Ms. Adams, whose mother was a correction officer, said she agreed with the letter, which was signed by 29 of her fellow council members and decried solitary confinement as “a “form of torture.” She said she disagreed with Mr. Adams’s decision, although they have yet to discuss the issue.If an incarcerated person has to be isolated for a violent incident, Ms. Adams argued, that time should be used to administer counseling or other therapy to help address the root cause of the violence.“Let’s go back to the time when correction meant correction, and rehabilitation meant rehabilitation,” Ms. Adams said.The mayor’s remarks angered those who signed the letter. Crystal Hudson, who just became one of the first two openly gay Black women to serve on the Council, said she felt Ms. Adams had made a strong statement in her response.“I have full faith in her abilities as the speaker of the City Council to push back when needed and to have her members’ backs,” Ms. Hudson, who represents a district in Brooklyn, said in an interview. “I know that she will stand firm in her convictions.”The vote to make Ms. Adams speaker on Wednesday was 49 to 2, with two Black Democrats voting against her. One of them, Charles Barron, who represents East New York in Brooklyn, said Ms. Adams did not represent “independent, bold Black leadership that stands for the people over the party.” The other, Kristin Richardson Jordan, who represents Central Harlem, said, “we need more than symbolic representation.”Diana Ayala, who represents East Harlem, will serve as the deputy speaker; Keith Powers, who represents several other neighborhoods in Manhattan, will be the majority leader and Selvena Brooks-Powers, who represents parts of Queens, will be the majority whip. Joseph Borelli, a Republican councilman from Staten Island, was chosen as the minority leader.