NY City Welcomes a Homegrown CEO to Lead the Way Back

Published on November 4, 2021

By Thomas P. Butler

Butler Associates CEO Tom Butler (Left), NY City Mayor Elect Eric Adams (Center), FDNY EMS Union President Oren Barzilay (Right)

Many New Yorkers are excited by the elections and Mayor-Elect Eric Adams.

In 2020 in the heart of the pandemic, I had the chance to spend some time with him at Brooklyn Borough Hall, together with a client, as we donated 50,000 surgical face masks for the borough’s residents of the NYCHA houses and local senior centers, at a time when PPE was scarce.

Then in the lead up to the primary, several of our big-name clients got behind his candidacy and endorsed his him, with the Butler Associates Team having the honor to organize and lead several press conferences, to make those announcements official.

On each occasion, I and all other stakeholders came away exceptionally impressed, by the man and by his message. He is never taking at you; he is speaking with you and connecting.

As someone born in New York City and who owns a business here, the themes he has prioritized really do make sense and feels like the roadmap he is offering to bring the Big Apple back and make the city shine again, seems to finally be within reach.

His New York roots are genuine, going to high school in Queens, serving for many years in the NYPD, winning a seat in the New York State Legislature, all feels to very unique, given that the last two Chief Executives of New York City were from Boston! And to top it all off, he holds a master’s from Marist College, where three family members have also attended.

Its why earlier this year, I was proud to be a part of organizing a large event in the Bronx that enabled many others to hear his message and platform.

Congratulations to Mayor-Elect Eric Adams, as New York turns the page to write the next chapter of its rich history.