome business," Adams told the assembled titans of finance.

The relationship between businesses and City Hall has been tense during the two terms of incumbent Mayor Bill De Blasio, who ran on a pledge to reduce inequality by pushing for more taxes on high earners. Businesses have pleaded with De Blasio to make public safety a priority as the city moved to recover from COVID-19, a key plank of Adams’ platform. Other business leaders have been disappointed by what they consider De Blasio’s disregard for their input in putting together policies to lift the economy.

During Adams’ speech to SALT, De Blasio defended his relationship and solicitation of input from city businesses. He said that his administration “supported businesses while also supporting working people.”

Compared to De Blasio, Adams has not staked out any positions that are antagonistic to the business community and has at times sympathized with their concerns. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Adams said he could understand why wealthy residents leave the city for other destinations and his public safety platform has appealed to those concerned about crime.

Adams however offered a caveat to the “unprecedented” partnership he was proposing between his city hall and businesses. In return for seeking their input or pushing business-friendly policies, he insisted they had to prioritize hiring New Yorkers.

“We want to ask you to offer your jobs to New Yorkers. Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of people out of work in New York. And there are hundreds of thousands of jobs that you have that we can fill,” said Adams. He urged attendees to collaborate with the city’s Workforce Development center to nurture workers who may not immediately have the necessary skills and training.

Adams is due to face Republican Party nominee Curtis Silwa in the November general election. He is a heavy favorite in a city where Democratic voters heavily outnumber Republicans.

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