New York, Miami and the Future of Crypto Cities
Playful rivalries aside, there are plenty of reasons for urban mayors to court the blockchain and its enthusiasts.
The rising mayor of New York has crypto on his mind. Barely a day after his election last week, Eric Adams tweeted, “In New York we always go big, so I’m going to take my first THREE paychecks in Bitcoin.”
Adams was responding to a similar declaration from Miami’s mayor, Francis Suarez. Over the past year, Suarez used Twitter to appeal to technology investors and entrepreneurs, especially those seeking refuge from New York’s and California’s high taxes and restrictive Covid-19 policies. Adams put Suarez on notice that New York will not go down without a fight.
Adams’ and Suarez’s playful jockeying may have seemed out of touch to voters who care more about bread-and-butter issues (or worse, like a cheap appeal for donations from newly minted crypto millionaires and billionaires). But put those judgments aside and it’s clear that cities and the crypto community both have a lot to gain from a closer relationship—financially, politically and even philosophically.
