City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams says she’s going to “put New York first” if she is elected mayor. 

“The tone is going to be to put New York first. I am one that is always in my policy, in the way that I live, in the way that I act, it’s to put New York first and you know, not my own selfish, whatever, premise,” she said in an interview on “Inside City Hall” Thursday.

On Wednesday night, Adams announced she would jump into the packed mayoral race. She joins nine other Democratic candidates. 

According to the speaker, she never planned on running for mayor. 

“City Hall has been shaken. We have a president in Washington right now that is just spurring chaos all over the nation. New York has a target on its back. I cannot sit back and do nothing about it,” she said. 

When asked why the city needs a new mayor, Adams said she believes that Mayor Eric Adams is “preoccupied” and New Yorkers can feel it. 

“In my opinion, the mayor is preoccupied, and it’s caused a lot of preoccupation with New Yorkers. We can see it, we can hear it, we can feel it. New Yorkers are very, very tense right now about the condition of the city — particularly because of the issues that the mayor has surrounding him. So, it is a feeling. It is a feeling of anxiety,” she said. 

Last month, Mayor Adams’ legal team and the Department of Justice attempted to get his federal corruption case dismissed. A federal judge recently canceled his trial, but did not dismiss the charges the mayor faces.

Adams was first elected to the City Council in 2017 and elected speaker in 2022, becoming the first Black lawmaker to hold the position. Term limits make this her last year on the council. 

“Our legislation has proven that we will move New Yorkers’ issues forward, not leave those issues on the back burner,” she said, adding the city has lost library services, cultural services and more under the current administration. “There are so many things that New Yorkers are feeling the pain. So, day one, I’m going to continue to move those things forward, but they will be even more palatable and expansive than they have been.”

The Democratic primary is on June 24.

Tap the video player above to watch the interview.