There were no questions for the council speaker on zoning resolutions or bills being introduced.

Instead, the topic for the City Hall press corps was Council Speaker Adrienne Adams' potential run for mayor.


What You Need To Know

  • Council Speaker Adrienne Adams told reporters she's considering a run for mayor

  • The council speaker said she wants to be the "voice of the soul of the city"

  • She represents a district in southeast Queens

The council speaker, who is known well in political circles but largely unknown outside of them, discussed her interest in launching a last-minute campaign for mayor.

"Somebody has to be the voice of the soul of the city," she told reporters at City Hall.

That's because she thinks Mayor Eric Adams — no relation — is not that voice.

"I don't hear that coming across from the voice of New York, from the leader of this city," she said.

The council speaker cited her experience leading the City Council and in the corporate world before she was elected to her southeast Queens district.

She kept a heavy focus on the Trump administration.

"My task is going to be to fight, to make sure that New York gets everything that we deserve and to collaborate when possible with the administration," she said.

Gale Brewer, an Upper West Side councilwoman who is uncommitted in the mayor's race, spoke well of her leadership as speaker.

"She's a good manager, that's important," Brewer said.

Councilwoman Diana Ayala of East Harlem told NY1 she'd back the council speaker if she makes her campaign official. Ayala described how Adrienne Adams has grown as speaker.

"She's very reserved, she's not spontaneous like many of us are - it helps," she said. "But I have seen her leadership grow."

Her reservations evident when she avoided opportunities from reporters to pointedly criticize her potential opponents, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

When asked whether Cuomo would be sufficiently independent from Trump, she said, "I can't really speak to Andrew Cuomo's thoughts or motivations or anything like that."

Meanwhile, the council speaker said she did not seek this — she's being encouraged to run. She declined to say who.

"Let's just say, they are names that you know, names that you don't know. Many, many people," she said. Reportedly, that includes state Attorney General Letitia James.

Before taking questions, the council speaker read aloud — rarely looking up at the cameras and reporters — prepared remarks on organizing opposition to the Trump administration.

"This council, as it has always been, is committed to fighting for New Yorkers and their needs," she said.

Then she moved onto the stated agenda for the day, starting with a rezoning in Brooklyn.