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ADAMS: ‘I WAS BORN TO DO THIS’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
schedule wouldn’t allow it. These days, the demands on her time have increased exponentially. Adams assumes the speakership at an interesting time. Not only do women make up a majority on the City Council, but thanks to term limits there was an influx of firsttime council members. She not only has to lead the City Council, but she also has to serve as a mentor for her new colleagues who look to her for guidance. “I welcome all of those conversations, I have them pretty much everyday,” she said. “The good thing is my colleagues welcome those conversations also, so they have been reaching out to the incumbent members to ask for advice. We want to see them succeed and see them thrive.” Adams said those conversation
have taught her their need are very similar to those of her own district and the neighborhoods of Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Richmond Hill, and South Ozone Park. As speaker, she is now responsible for seeing their needs are met, but also ensuring her colleagues realize the City Council needs to address the city as a whole. “It’s very organic and natural for a council member to prioritize their own district,” she said of the budget negotiation process. “But when we get behind those closed doors and see the whole layout, we see there are organizations across the board that need funding.” But for now, Adams is enjoying getting accustomed to the demands of her new post. Before she spoke with us, her daughter stopped by her house and was surprised to see her mother headed to a car waiting outside instead of in the home office
Speaker Adrienne Adams chats with medical director Dr. Ari Benjamin and Carla Crawley, administrative clerical manager, at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center. on a Zoom call. “I said, ‘you don’t know the life that your mother has right now,’”
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Adams said. “But I was born to do this. It’s a challenge, but it’s not work to me.”
