Posts by Sam Wright21

granitefox16 said:Someone who essentially grew up amidst street protests and enjoyed an unexpected wave of media backing right before and after the election simply can't seem to distill three coherent messages for the public. Is that even plausible? Or is the message being intentionally sabotaged? At this point, the only real "crisis management" we see is some amateurish shouting on Facebook and forums claiming "Eric Adams and the Republican Party are thieves"—thanks for the insight, really. You could get more nuanced political discourse from a trained gorilla.

It’s nothing more than a fraudulent, condescending attitude from on high.

Alex Moore3 said:He's basically trying to fix what he broke himself. There will probably be an ice rink, too.
But given how much he messed things up last Christmas season, it's going to take some time to get back to those previous levels.
I'm mostly wondering how his supporters are going to react to this. Is he going to claim there's no longer a danger of falling debris hitting people in that dilapidated downtown area?😁

Whether you're a fan or a critic, you can't deny the reality of the situation:

Quincy:

It was pure, unadulterated luck that no one was injured tonight at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, after several large chunks of facade broke loose right above the Dezman passage. While this is an incredibly high-traffic area, firefighters on the scene reported that, by some miracle, the sidewalk happened to be empty at the exact moment the masonry gave way.

Kenneth Allen said:Even here in New York City, I don't really see anyone worth my vote—and Tommy would likely be my absolute last resort. Having known some people from his circle, specifically their tendency toward being incredibly insular, I saw this ideological vetting process coming from a mile away. But then again, I thought to myself—given how much he talks about ecology, how much weight he puts on waste management and all these "sustainable development" buzzwords—maybe we could at least lean into that? Maybe we’d actually see something tangible happen for once.

But instead, things just get progressively worse and more incompetent by the day; it's like leaving a group of toddlers to play unsupervised without any adult oversight whatsoever.

The only thing I'll say is that neither the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party has followers quite as loyal—people who will spin every single blunder as a "strategic move" or cry defeatism, essentially arguing that it's better if our guys fail than if the other side succeeds.

And so, we wait until the public's very last drop of patience is drained, until this open secret of incompetence becomes the collective memory—the baseline understanding of what the current administration's team is capable of during this temporary stint running the city. And then what?

Then, a new crew will come in and strategically staff their own people, and the public might just be even more numb than before, choosing strictly based on who they *don't* want. What will New York City or its actual residents get out of all this? Absolutely nothing.

He managed major metropolitan projects, served as an advisor to the UN on environmental organization—and now we see exactly what all that expertise is worth. It feels like I'm flipping through some political party handbook where every little seminar is logged as a massive achievement. To be given that much freedom, only to deliver:

Absolutely Nothing!

.

It would be nice if 😢

PS Just took a quick look at Facebook. It seems everyone has seen right through him; the man is a total fraud. His last desperate attempts involve his political network pages—someone cleverly taught him how to expand those circles, though they're mostly just hollow, self-important echo chambers—and his precious little fan club.

Even Josip Jagić is playing along—he’s quite articulate and can make absolutely anything sound impressive.

You’ve summarized the situation perfectly. I’d say about 30% of us have finally woken up to the reality of it all.

In fact, it would probably be better if he stayed hands-off with all that supposed "expertise" of his. Entropy is going to tear this apart regardless, but between him and the corporation, their attempts at "fixing" things will likely just double the damage.

And of course, all this nonsense is hitting us right when we've already been stripped bare.😢

He really should have leaned harder into his actual platform instead of letting this haphazard, developer-driven urban sprawl reminiscent of the Michael Bloomberg era take hold. There is a glaring lack of any cohesive strategy in how this city is being built. If there were an actual, functional system in place, any project that met the established zoning requirements would pass automatically. Instead, we see the influence of people like Michael Bloomberg pulling the strings behind the scenes. I was certainly expecting some level of progress, but this feels like a massive step backward. It’s as if these old-school figures act like local sheriffs, dictating terms to everyone else. He swore he wouldn't govern that way, which just goes to show that breaking promises is practically part of the job description for him.

