Eric Adams, Democratic Nominee for Mayor of the City of New York welcomes SALT to New York! Joined by Anthony Scaramucci, Founder & Managing Partner, SkyBridge.
SALT New York is a global thought leadership and networking forum at the intersection of finance, technology and public policy. Over the course of three days, leading investors, creators and thinkers will take the stage in support of SALT’s mission: empowering big ideas.
MODERATOR
SPEAKER
Eric Adams
Democratic Nominee for Mayor
City of New York
Anthony Scaramucci
Founder & Managing Partner
SkyBridge
TIMESTAMPS
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Anthony Scaramucci: (00:07)
Super, super excited to do this. I want to talk about the right person, at the right time, in the right place for New York City. He's going to come out and present himself, but he's an amazing guy. He's a warrior for the city. He has a love of country. He has a love of humanity, which is more important than anything else. That's the thing that you really need, and our public servants, and our politicians. Mike Bloomberg endorsed him this week. He doesn't need my endorsement, but I'll be voting for him. I'm a financial supporter. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to meet the future mayor of New York City, Eric Adams.
Eric Adams: (00:55)
Good morning. Good to see you all welcome to the Big Apple and it's shiny, beautiful redness. I went through Manhattan today the image of darkness came to mind. I just want to take a few moments to share with you.
Eric Adams: (01:13)
About four years ago, I woke up and I could not see my alarm clock. I went to the doctor. Doctor stated, "Eric, you're losing your sight. You're going to be blind in a year". I had permanent nerve damage in my hands and feet, that was going to lead to amputation. I learned that ahead, I was experiencing late stages of diabetes. Those were the symptoms; high blood pressure, high cholesterol. The entire American healthcare crisis package was all in my body, went to five of the best doctors. They all told me I will be on medication the rest of my life. And this was my new norm.
Eric Adams: (01:58)
I made the determination to seek beyond what the traditional medical profession said. I found an amazing doctor in Ohio, Dr. [inaudible 00:02:07] he said, "I can give you medicine for your vision loss, your nerve damage, your high blood pressure, your high cholesterol and all the other problems. Or I can tell you the underlying reason that you experienced in these issues. And if you change that you would change your entire health outcome". I did just that. I changed my diet and learned that it was not in my DNA, but it was in my dinner that caused me to have the diabetes issues that I was experiencing. Three weeks later, my sight came back. Three months later, my nerve damage went away. Three months later, my diabetes went in remission. I dropped 35 pounds. I don't have a six-pack. [inaudible 00:02:47] my body's healthy as it's ever been before in my life.
Eric Adams: (02:50)
I say that because when you look at our cities across America, we are playing whack-a-mole. We're continuously trying to respond to issue, after issue. We are dysfunctional as a city in New York and dysfunctional as a country, and we have to stop feeding the crises that we are experiencing and start going to the underlying causes. I believe Archbishop Desmond Tutu has the right quote, "We spend a lifetime pulling people out of the river. Let's go upstream and prevent them from falling in the first place." New York would no longer be anti-business. This is going to be a place where we welcomed business and not turn into the dysfunctional city that we have been for so many years. It is imperative that we face an unprecedented crisis. Government must do his job to create an environment for growth. That includes lower crime. The prerequisite to prosperity is public safety and justice.
Eric Adams: (04:00)
We have to curb COVID. Fewer homeless as you see on our streets. Greater affordability and partnership with the business community. That is why I have proposed some clear outlines, laser-focus on gun violence, all across our country, gangs and guns. They are destroying the foundation of not only public safety, but business. No one is coming to New York if a three-year old is shot in Times Square or bullets and carbon highways of death throughout our communities. We're going to create community health centers in undeserved neighborhoods where COVID is still spreading to improve access to vaccines and provide preventive care, to assure better, long-term health. We're going to invest and attract growing industries in New York. We're going to be the center of cybersecurity, drone development, self-driving cars, all the new industries right here. A pathway of young people having the opportunity to fill those jobs. A large new investment in green jobs, through the city's capital program to raise employment and create a more sustainable city in the process. We can't continue to feed our babies food that feeds their healthcare crisis.
Eric Adams: (05:23)
We in conflict with each other. Department of Health and Mental Hygiene spends millions of dollars to fight childhood obesity, diabetes, and asthma. You know what happens every morning? We feed our babies 960,000 meals a day. Those meals cause childhood obesity, childhood diabetes, and childhood asthma. That is the height of dysfunctionality. We can have a free and subsidized childcare for every parent who needs it at every age, so that young people can develop to their full potential and parents can work and thrive. There's a huge investment that we are planning to make in New York, but we expect something in return folks. It is my goal, and I want to be blunt with this. This is a business conference after all. So we have to be talking about business. We want to offer you, and ask you to offer your jobs to New Yorker's. Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of people out of work in New York.
Eric Adams: (06:23)
There are hundreds of thousands of jobs that you have that we can fill. We have to connect you to those New Yorker's who are unemployed or underemployed. If they do not have the skills or trainings needed to do the jobs you can and need to fill, we want to connect you with them and the road for us to develop them with our workforce development center. That is why I'm proposing unprecedented partnership between city employers, and the city itself to make those connections and create one common application. One job application to fill all the jobs you have available in this city. New York wants your jobs and we want to fill them. I'm offering my hand in partnership today, but I am also making an ask. Pledge to be part of this unprecedented effort to grow this city and get New Yorker's back to growth.
Eric Adams: (07:21)
I want you to join us today. You choose New York and we want to choose you. The anatomy of our city can be a healthy place. Not only physically healthy, but healthy by insuring we leave no one behind. We want to end inequality and create an environment where we raise healthy children and families. I wore a bulletproof vest for 22 years as a police officer to protect the children and families of the city. My son, Juan grew up in the city that I grew up in. We will be safe, will be affordable, and we will be practical in our practice.
Eric Adams: (07:55)
Thank you very much.