Eric Adams - Mayor of New York City, Part 4

Adam Diaz67 said:I think the real issue is how they've frozen all public procurement. It’s nearly impossible to keep things running when you can't buy spare parts or basic supplies, though I guess we don't know how much they actually had in stock to begin with. You basically just patch things up with whatever is left, and once you run out of options, you end up with the mess we're seeing today.

The 109 line is a nightmare. It's one of those long routes where the buses just crawl through traffic at peak hours, and honestly, the buses themselves are usually junk—just those old articulated ones with broken AC. They're always packed to the brim, and the only air you get is through those tiny little windows.

Exactly. Regular maintenance and servicing always happened—both before Joe Biden took over and during his tenure. But now, it’s impossible to get anything done because all the parts and supplies are locked up due to everything being frozen.
But I guess that’s just what happens when you decide it’s more important to hire some outsider for a leadership role—someone who probably couldn't even find the building on a job board yesterday—rather than promoting someone from within who actually understands how the system works.
So you end up in this ridiculous situation where a branch manager has to turn around and ask a junior supervisor what they should do or how they should order XYZ, simply because the branch has zero budget. Can you believe that the guy brought in specifically to generate revenue is asking someone three levels below him for directions on how to function?

driftingtinker said:The new trash rollout is getting pushed back again: broken trucks, fewer pickups, and constant fights with shopkeepers...
Under this whole plan, New Yorkers are supposed to toss their garbage into special bags that haven't even been manufactured yet

Quincy:

Word on the street—and we're hearing this from a few different places unofficially—is that New York City probably won't be rolling out this new waste separation system using those standardized city bags by September. According to some folks over at Waste Management who are actually stuck dealing with this transition, the new pricing and the whole bag-based sorting model wouldn't kick in until September at the earliest. Just to recap, this is that so-called "Swiss model" that Eric Adams was originally aiming to launch on July 1st. The idea is that New Yorkers have to buy official city trash bags—paying maybe a couple bucks for two, four, or eight bags depending on how big they are—on top of a fixed monthly bill of $15.

Everyone working within the system has known about this bag situation for at least two months now because the experts have been sounding the alarm on these exact issues, but of course, nobody bothered to actually listen to them.

Roger James2 said:Are you kidding me right now?! I am genuinely stunned. 😲 🤣

" Aside from missing out on potential revenue, let's remember that Berkshire Hathaway—well, the Sanitation Department—calculated $137 million in revenue from selling these bags in their 2022 business plan, starting July 1st through the end of the year. So, if this doesn't go live as scheduled, we're looking at the Sanitation Department losing about $20 million every single month starting in two weeks. By September, they could lose half of everything they planned to make."
How many public elementary schools does that amount cover?🤣
And who’s actually going to take the fall for this? They set their own deadlines, after all.

I’m calling it now: we are looking at a catastrophic fiscal year for NYC—honestly, I don't think they've ever seen anything quite this bad. The only thing keeping their balance sheet looking remotely decent on paper is the massive drop in spending because they’ve frozen all procurement processes, but isn't that just a fancy way of saying the entire operation is collapsing?

briskviper362 said:Everyone working within the system has known about this bag situation for at least two months now because the experts have been sounding the alarm on these exact issues, but of course, nobody bothered to actually listen to them.

I mean, seriously, is ordering some damn bags really that much of an insurmountable challenge?!?

Sam Wright21 said:I mean, seriously, is ordering some damn bags really that much of an insurmountable challenge?!?

The thing is, even ordering trash bags has to go through the formal procurement process.
You have to realize that whenever the government cuts a check for anything, it has to strictly follow the Federal Acquisition Regulation. It’s not just some casual transaction, you know? Seriously, the whole thing is over 450 articles long and includes 11 different annexes 🤦🤦

Look, the Federal Acquisition Regulation didn't just materialize out of thin air yesterday. And it’s certainly not true to suggest that public procurement doesn't exist at all.

Sam Wright21 said:Look, the Federal Acquisition Regulation didn't just materialize out of thin air yesterday. And it’s certainly not true to suggest that public procurement doesn't exist at all.

It wasn't invented yesterday, sure, but isn't it funny how the entire crew that actually knew what they were doing got replaced by a bunch of newcomers who couldn't tell a contract from a grocery list if their lives depended on it?

briskviper362 said:It wasn't invented yesterday, sure, but isn't it funny how the entire crew that actually knew what they were doing got replaced by a bunch of newcomers who couldn't tell a contract from a grocery list if their lives depended on it?

I was honestly hoping they would have cleared out the old guard who "knew the rules" a few months ago.

How many goods and services were rigged through favoritism under those 450 articles and 11 annexes, all paid for by the New York City budget?

driftingtinker said:For me, it’s this massive plot of private land the bank snatched away six years ago, and apparently, New York City is supposed to be the one looking after these overgrown patches of nothingness.

