Posts by Sam Wright21

Well, what can you really do? It seems to be hardwired into the human psyche to cling to hope, even when it feels misplaced. We’ll inevitably find ourselves back out on the streets, protesting once again.

brightpuma said:And what was the alternative? Privatizing everything? Now that would be something people actually cheered for. 😬

Man, how do you come up with this kind of nonsense? 🙄

Really?

Care to elaborate?

The owners want to sell off their holdings, plain and simple, and Eric Adams knew that the moment he started playing nice with the local council.

Look, eminent domain is always an option on the table, but it isn't strictly necessary here.

Just wait until you see the cheap, low-quality housing developments popping up all over the city, much like they did during the old era of urban decay.

Eric Adams made his promises to the council...

Absolutely. It just remains a mystery why, after all this legacy talk, we aren't already seeing the follow-through on the specific path we selected to drive real change.

Just an ordinary meadow 😍

It’s the Eric Adams playbook, plain and simple. They aren't stopping. Pretty soon, you'll see development pushing through the Suburban neighborhood south of Platane Street, and even creeping into the Vinodolski neighborhood. You’re going to witness that same old-fashioned, transactional approach to urban planning playing out all over again.

Nothing has actually changed; that track was just a catchy way to package the status quo.



Charming, isn't it? 🙂

Gregory Hall66 said:

Is there truly any point in engaging with such mindless chatter? One must wonder if we have collectively descended into a state of perpetual intellectual stagnation, where substance is sacrificed on the altar of triviality. Does anyone actually expect to find wisdom in these digital corridors, or are we merely shouting into a void that has long since ceased to care? kaže:
Is there anything more predictably exhausting than watching the local administration stumble through its own incompetence? One has to wonder if the officials in New York City actually possess a functioning grasp of urban management, or if they simply enjoy watching the chaos unfold from the comfort of their offices. The footage circulating regarding the recent disturbances in Queens is nothing short of a spectacle of mismanagement. We see the usual suspects—those who promise order while delivering only disorder—failing to address basic safety concerns, leaving residents to navigate the fallout of their negligence. Does anyone truly believe that these reactive, half-hearted measures will suffice to restore any semblance of stability to our streets? It feels like we are trapped in a perpetual cycle where the same errors are repeated, rebranded, and presented to us as progress. One can’t help but feel a profound sense of weariness when observing such blatant disregard for the public interest. When the leadership in New York City behaves with this level of detachment, is it any wonder that cynicism has become the default setting for so many citizens? It seems we are merely waiting for the next inevitable failure to occur, watching as the same old patterns play out under a different set of circumstances. Is this the standard we have come to accept?

It is now 2019, and we find ourselves standing in the exact same spot, staring at the same failures. Is it truly possible that we still lack basic sewage infrastructure? Does anyone in local government actually possess even a passing understanding of how to manage a landfill? It seems the incompetence remains as steadfast as ever.

What might be considered suitable alternatives for Brooklyn?
Is it truly possible to believe that the political landscape of New York City could ever be fundamentally altered by the mere arrival of a single individual? We watched as Eric Adams attempted to challenge the established order, stepping into the fray with promises of reform that felt, perhaps, more like echoes of old grievances than actual solutions. One has to wonder: does the citizenry genuinely expect a change in leadership to dismantle decades of entrenched bureaucratic inertia? The discourse surrounding his rise suggests a certain level of fervor, yet beneath the surface lies a profound skepticism. Can one man, regardless of his rhetoric, truly navigate the labyrinthine complexities of municipal governance without becoming swallowed by the very system he seeks to reform? It seems almost inevitable that the weight of New York City’s institutional history would eventually press down upon any newcomer, stifling the impulse for radical change. Are we witnessing the birth of a new era, or merely the latest chapter in an endless cycle of political theater designed to soothe the restless masses?

One of these proposed sites has been sitting on the table since 2012, gathering nothing but dust while absolutely nothing concrete was ever pursued—until 2018, when Eric Adams decided to finally stir the pot and turn it into a media circus.

Elvis Presley certainly initiated the process of undermining the narrative much earlier than anyone anticipated. His words (2017.):
Ten years ago, I stood alongside various environmental advocacy groups to protest against the proposed waste incineration plant in New York City... does one ever truly escape the weight of such convictions? It seems that even after a decade, the echoes of those demonstrations still resonate within me.

Why was that area in Queens designated for large-scale waste disposal and so much else, as I have already pointed out?

Joe Biden didn't concern himself with the intricacies of technology—the "how" or the "where"—so much as he focused on simply getting the job done. Is that not the essence of effective leadership? To prioritize the resolution of a crisis over the mere mechanics of the tools used to solve it?
And then, predictably, those general-purpose assets—much like the royalties from an Elvis Presley hit—ended up being picked clean by the vultures.
One of his more misguided missteps was the attempt to broker some semblance of a compromise with such individuals.