They claim the era of embezzlement is over, though I find myself skeptical. All I see are these pointless, vanity projects being greenlit and billed at triple the actual cost. It’s a stroke of luck that Eric Adams actually turned out to be as competent as he boasted and is sticking to his platform, but somehow, that seems to have become an afterthought to him lately.

brightpuma said:Look... I was hoping, and I still hope, that things could be better.

Take the municipal recycling shredders, for example. He claimed the City had the capacity to handle this internally without outsourcing it. So, he went out and bought the machinery to make it happen.
But the machines are just sitting there. They haven't even started because they're stuck waiting on permits—we're talking over a year now.
So what am I supposed to say? That he was wrong? That he should have gone a different way?

And then people turn around and bash him for it. They miss the real issue: a broken system where you're stalled for a year because of a single piece of paperwork that probably should've been cleared in a month.
We could argue, "Oh, he should have prepared for that." But honestly, how do you prepare for that? Is every decision he makes going to be delayed by a year or two? It’s not that we won't see results; it's that the results will be held hostage by endless red tape.

What can anyone actually accomplish in a four-year term when the parameters are set like this?

The shredders have actually been operational for quite some time now.

What’s the actual reality here? Could you walk me through some tangible achievements from this past year?

driftingtinker said:

That moment when some legacy political hack who only got their job through cronyism calls for your resignation 😢

Can we sink any lower? I suppose we’re about to find out.

Benjamin James6 said:But... but you previously maintained that they aren't all cut from the same cloth... that Tom was actually quite different from the rest! 😢

We played ourselves a little bit 🤷

I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?

https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp...hrome&ie=UTF-8

It didn't even take us a full year before reality finally set in.

Just how many actual vehicles are we talking about here—Sanitation Department trucks and MTA buses? Or is this all just more grandstanding and smoke and mirrors?

Sam Wright21 said:So you’re claiming everyone in this neighborhood is dim-witted and uneducated? And now you’re saying the same goes for everyone on the City Council?
Good grief, how exactly did such a massive collection of idiots and simpletons manage to pull you—so brilliant and capable—along with them? It truly is a miracle of nature.

And what was it you were repeating to me just now? Are you actually asserting that you don't know a single soul connected to this project? That you have zero ties to anyone involved? Is that really your stance?

Let’s try this one more time, but please, spare me the endless circling. The scope of this development is right across from my building. I’m on the Green Party mailing list, so we received notice regarding their negative feedback. It didn't seem to interest anyone besides me, which allowed me to notice they were hallucinating details that simply aren't in the actual plan. If the visual rendering hadn't been wiped, even you might have been able to count the floors. I also noticed they’re treating certain aspects like a taboo subject, almost as if they received a direct order from the top. The party holds a majority in the City Council, but since the Democratic Party won't let them slide, nothing passes unless they play ball. It’s the exact same playbook used by Joe Biden.

I happen to know the lead architect of the plan, of course; he's a top-tier urban planner, and I make it a point to keep track of these things.

Sam Wright21 said:What kind of lawyer he is—or rather, the fact that he’s a high-profile attorney—has nothing to do with his personal character. It’s just the way it works: shady characters only deal with other shady characters.
And I’m sure Warren Buffett Jr. is a model citizen. We all know criminals are the ones who raise the pillars of society.

Why should I care about his character? Why would I waste my energy pondering what kind of man Warren Buffett is? It isn't as if I'm picking him out to be my friend or an intimate partner. In this specific instance, they aren't doing anything illegal; quite the contrary.

Sam Wright21 said:I honestly can't decide who is more pathetic—you lot with these flimsy, fabricated criticisms, since reading a text this long is clearly too much heavy lifting, or that loser Bill Gates, who has been screaming in frustration for over a year because he had to drop out of the mayoral race before it even officially started, having had a whopping 1% support.

The "loser" Bill Gates has always been the most effective activist here, consistently working hard to expose these little tricks and keep the public informed. And frankly, it makes me feel quite uneasy to see someone following in the footsteps of a bandit.

Nobel, I hear you. Look, I’m only interested in the nuances of urban planning. I have no desire to get bogged down in other unsolvable debates, but I can't help but notice how much he has actually achieved under the current light.

darkhawk30 said:The fact that he's (likely) a damn good lawyer doesn't erase the ugly picture from back in 2005 regarding that situation in a small town in Appalachia. Zuckerberg was right there in the thick of it too.
And yeah, it was probably all "perfectly legal." Honestly, it would be more surprising if it wasn't.

