Eric Adams takes it to the people, but he can do better

In March 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the first fireside chat. Ninety years later, Mayor Adams announced he too was taking his message directly to New Yorkers with the “Get Stuff Done-Cast.”

Roosevelt’s approach to political propaganda was new and interesting. The radio was barely 30 years old. For the first time Americans could hear a president’s voice directly. Roosevelt’s press secretary saw another advantage, noting that, unlike newspaper articles, radio addresses “cannot misrepresent or misquote.” The Get Stuff Done-Cast is a similar approach, inspired by similar motives. As the mayor told reporters, “You can report a distorted version of what I say… I want to speak directly to the people of this city.”

But do New Yorkers hear him? Politico recently reported that 4,000 people have listened to Get Stuff Done-Cast since its premiere eight months ago. That’s about .05% of everyone who voted Adams into office. Donald Trump’s first press secretary, Sean Spicer, also launched a podcast this year. His episodes get up to 18,000 views on YouTube; the Get Stuff Done-Cast’s most recent episode got about 490 views.

Yet Adams is the most naturally gifted communicator to run City Hall since Ed Koch. If you need proof, watch Bill de Blasio blabber about free Shake Shack or Mike Bloomberg stop his own speech to ask “who wrote this s–t?” By contrast, Adams is clever and eloquent off-the-cuff. He can stretch the truth while sounding like he’s just saying what he really feels.

Instead of reviving a 90-year-old strategy, City Hall could show more of Adams behind the curtain. They could also innovate on the plethora of new platforms that have built in audiences, instead of recycling an antiquated radio format. Who wouldn’t want to tune into an Eric Adams TikTok livestream from a hip nightclub? Or get a candid recap of his “cheat days” in the Reddit NYC Vegan thread? Or join a mayoral-led free meditation for all New Yorkers on Instagram? Edgier tactics like these come with risk, but they also make news. Unlike de Blasio, this mayor thrives in the public spotlight. His real challenge is comfort with imperfection — which is different from being “perfectly imperfect.”

Even with a more creative strategy there are only so many ways to talk about one person’s greatness. That’s a limited and limiting goal — and a fatal flaw of all propaganda. A bigger, better goal: change how the New Yorkers see their city and their government.

Take crime. You shouldn’t be trying to convince New Yorkers that Adams is making them safer. You should be making them feel safe. Tweeting stats about crime declines proves a point, but it doesn’t reach people’s feelings. Instead show the energy of a late night subway car filled with people going out (the mayor could be a notable face in the crowd). Or block parties going late into the night on well-lit streets. Or a few cops taking a break to play pickup basketball with local kids.

Top down tactics also rarely change hearts. Requiring every city agency to tweet the same video might seem like you’re keeping the government on message, but will it help the NYC Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture engage and grow its 542 followers? Instead of a mayoral social media take over, let a park ranger share favorite hidden gems in the parks. Or have Landmarks Preservation Commission staffers lead a photo scavenger hunt of famous city landmarks on Instagram. Or perhaps get the NYPD brass to discuss monthly crime stats on Discord, in addition to the standard press conference. Meet New Yorkers where they are while growing their interest in the diverse and dynamic people serving our city. There are countless fascinating and committed public servants who rarely get noticed. When they do, it’s usually at the end of their career.

Making public servants stars also serves a public purpose beyond one man’s reelection. New York City government has a hiring crisis, leaving critical agencies severely understaffed. The federal government too has struggled to refill its ranks, at a time when agencies from the FBI to election commissions face regular attacks from a recklessly enraged right wing.

Making heroes of government’s unsung heroes could restore talent and dedication to government. FDR innovated propaganda to motivate a nation brought to its knees by the Great Depression and rally them to win a war against fascism. Reinventing these tools to motivate a New York brought to its knees by a pandemic and rally their faith in public service would, in fact, get stuff done.

Wing, a former aide to then-Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, was Gov. Cuomo’s press secretary in his first term and is the founder of the communications and marketing firm Wingspan.