City Council and a Lack of Basic Math
It should be simple: the economic reality of New York City is a case of money in and money out. While politics inform what the money is spent on, and this can of course be fraught with partisan disagreement, the ultimate receipts against what’s in the bank should be straightforward.
But as NYC sinks further into bankruptcy it seems even this type of review of our financial reality is impossible without a circus-like sideshow taking over the review. And this was exactly how things played out at the City Council’s oversight hearing on the Mayor’s November financial plan this week. A few highlights:
Oh No You Don’t
To get a taste for the tone, tenor and overall insanity of such a basic civic duty by our electeds, look no further than Council member Lincoln Restler’s personal attacks on NYC’s OMB Director Jacques Jiha.
Restler may have thought he was helming a gripping, nationally-televised congressional debate instead of asking for simple answers to a city budget update, but Jiha was having none of it. See the exchange here:
If in Doubt it Must Fault of NYPD
With nearly 200,000 migrants arriving to our city this year, at a staggering cost that is projected to be $12 billion, it’s amazing the willfull ignorance by many on the council about the impact of this fact. But for some, the “abolish the police” narrative is still going strong.
It’s also important to note that the OMB notes (in the video above) that the cost of the “weekly protests” right now is also heavily contributing to NYPD budget overage. But, nah, For council member Tiffany Caban it’s all about a city with no police (a core campaign promise she made).
A Few Adults Were in the House
You don’t have to agree politically with any of those sitting on our City Council to feel gleeful when someone, anyone, does their job and digs into the simple, clear facts of our economic state.
Despite being mocked, interrupted and unable to get her point across, council member Vickie Paladino, shared her thoughts on Twitter after the fact. And it’s important to read. Because the crux of what she said was simply: our spending and priorities are incompatible with the financial reality of NYC right now. But unfortunately even this sober, clear analysis was rejected during the meeting and Vickie was forced to share later on Twitter. What are your thoughts after reading her comments here?
The economic reality of New York City is undeniable. No about of politics and ideology will be able to change this fact. And hopefully more will tune in as the ship sinks futher.