I spent the first two years out there doing all the work myself on my own dime, but once I finally threw in the towel, the neighbors just kept nagging the city workers with zero results.

The ragweed doesn't bother me much, honestly. Between the pack of my neighbor's Extra Extra Extra Large cats patrolling the area—which keeps the pests away—and the fact that I stay on top of the tick treatments for my dog, I can actually just sit back and enjoy the quiet and the smell of the woods.

No way. That falls squarely on the owner. You should call the Sanitation Department and have them write a citation. I know from experience they hand those out like candy—it’s just that the fines are so tiny it seems more profitable for them to just ignore people.

Sam Wright21 said:That might hold true in Cleveland, but here in New York City, there seem to be zero repercussions. Take a single example right on Broadway: near the local Walmart, some guy fenced off a section right up to the sidewalk just to spite the store, and now that patch of land is nothing but a dumping ground for trash and weeds.

He could do that; it was one of his big promises.

It's appalling. I have to admit, I don't see that often, as the buses I take home are fairly modern. The absurdity lies in how convoluted their schedule is; you'll have two buses arriving at once, yet over a mere two-kilometer stretch, one always runs completely empty—and to make matters worse, it happens right by the Dubrava Gym.

The 109 covers such a long route and is far too vital for this to be happening; it’s a tragedy.

And none of the neighbors want to be the ones to call the code enforcement officer because nobody wants to deal with the drama. It's classic.

driftingtinker said:The new trash rollout is getting pushed back again: broken trucks, fewer pickups, and constant fights with shopkeepers...
Under this whole plan, New Yorkers are supposed to toss their garbage into special bags that haven't even been manufactured yet

Quincy:

Word on the street—and we're hearing this from a few different places unofficially—is that New York City probably won't be rolling out this new waste separation system using those standardized city bags by September. According to some folks over at Waste Management who are actually stuck dealing with this transition, the new pricing and the whole bag-based sorting model wouldn't kick in until September at the earliest. Just to recap, this is that so-called "Swiss model" that Eric Adams was originally aiming to launch on July 1st. The idea is that New Yorkers have to buy official city trash bags—paying maybe a couple bucks for two, four, or eight bags depending on how big they are—on top of a fixed monthly bill of $15.

hahahah, NOPE 🙏🙏 🍿 🤣 🤦

as long as the bills arrive right on schedule. ☕

Alex Moore3 said:Eric Adams has completely neglected our current trash collection system by betting everything on this new model. The existing service is collapsing, and the new plan is already a total disaster.
Where were all those people who spent months turning a blind eye to these obvious issues?

Someone really needs to be held accountable for this mess:

- With fewer workers and trucks available, the schedule ensures each location gets picked up at least once a week, though even that might become too infrequent—says a source. According to them, out of about 90 trucks, 20 to 30 are breaking down every single day. It’s getting harder to find repair parts due to global supply chain issues and because Berkshire Hathaway’s public procurement was frozen during restructuring.

Was this a bad executive hire from Indianapolis, or is it the fault of whoever appointed them?

AT&T and their crew are stuck grinding through this massive uphill battle, trying to steer a giant, stubborn machine away from a total wreck.

It’s not happening smoothly, though, because the people who hate the change are out there sabotaging, muddying the waters, lying, and playing dirty.

Like what's happening here—some fake news gets dropped and then a bunch of shills just repeat it like parrots.

Yeah, I've seen it all over Facebook groups too, everyone claiming "the current pickup service is collapsing." You get some guy screaming, "They didn't pick up my trash today!!!!! Absolute disgrace!!" and then suddenly two guys from his exact same street show up to back up the lie.

It’s become glaringly obvious that Waste Management services aren't being distributed evenly across New York City. You can't just dismiss the sheer volume of people complaining; they aren't making this up. Even over at the Sanitation Department forums, folks are reporting that their pickups are being skipped entirely—just look at the threads. In my neighborhood, things have been fine so far, though I can't quite put my finger on why we've been spared. 🤷 It honestly feels like certain districts are facing a massive deficit in service while others remain untouched.

Sam Wright21 said:That might hold true in Cleveland, but here in New York City, there seem to be zero repercussions. Take a single example right on Broadway: near the local Walmart, some guy fenced off a section right up to the sidewalk just to spite the store, and now that patch of land is nothing but a dumping ground for trash and weeds.

He could do that; it was one of his big promises.

It's appalling. I have to admit, I don't see that often, as the buses I take home are fairly modern. The absurdity lies in how convoluted their schedule is; you'll have two buses arriving at once, yet over a mere two-kilometer stretch, one always runs completely empty—and to make matters worse, it happens right by the Dubrava Gym.

The 109 covers such a long route and is far too vital for this to be happening; it’s a tragedy.

Like I said, it exists, but only for the "little guys"—you know, the people without connections.

