By Florence Mafomemeh<\/p>\n
As the NYC democratic mayoral primary race heats up with less than three months to go,\u00a0candidates are scrambling for high profile nods. Eric Adams, the current Brooklyn Borough President has been raking in big endorsements from unions, organizations and public figures. Clara Thompson and District Council-DC 37,\u00a0New York City\u2019s largest public sector union, are the latest to back the former NYPD Officer.<\/p>\n
Clara Thompson, the mother of late Brooklyn District Attorney, Kenneth P. Thompson, and one of the first African-American female cops of the New York City Police Department endorsed The Brooklyn Borough President for Mayor. She called him a \u201cchampion\u201d for lower-income and working people. Accepting her endorsement, Adams praised Thompson\u2019s dedication to service in New York City.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means so much to have the support of Ms. Thompson, whose invaluable contributions to the fight for racial justice include not only her son\u2019s legacy, but her own as one of the city\u2019s first female cops to walk a beat. Leaders like Ms. Thompson paved the way for the rest of us,\u201d Adams said.<\/p>\n
Thompson\u2019s endorsement comes on the heels of DC 37\u2019s endorsement of Adams. In a press release, Henry Garrido, Executive Director of District Council 37, AFSCME said Adams has been a friend of this union since his earliest days in public service. \u201cLabor is in his blood \u2013 his mother was a DC 37 member. He\u2019s stood with us at rallies and marched with us at protests. He knows that New York City thrives when its workers thrive. He\u2019s committed to being the blue-collar Mayor and friend of labor our workers deserve,\u201d Garrido said.<\/p>\n
The release states that Adams has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to labor, housing and affordability, which are issues critical to the union\u2019s membership. That DC 37, with 150,000 members and 50,000 retirees, represents the largest share of the municipal workforce that the next mayor will inherit.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the endorsement, Adams said he is so honored to have the Union\u2019s endorsement, and that it is personal to him as the son of a DC 37 member who knows all too well the struggles of a blue-collar household\u2013a struggle millions of New Yorkers are going through right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with working people my entire adult life for better wages, more affordable housing, healthcare and safer streets. Now we have a chance to correct the inequalities of the past and put working people first in this city. It is time that the people who make this city run are the people who run this city,\u201d said\u00a0the former State Senator.<\/p>\n
The union is planning to educate its members and galvanize their large membership base to support Adams and other endorsed candidates.<\/p>\n