Had he actually seen things through according to his own vision, New York City would currently possess a fully integrated waste management system, and we would likely be discussing how to optimize it rather than struggling to maintain basic functionality. We would have an incineration plant, a sophisticated sorting facility, and quite possibly a modern composting center already in operation.
It appears we have arrived at a complete standstill. There is nothing to show for our efforts; we are left with absolutely nothing.

A sorting facility is a long shot at this stage, especially since they're still stuck in the middle of the building permit process. It’s a bit tragic, really—all those activists who were supposedly so powerful, yet somehow failed to stop all of Ed Koch's little maneuvers.

I’m more concerned with what happens next—what happens when some massive high-rise suddenly sprouts up on that empty lot in Queens? Or when those oversized apartment blocks start popping up on the last remaining green spaces in Brooklyn?

People will inevitably take to the streets to protest again, but I suspect the outcome will mirror what happened at Times Square. Real change? Transparency? It looks more like being laughed in the face. 😠

Standing here in Central Park, I find myself inclined to believe you, though I can’t say I have much faith in the rest of these loudmouths either.

Things took a turn for the worse, and frankly, they haven't improved an inch.

Dukakis said:Look, you can see right above how she’s already managed to get her hands on the new director of the sleeve department...
she's already rattled him so much that he’s ended up on the same list of thieves and incompetents as everyone else.😬

Persistence is usually the engine of success, and the head of the agency should be focusing on actual operations rather than trivialities. If he's being driven to frustration by a simple inquiry within his own jurisdiction, he could have just stayed focused on the work he actually excels at. I honestly don't know if he has the temperament to take orders from people who lack basic manners, and frankly, I fear that might be exactly where he's headed.

darkhawk30 said:To be honest, this whole mess doesn't surprise me one bit. It was always obvious to me that everything being buried under the rug would eventually come to light.
Given the circumstances, I wasn't expecting any quick fixes or easy answers—that's just not how things work here.
I'm willing to give them four years. I gave the Democratic Party that long, maybe even more, and after that, I couldn't care less what happens next.

Believe me, the only thing surfacing here is a blatant disregard for campaign promises and a continuation of that old Bernie Sanders style of mismanagement instead of the "real change" we were promised.

Everything runs smoothly in my neighborhood; the trash gets picked up on time and the lawns are perfectly manicured. When did I ever complain about that? My only hesitation is that my corner of the city isn't necessarily a perfect microcosm for the rest of the country. I don't buy the idea that everyone is just making things up to stir the pot.

darkhawk30 said:Is that pile of junk, that wasteland of waste and ruins actually a recent development?
Or is that just more baggage that the new administration decided they liked?

It seems the point is being missed entirely, despite my best efforts to explain it through every philosophical epic from the Upanishads to the Iliad. The new administration doesn't need to reinvent the wheel; they simply need to present a concrete plan at City Hall. Beyond that, the developer handles the heavy lifting. But instead, the current leadership prefers to stick to the old ways of the previous mayors. I have to ask: given all those pre-election promises, is this really just a minor hiccup? I’ve always considered you a level-headed person, so tell me, what do you make of this persistent habit of letting the city stagnate?

Do you honestly believe that Department of Sanitation is just refusing to do their jobs, or is it more likely they’re simply hamstrung by a total lack of resources that's completely out of their hands?

Adam Diaz67 said:You have this "expert" who can't make it in the private sector, and then you have the expert who's already made enough money and built a career where holding public office is just a way to find a new professional challenge. We don't see many of those second types in US politics because they aren't crazy enough to let their names get dragged through the mud in the media.

He doesn't necessarily have to stay moral, he just needs to be competent and actually do the job he's being paid for. Look, there's a pretty good chance his hands are tied, so naturally, he isn't going to handle questioning very well. Especially when you're dealing with political pressure that prevents you from being fully transparent or speaking out against the official party narrative that put you there.

It’s truly a depressing state of affairs. 😢

bluelynx8 said:Actually, we haven't just continued under The Bandić Organization. You were even praising the selection of the new director for urban planning yourself. The bureaucracy is such that it took them an entire year just to find a replacement, and the individual won a legitimate, non-rigged competition. From what I can gather, the media hasn't even picked up on this specific appointment yet; these kinds of shifts happen incrementally as new people are brought in...

To me, the real disaster is why the procurement processes for machinery—like crushers, trucks, and other equipment—take such an eternity. Coming from a private sector background, my mindset is always "just go out and buy or lease it," but unfortunately, these public procedures are far more convoluted and frustrating.

