September 2, 2025
Today is Mayor Adams birthday. And to help him celebrate, dozens of of NYC public service retirees descended on City Hall this morning toting a gigantic birthday card. Organizer Marianne Pizzitola, President, NYC Public Service Retirees, addressed them saying that, as of today, Adams is a Medicare eligible public service retiree, just like these activists. Ever since the City proposed migrating 250,000 retirees from the Original Medicare plus Supplemental plan they’d been promised into a Medicare Advantage scheme they opposed several years ago, the battle has taken place in the Courts. The retirees had a tremendous winning record right up to the City’s final appeal when the Court ruled that the promised benefit wasn’t legally enforceable. That left current (and future) retirees in a bind.
Council Member Christopher Marte sponsored Intro 1096 which would codify the benefit, but it’s been stuck in committee because the City Council Speaker opposed it. Today’s mobilization was intended to persuade the Mayor to tell the Speaker to pass Intro 1096 so he can sign it. The mood was friendly and light-hearted, in contrast to earlier rallies where Mayor Adams was portrayed as the villain. Today they asked him to please be their champion. What changed? After the Court ruled against the retirees Adams stated he wasn’t going to pursue the change after all. But the retirees want more than his word. They want it codified by passing Intro 1096.
The retirees brought everything but a cake for the impromptu celebration: there were shiny helium balloons shaped as the number 65, an oversized Medicare card with Eric Adams name, and a HUGE birthday card which an aide took inside for the Mayor. The retirees sang Happy Birthday and chanted, “Mayor Adams you’re 65! Medicare will keep you alive!”
Pizzitola: “You’re now one of us! Welcome to the Medicare Club! Let’s pass Intro 1096 so we can have many more Happy Birthdays!”
Marte: “I want to say ‘Happy Birthday’ to Mayor Adams! At 65 he looks pretty good! But, as we all know, anything can happen. You can be drinking green juice every morning – but you don’t know what the future holds. One day you might fall and break your hip. Or wake up and realize you’re forgetting a little bit more every single day. You could wake up with a cough that never goes away. And so we’re asking you, Mister Mayor, to protect yourself for those moments that we can’t predict today. Because today, he’s looking great. But tomorrow is another story.”
Edit: Photo added 090325.
