In Criticism of Eric Adams, Some See Echoes of David Dinkins

To former Gov. David A. Paterson, it all seemed too familiar: the condemnations, the diminution of character, the absence of any honeymoon period.

That, he said, was his experience as governor of New York. He remembered that David N. Dinkins had gone through it as the mayor of New York City. And now, he said, it is happening to Mayor Eric Adams, the second Black mayor in the city’s history.

“There is certainly an attempt to make elected Black officials, particularly those who became executives like mayors and governors, to make them look not serious,” Mr. Paterson said in an interview. White leaders, he said, were rarely scrutinized so closely over where they ate or how they dressed, and he suggested that unconscious bias was at play.

“It’s an effort to reduce the competence of the leader,” Mr. Paterson said.

Mr. Adams is nearing the end of his first year as mayor, a difficult period in which he faced the challenge of helping the city recover from the pandemic, a weakened economy and increased fears of crime.

Some New Yorkers have questioned whether the mayor has moved quickly enough to solve the city’s most intractable problems, like homelessness and a lack of affordable housing. Complaints have also focused on his hiring practices, his response to the crisis at the Rikers Island jail complex and how he handled the influx of migrants from Texas.

But several Black leaders in New York have begun to publicly raise concerns that some of the criticism of Mr. Adams has been shaped by race. They suggest that a level of implicit racism, in a city known for its strong liberal leaning, undermined Mr. Dinkins and is threatening to do the same to Mr. Adams.