Democrats looking to oust Mayor Adams in the 2025 mayoral race tore into the incumbent at a candidate forum in the Bronx Saturday, where Hizzoner was noticeably absent. 

Candidates took shots at Adams over his federal corruption indictment, his handling of the cost of living and crime during the event, held in a Bronx church and organized by civil rights activist Kirsten John Foy.

“We have a roving crime scene at City Hall,” said former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, who ran his own failed campaign for mayor in 2021.

The Adams administration “is doing the bare minimum,” Stringer contended.

City Comptroller Brad Lander said Adams previously campaigned on the promise to lift up communities like the Bronx, but railed that “long before all these corruption scandals, he has failed to do so.” 

“As the mayor’s own data shows, he’s just not getting the job done [on decreasing crime],” he said, pointing to a 30% rise in felony crime since Adams took office.

All five of the far-left declared Democratic candidates shared their plans for improving New Yorkers’ lives.

 State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who officially entered the race this week, pushed plans for free and faster bus services, which he claimed could be paid for with better budget management and tax hikes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. 

Other visions laid out by candidates included Brooklyn State Sen. Zellnor Myrie’s pledge to expand after-school programming, while State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents parts of Queens, offered plans for universal childcare. 

“I want to fight like a mother to get this city in order, because the chaos is gone on for too long,” Ramos said.