New York City’s Mayor-Elect Eric Adams wants to be paid in bitcoin once he takes office, at least for his first three paychecks, he announced Thursday.
It was largely a public relations move to show faith in the volatile currency.
Adams, a former police captain who will become the city’s second black mayor, tweeted that he hopes his dedication to the cryptocurrency would highlight his aim to make New York the “center of the cryptocurrency industry”:
His three-paycheck strategy was in response to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (D), who wants his city to become a hub for bitcoin innovation and who asked that his first paycheck after his reelection on Tuesday be paid “100% in bitcoin.”
Transforming New York into a crypto capital may hit a pothole or two. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), who’s running for governor, recently launched a crackdown on unregistered cryptocurrency companies.