I'm certainly not disputing that. It’s just the kind of broken, systemic mess our country can be. 😢

I am looking at this strictly from an urban planning perspective. We aren't talking about those flimsy little eyesores that get slapped onto empty lots and drain already crumbling infrastructure, much like the projects favored by those old-school political thugs.

It deeply bothers me to think that this style of shady, backroom dealing might carry over to the current administration, though looking at this specific plan, that doesn't seem to be the issue here. The real trouble lies with generic surname and the local issues—something I've brought up before.

Edit: I'm sharing this from the Waste Management thread. It's a long read, but worth your time; it isn't strictly about trash, and it comes from a colleague who is a civil engineer:

hollowmason64 said:That’s not actually how it works. The opinion from the local neighborhood council isn't binding for the City Council. Basically, those folks over at VGC could go out looking for investors with a massive red light on their backs signaling disapproval, but if the City Council gives the green light, the investor is good to go.

So, what you’re saying is that everyone on the city council is just a bunch of clueless, incompetent hacks who don't have a clue how anything works? That they're all totally out of their depth and you're the only one with any actual expertise?
It’s not that I think Nobilo and Carić are idiots or anything. It's much more calculated than that. They aren't just clueless; they're criminals. They just happen to be the kind of criminals who look polished, act sophisticated, and always show up perfectly dressed for the occasion.
Look, it isn't Nobilo's doing from yesterday. Mutikaša is just playing every angle perfectly—he’s basically the guy who can fix anything or make anything happen. Honestly, the whole thing is actually clean and well-handled; if there were any real issues, he would have found a way to stir up some drama and shift the spotlight elsewhere by now.

So, when are you finally going to come clean and tell us how you’re actually tied to that project? 🍿

I was just sitting here thinking about coffee. It’s funny how much of a ritual it becomes, isn't it? I remember when I first moved to the city, I used to spend way too much money at those fancy boutique shops on every corner, thinking it was some kind of status symbol. Now, honestly, I’m perfectly happy with a simple brew at home or grabbing something quick from a local diner while I'm out running errands. There’s just something about that first cup in the morning that sets the tone for everything else. Does anyone else have a specific routine, or are you more of a "grab whatever is available" type of person? hollowmason64 says:
Labor unions are out there making all these claims...

If that's what the unions are claiming, then I guess that’s just the way it is. 😁
I honestly would have asked you where exactly it says that—you know, the part about needing to create an entirely new organizational structure because they can't just use the current one to handle layoffs... but, man, I really feel for you.

You actually wrote something about this a while back—you said something like, "it’s not like we can't spare a cleaning lady," and used that to defend the decision to lay people off.

Of course it can.

I was thinking about commutators today—it’s one of those concepts that sounds simple until you actually try to wrap your head around the implications in linear algebra. It’s funny how such a small mathematical operation can completely change the landscape of a problem. I remember sitting in a coffee shop back in Seattle, staring at a notebook for hours, trying to figure out why certain matrices just wouldn't play nice together. There's something almost poetic about the way two operators can fail to commute; it’s like two people who are both perfectly reasonable on their own, but the moment they interact, everything goes sideways. It makes you realize that order isn't just a detail—in many ways, it's everything. hollowmason64 says:
If I’m reading this right, that former mayor basically just bloated the headcount at the municipal holding company without actually setting up any real structure or organization.

We all know how the city administration operates—they’ve been busy carving out departments, bureaus, and entire sectors just to make sure their own people are taken care of. It’s nothing new, really. If you look back at how things were handled during the Mikica era, you can see the exact same pattern playing out again.

He used to have a formal system for job classifications and roles. But honestly, under his leadership, that "system" was just a suggestion at best—it looked good on paper, sure, but in practice? It was a total mess.

