Some mayors and mayoral candidates are making speeches and proposals about cryptos that we could never have imagined, even a while ago. For example, a city like Miami has clearly moved into the cryptosphere. Today, between the mayor of a small town in Missouri, who wants to give away bitcoins, and a candidate for mayor of New York, who wants to make the Big Apple crypto-friendly, a small overview of these changes!
A mayor goes against the grain of his political camp on Bitcoin
In the U.S. state of Missouri, the small town of Cool Valley recently made news. Mayor Jayson Stewart announced plans to distribute up to $1,000 in Bitcoin (BTC) to each of the households that make up his town’s 1,500 residents.
Although environmentally inclined, this mayor doesn’t see Bitcoin as a threat that will destroy the climate and the entire planet at all, but rather as a fantastic way to improve his city’s financial situation, thanks to economic opportunities, such as setting up mining farms or hosting crypto-related events.
“A lot of it is about fixing the mistakes of the previous financial system. In the past, we didn’t have access to this amazing technology that we have today (…) What I’m really passionate about, and what I’m working on, is getting ordinary people to hold bitcoins, and to really benefit from the appreciation of holding such an asset.”
Jayson Stewart
The mayor tells Cointelegraph that his donation project is already fully funded at $1,000 in BTC per household, but the exact distribution procedure has not yet been finalized.
It is indeed a matter of education first, as his constituents need to understand what they are receiving and how to keep and use it, even for the older ones:
“We’re going to make sure that people know how to store their own bitcoins as quickly as possible (…) We really just want them to be able to understand the asset and become self-sovereign with their storage, understanding how to hold their own [private] keys.”
One candidate wants to turn Big Apple into Big Crypto
In New York, it’s Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa who wants to integrate cryptocurrencies into the everyday economy of the big city’s residents.
The candidate announced on his official Twitter account that he would do everything to promote the adoption of Bitcoin and cryptos:
“As Mayor, I will make New York City the most crypto-friendly city in the country. Property taxes, fines and fees will be payable in cryptos. We will open more cryptocurrency ATMs and encourage businesses to accept cryptos. We need to modernize our economy and make it accessible to ALL!”
Again, the message is clear: crypto-assets are being touted as an incredible way to replace the old, aging and exclusionary economic system, and to bring this crypto-revolution to the people of New York.
This desire to facilitate the adoption of digital currencies actually goes beyond the usual political divide. Indeed, Democratic candidate Eric Adams also promised that, once elected, the Big Apple would become “a Bitcoin hub.” Crypto is a winner either way.
