Workforce Development, Streamlined
January 27, 2010
Let’s say that a New Yorker wants to enroll in a program that will help build her literacy skills so she can get a better job. She could go to the Human Resources Administration, which offers a program for that. Or to the Department of Education, which offers something similar. Or the Department of Youth and Community Development. Or the Department of Small Business Services. Or CUNY. Each of these agencies offers programs trying to achieve the same goals.
The problem is that they don’t communicate or collaborate at all. Rather than running one efficient program, the city is paying for multiple overlapping yet isolated ones. And city residents who need help wind up confused—and under-served. [Read more]
Food for Thought
November 4, 2009
If I told you that the top problems facing our country today are unemployment, global warming, the cost of health care and terrorism, few people would bat an eye. But what if I said that we could make strides toward solving each of these problems simply by changing the way we eat and where we get our food from? Now that might spark more of a discussion. [Read more]
Are You Prepared?
September 17, 2009
At the end of summer and in early fall, New York City often weathers storms that can cause flooding and power outages. Winter will bring its own set of problems, including apartments that lack heat, and heavy snows and ice storms that can also cause power outages. Then there are the year-round unexpected problems, like water, gas or steam line breaks that can cause widespread havoc; building (or crane) collapses; explosions; subway problems; and disease-related issues such as swine flu and West Nile virus. Finally, there is fire. A fire starts in New York City every eight seconds, and doubles in size every 30 seconds—meaning that the tiny fire in your garbage can become a blazing inferno in three minutes. [Read more]
Building a Healthier New York
September 2, 2009
A few years ago, a Manhattan borough president community initiative called “Go Green” was launched in East Harlem with the help of local Council Member Melissa Mark Viverito. The goal was to engage New York’s dynamic communities in the effort to bring farmers’ markets, greenspace and cleaner air back to our city neighborhoods, and to reduce the impact of environmentally driven diseases, like asthma and obesity.
Go Green was about the sustainability of our neighborhoods, but as the project continued, eventually spreading as far north as Washington Heights and Inwood, and south to the Lower East Side, we realized that the sustainability of New York goes hand-in-hand with the sustainability—i.e., the health—of New Yorkers. [Read more]
A Win for Parents
August 19, 2009
New York City’s 1.1 million public school children are the real winners in the State Legislature’s decision to return control of city schools to the mayor. By voting to renew mayoral control, the Legislature acknowledged that having a single point of decision-making works. In so doing, they took a giant step toward ensuring that the substantial successes achieved by New York City public school students in the seven years of mayoral control will continue. [Read more]
Bailout Plan Doesn’t Go Far Enough
May 21, 2009
On May 6, the State Legislature agreed upon a plan to provide consistent, stable funding to the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority. I strongly believe that a safe, efficient and dependable mass transit system is critical to the region’s economic health and a major factor in our ability to weather this economic crisis and attract and retain jobs. I was always committed to supporting whatever the legislature ultimately decided to do to fund the MTA. A part of the recent agreement that was very much underreported was the restoration of all proposed service cuts, including the elimination of the M10 bus line, overnight service on the M104 and staffing at various subway station booths. [Read more]
TRUE COMMUNITY REPRESENTATION
April 23, 2009
Community boards are the first line of local democracy for New Yorkers, giving residents a voice in the decisions that determine the future of their neighborhoods. But when I took office in 2006, I found that Manhattan’s 12 boards had little new blood and often had little expertise in their original mission: community planning. Many board members had held their seats for decades without a formal reapplication process, and new candidates had been shut out. [Read more]
KEEP MAYORAL CONTROL OF SCHOOLS
April 16, 2009
In New York City during the 1980s and 1990s, the public education system avoided change and was failing our kids. Yet no one was held accountable for those failures. No one was responsible for improving the schools and providing New York City’s kids with a chance at success.
Fortunately, in 2002 the New York State Legislature passed a law granting the mayor control over the New York City School system. That law put accountability back into the system and empowered the mayor to change what was clearly not working. [Read more]
A PLAN FOR CONSTRUCTION SAFETY
April 2, 2009
Construction in any dense urban environment is a dangerous business. Every day in New York City, thousands of fearless men and women perform highly sophisticated activities, often at incredible heights and under the most extreme conditions. A year ago, we were reminded just how dangerous it can be.
Seven people lost their lives when a tower crane collapsed at 303 E. 51st St. Several buildings were damaged, and the surrounding neighborhood was deeply affected, both emotionally and financially. [Read more]
THREE CREDIT RATING REFORMS
March 26, 2009
There’s a reason that the best food critics dine in disguise.
If it were even perceived that they received favorable treatment—and, consequently, an ulterior motive—to pen a positive review, they would be out of business.
So why do we tolerate such dubious behavior on the part of our credit rating agencies and their assignment of risk to securities? Their conduct in this exact fashion contributed to the meltdown of the financial sector. Now, their very existence is in jeopardy. [Read more]