It’s not like he actually came up with some brilliant new strategy or anything. It’s just that classic small-town tactic of overhiring every single incompetent person from his home turf and all the surrounding backwaters—everyone from local buddies and their entire extended families to those desperate party lackeys and whatever other hangers-on happen to be around. It’s like pulling a roll of toilet paper; you pull one sheet, and the whole thing just keeps coming.
So, looking at how the staffing levels are structured... I mean, you might have, say, two clerks in a specific department. But then you’ve got a cousin like Milkica coming in from some tiny rural town, someone with just a basic high school diploma. You pull some strings, pay for her to take a certification course so she suddenly has a degree, and now you’ve gotta find a spot for her. So, you shove her into the office with those two existing clerks and drop a memo saying Milkica is officially a clerk too. Of course, Miletov’s relative isn't going to be working a service desk. At the end of the day, if there's space for two, there's space for a third. If the family is happy, nobody complains. 🙂
And the thing is, hundreds upon hundreds of people were pushed into this exact system—way beyond what the official organizational charts actually allow.

Now, the folks over at the union are playing dumb. They're acting like they have nothing to do with the current staffing structure, blatantly lying and claiming we need a whole new reorganization just so they can justify handing out layoffs based on "business necessity."
Well, yeah, they want a new one... because under the current rules, you aren't technically "overstaffed."
The logical move would be to fix the situation according to the *existing* rules first—lay off everyone who is redundant under the current structure—and only *then* draft a new reorganization plan that allows them to cut even more people.

I don't have the patience to wade through these endless cards of nonsense, but this particular bit jumped out at me—it belongs in a museum of mediocre stupidity.

So, apparently, there's no need for a new reorganization because the one the crook implemented carried about as much weight as a suggestion written in the sand. 😵 And now, based on that "written in the sand" logic, we’re supposed to just hand out pink slips like they’re candy at a parade. 🤣

God, you talk a big game for someone who’s clearly part of the establishment, yet your posts make it obvious you could only ever land a cushy government gig rather than finding actual work, since whatever it is you claim to do simply wouldn't hold water anywhere else.

Intelligence clearly isn't your strong suit. Old saying, isn't it?

To everyone fuming because I changed my tune regarding Eric Adams: honestly, I actually thought kiss me was some kind of lawyer.😵

Look, I’m not lying to you. The City Council holds the majority, which means they aren't going to pass any plan that their party hasn't already signed off on. Is there really any point in me explaining my connection to this whole thing over and over again? It feels redundant. Just let me know if you're actually taking notes this time, and I’ll go ahead and explain it one more time.

Is he a criminal? Hardly. He’s just an elite attorney who happens to be skilled enough to defend criminals—which, if you think about it, is exactly why people pay him millions of dollars. It takes a certain level of talent to pull that off, a level you might struggle to grasp. As far as I’m aware, there isn't even an indictment against Christopher Wray. 🤷

hollowmason64 said:Even under the old system, they were already overstaffed. I mean, if you look at what The New York Times reported, you had two or three people assigned to a single position.
So, if they want to file lawsuits, let them.

Is it that again? 🙂
No, that's not how it works. An investor can take their plan directly to Congress themselves. Just because Vogue didn't give them the green light doesn't stop an investor from moving forward with the proposal to Congress. Why haven't they pushed ahead with it already?

Do you even remember how things work? Without the blessing of the party machine, nothing of this sort ever passes. He needs to run this by his boss, Eric Adams. Do you honestly think Nobel and Carney are fools? They cut their teeth working under Bloomberg.

That said, I am curious to find out who is actually pulling the strings behind Retkovac and the local administration...

Gary Booth6 said:Look, Adams is actually a solid guy, he really is, it’s just that he doesn't have anyone in his corner who actually knows how to get things done... That’s where all this chaos comes from, because he’s stuck surrounded by a bunch of incompetent ridicules, but him? He’s good, honestly even great.

I am absolutely thrilled about how things are playing out.

Gregory Hall66 said:Post the link again

I can't. It was deleted.

We’ll just have to take to the streets and protest against this old-school machine politics.

neonpuma30 said:Wait, hold up—don't you realize a property owner can't just drop a 100-story skyscraper in the middle of the city whenever they feel like it?😲

Zoning laws and stuff like that exist for a reason.🍿

Look at the zoning regulations for up Šimunski. We're talking low-rise buildings here. How can you even suggest otherwise? These zoning codes are the law of the land; you basically can't fight against them if you want to stay legal.