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Editorial: Where Were You, Mr. Mayor?


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NYC Mayor Eric Adams did not attend the Flight 587 memorial on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Beach 116th Street. He did send his Chief of Staff, Frank Carone, to appear in his place, but the mayor’s absence was glaring.

In the 21 years since the tragic crash, which killed all 260 souls on board the Dominican-bound airplane as well as five on the ground in Belle Harbor, not a single mayor has missed the event.

Not even Bill de Blasio, whose late arrival in 2014 made headlines, would miss the memorial, and he came every year he was in office despite the distaste he held for the west side of the peninsula. 

So where was Adams? He was at the SOMOS conference in Puerto Rico, described by City & State as “1,500 people on a tropical beach, talking, drinking, and sometimes gambling.”

Also from City & State: “Officially, it’s a forum for policymakers to learn about and discuss issues affecting Puerto Ricans and the Latino community at large. For many politicians, it’s an essential pilgrimage, a way to show respect and appreciation for New York’s Latinos and particularly the more than 1 million Puerto Ricans that call the state home – and can vote.”

SOMOS takes place at the Royal Sonesta hotel in Carolina, Puerto Rico, just outside the capital of San Juan. We’re not talking about Motel 6, here. 

Doesn’t Adams have more important things to do right now than hop off to a conference? The answer is yes, and instead of sending one of his minions to pay respects to the families and friends of New Yorkers, he should have sent them to SOMOS.

You’re not the Brooklyn Borough President anymore, Mayor Adams. Act like it.

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