This week, Keechant Sewell suddenly announced her resignation from leading the nation’s largest police department. The decision comes only one-and-a-half years into her tenure and at a time when all major crime categories were trending down. Sewell became New York City’s first woman police commissioner when Mayor Eric Adams appointed her to the position in December 2021. NY1’s Juan Manuel Benítez, Courtney Gross and Emily Ngo weighed in on the commissioner’s decision, and discussed the unusually high rate of turnover in the Adams administration. 

 

After that, City Council primaries are less than two weeks away and the “Off Topic/On Politics” team highlighted several of the more competitive races, including one in District 1 in Chinatown and Lower Manhattan. One of the key issues in that race is how the closing of the city’s jails on Rikers Island could affect the district. They also looked at District 9 in Harlem, where a serious concern is affordable housing. Finally, the team briefly explained ranked-choice voting.

 

Spectrum News NY1 hosted two City Council primary debates for District 1 and District 9. You can watch both of the debates on NY1.com.

 

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Further reading: 

Mayor offers praise, but no explanation for police commissioner’s sudden exit

Mayor Eric Adams endorses Inez Dickens for Harlem seat