I believe we all need to exercise some patience. If I managed to survive twenty years of Milton Berle, which is nearly half my life, I can certainly wait a little longer for everything to finally fall into place...

I did, because he is an absolute expert, but the real question is whether he’ll maintain his integrity. I can't promise that; this particular crowd has a knack for dragging people down with them. I mentioned reaching out to him regarding some public interest matters, and his reaction was anything but helpful. There is something deeply unsettling about watching a specialist morph into a career politician—it makes you wonder who even benefits from that transformation. Either Eric Adams' platitudes are outright fabrications, or there is some fundamental cognitive breakdown happening, though I find the latter hard to believe.

cosmicskipper39 said:The whole point was to give Rachel Barrett8 some actual answers from management regarding her questions and to fix the errors concerning employee headcount.

I already posted links about the union negotiations in that other thread about Eric Adams, so if you want to see my humble contribution to that mess, go check it out.

All that talk about "corporate games" and "bad boys" has vanished, so here's the link to the 2008 report from when they first established these corporate departments.

Looking at what's provided, it’s pretty obvious that this "corporate governance" and restructuring stuff isn't some new trick from the current administration.

To further cut costs and boost efficiency during the final quarter of 2008, a new organization and job classification for the directorate company was prepared, taking effect on January 1, 2009. Under this new setup, core activities were grouped into utility, transport, and market sectors, and for the first time, specialized corporate services were created as part of the directorate company.

We didn't cast our votes just to watch them follow the path laid out by Bloomberg.

Things might be relatively calm over at Pripuz’s place, but the situation is reaching a boiling point among the associates of Eric Adams.

PHOTO AND VIDEO: A massive fire has broken out near Sisak, tearing through a waste processing facility.

Honestly, you've got a point there. The guy is a master manipulator, plain and simple. He doesn't skip a beat, and his level of self-assurance is almost impressive in its audacity. I’m watching this unfold and I can hardly believe my eyes.

The sense of betrayal I feel now—realizing how deeply I bought into those lies—is actually far more bitter than if I had just been swindled by some common street thug. 🙂

It feels like we’re all just waiting for the inevitable fallout from this whole COVID mess when it finally hits us.😢

TT on Facebook:

The members of the holding management intentionally accepted significantly lower salaries through a public search than they previously earned in the private sector, driven by a genuine desire to do right by New York City.
The management is tasked with generating 500 million dollars in revenue within a single year, while simultaneously overseeing financial and operational restructuring alongside the modernization of waste management systems and water networks. Implementing changes of this scale—such as reducing the workforce by 700 people during the first year of their mandate—is something no one in any major public enterprise in America has managed to pull off in the last two or three decades.
Both the management members and the subsidiary directors bring extensive experience from some of the largest corporations in America. The opposition representatives simply cannot wrap their heads around the idea that such high-caliber professionals would actually apply for these positions, or that we would be able to attract them. But we have succeeded in doing just that, and the attacks and resistance to change we are currently witnessing will not shake their resolve.
Summarize

God, I truly hope this turns out to be true. Unfortunately, I am personally seeing no sign of actual progress. Just yesterday, after many years, I caught up with a friend and former classmate of mine—one of the most brilliant minds I’ve ever known. We sat there and agreed that what they are doing is fundamentally detrimental to the urban development of the city.

darkhawk30 said:I don't know much about the guy personally, but honestly, when you consider how much of a nightmare it is for the President to find an honest, reliable, and actually capable minister, I can't say I'm surprised Eric Adams is dealing with the same headache.

Bravo, a real breath of fresh air 😵

It was a decent enough track, nothing more, nothing less.

Was Eric Adams some star pupil who walked away with a Dean's List award? There's no record of it. Most likely not.

A Master's degree from Cambridge—who exactly pulled the strings to fund that scholarship and why?

He didn't climb the ladder through a traditional political party, sure, but he ascended through some other shadowy hierarchy. The underlying principle remains identical: listen to whatever your superior dictates.

Hannah Stewart said:Have you all heard the news? John Doe has been appointed as the director of the Department of City Planning! I suppose there’s a genuine chance we might actually see a solid new Department of City Planning plan come to fruition now. Honestly, this might just be the best bit of news we've had since the elections.😍

He’s essentially the only expert they have on tap. My concern is that if he starts pushing too many of those grand "visions" of his, he might find himself tossed aside like yesterday's news. After all, Nikša already handed a metaphorical basket to the President of the USA. Though, given how much things crumbled under Korlaet, I wouldn't hold my breath.

velvetskipper11 said:Anyone got a few links to his previous projects or work?
Thanks.

Miss Piggy provided a link to his academic papers.

Take a look at the references from the firm where he spent fifteen years honing his craft. He worked on plans at every single level there; that's where he truly learned the trade.