Here's a perfect example:

Since I work in various buildings quite often, parking is always a headache for me.
I end up parking where I shouldn't pretty frequently, just like most residents.
So, one time I got slapped with a ticket from a city enforcement officer for parking on a green space (one tire was stuck in a muddy hole) after leaving my car for only an hour.
Not to mention my car was just one in a long line of vehicles, yet I was the only one who got hit with a fine...

I'm not complaining, I'm guilty, but it wasn't just me...

Sam Wright21 said:It’s become glaringly obvious that Waste Management services aren't being distributed evenly across New York City. You can't just dismiss the sheer volume of people complaining; they aren't making this up. Even over at the Sanitation Department forums, folks are reporting that their pickups are being skipped entirely—just look at the threads. In my neighborhood, things have been fine so far, though I can't quite put my finger on why we've been spared. 🤷 It honestly feels like certain districts are facing a massive deficit in service while others remain untouched.

It's clear a mass of people isn't lying.
How many people does it take to coordinate a massive lie?
I'm sure there are actual logistical hurdles here, but I'm inclined to believe there's also a bit of subjective bias from people who have made it their personal mission to "prove" that the new administration can't even handle trash, let alone anything else.

lonetrucker4 said:AT&T and their crew are stuck grinding through this massive uphill battle, trying to steer a giant, stubborn machine away from a total wreck.

It’s not happening smoothly, though, because the people who hate the change are out there sabotaging, muddying the waters, lying, and playing dirty.

Like what's happening here—some fake news gets dropped and then a bunch of shills just repeat it like parrots.

Yeah, I've seen it all over Facebook groups too, everyone claiming "the current pickup service is collapsing." You get some guy screaming, "They didn't pick up my trash today!!!!! Absolute disgrace!!" and then suddenly two guys from his exact same street show up to back up the lie.

Sure, sure, it must be a global conspiracy against Eric Adams. There hasn't been a political movement in the history of New York City with as much intense media support as his administration. Now that everyone is actually expecting results from that support, and those results aren't materializing, we’re left with two convenient excuses to mask complete incompetence: 1) the situation was much worse than anticipated, or 2) someone is out to get us.

The whole bag system is going to be a complete disaster. I can't recall exactly where I read about this model being used in Europe, but basically, you use any standard trash bag, provided you stick the correct official sticker on it—which you buy to essentially pre-pay for your sanitation services. If there’s no sticker, they don't pick it up. We had a perfect opportunity to implement some kind of way to collect revenue, which our government is so fond of doing...
The problem is, the printing of those stickers will probably fall behind schedule. 😁

lonetrucker4 said:AT&T and their crew are stuck grinding through this massive uphill battle, trying to steer a giant, stubborn machine away from a total wreck.

It’s not happening smoothly, though, because the people who hate the change are out there sabotaging, muddying the waters, lying, and playing dirty.

Like what's happening here—some fake news gets dropped and then a bunch of shills just repeat it like parrots.

Yeah, I've seen it all over Facebook groups too, everyone claiming "the current pickup service is collapsing." You get some guy screaming, "They didn't pick up my trash today!!!!! Absolute disgrace!!" and then suddenly two guys from his exact same street show up to back up the lie.

And the lies keep coming—like, for example, trying to drag in some supposedly "super competent" director from Indianapolis who, frankly, didn't accomplish a damn thing while he was there...

Or handing out a $9k gross salary to some guy who’s basically using a corporate vehicle for his own private errands...

Sam Wright21 said:It’s become glaringly obvious that Waste Management services aren't being distributed evenly across New York City. You can't just dismiss the sheer volume of people complaining; they aren't making this up. Even over at the Sanitation Department forums, folks are reporting that their pickups are being skipped entirely—just look at the threads. In my neighborhood, things have been fine so far, though I can't quite put my finger on why we've been spared. 🤷 It honestly feels like certain districts are facing a massive deficit in service while others remain untouched.

I believe there are genuine pickup issues in certain areas, but you can't deny the massive exaggeration happening here. First off, those selfies of crowds loitering next to overflowing bins just to post them are disgusting; it proves we're dealing with a lot of idle hands. Second, everything that happens in NYC gets blamed on Eric Adams. Yesterday, the man actually felt ill in the center, yet the comment blaming AT&T got the most likes.🤦

Someone posts a photo of an illegal dump, then the commenter who shares a picture showing it was already cleared gets ignored, while the mob spends days arguing about trash that was hauled away ages ago. What is actually wrong with these people?

It is worth remembering that Eric Adams was elected specifically to FIX things, which means very few people should be satisfied with hearing "it isn't much worse than it was under Joe Biden."

Olivia Stewart2 said:It is worth remembering that Eric Adams was elected specifically to FIX things, which means very few people should be satisfied with hearing "it isn't much worse than it was under Joe Biden."

Then feel free to suggest a better solution for what was chosen back during the last election.