Eric Adams - Mayor of New York City, Part 4

driftingtinker said:I mean, I guess things probably would've been even worse if they'd actually built that promised walkway over to Broadway and that community hall. Lucky for us they didn't, even though those were supposed to be part of the whole plan.

Are you kidding me? As if there's any doubt that the construction was anything short of a complete shambles.

@Kiss me

I listen to what he says sometimes. I don't track his every move, though. But I notice the trash bins, the street conditions, and the unkempt parks. It’s not that they aren't working, it just feels like they're doing less—like the services are provided less frequently for the same amount of money. I also get the feeling they've cut down on the street sweepers, because you can see trash blowing around the streets for days since those bins are out in the open. Luckily, they moved the compost bins off the street, because with this heat and the current pickup pace, we would have had a massive problem.

I suppose certain laws tie his hands. Between the regulations and the union contracts, there isn't much room to move. Personally, I'll give him until the end of his term and then we'll see what actually got accomplished. That said, I'm pretty skeptical, and honestly, I wasn't all that optimistic when he was first elected either. I just think the Progressives aren't quite capable enough for the job they inherited. To be fair, I don't think any of the other candidates were better prepared to jump in and solve things quickly, and I suspect none of them really have the guts to make the big, drastic moves—like tearing up those collective bargaining agreements.

Adam Diaz67 said:@Kiss me

I listen to what he says sometimes. I don't track his every move, though. But I notice the trash bins, the street conditions, and the unkempt parks. It’s not that they aren't working, it just feels like they're doing less—like the services are provided less frequently for the same amount of money. I also get the feeling they've cut down on the street sweepers, because you can see trash blowing around the streets for days since those bins are out in the open. Luckily, they moved the compost bins off the street, because with this heat and the current pickup pace, we would have had a massive problem.

I suppose certain laws tie his hands. Between the regulations and the union contracts, there isn't much room to move. Personally, I'll give him until the end of his term and then we'll see what actually got accomplished. That said, I'm pretty skeptical, and honestly, I wasn't all that optimistic when he was first elected either. I just think the Progressives aren't quite capable enough for the job they inherited. To be fair, I don't think any of the other candidates were better prepared to jump in and solve things quickly, and I suspect none of them really have the guts to make the big, drastic moves—like tearing up those collective bargaining agreements.

Just imagine... in a world where everything is getting more expensive, you end up getting less for the exact same price.
You know, I've spent years laughing at people whining about gas prices because "I only ever fill up for $33" anyway... but damn, the service has gone downhill. I used to get $33200 miles out of a tank, and now I'm lucky if I hit 150.

...So, I just caught a glimpse of our very own Eric Adams out there cruising through the streets of New York City on his bicycle. It was quite the sight—citizens were waving and offering friendly greetings, and he was right there with them, returning the favor with a massive, genuine grin. He even pulled over at a little cafe in Queens to grab a ☕ while the locals watched him with nothing but affection. After that, he hopped back on his bike and pedaled over to a local BBQ joint in Brooklyn for some quick bites—honestly, the grill work there is 👍. Once he finished, he cycled back, jumped into his Volvo, and drove all the way up to a peak in the Catskills. There, he just sat and soaked in the view of NYC, breathing in that crisp, clean mountain air. Later, he was back on two wheels, riding through the city streets and just admiring the architecture of the building facades. Eventually, he got a bit worn out and took a breather, but then it was back to the grind—the whole cycle starts all over again. The people here seem to genuinely look forward to those unexpected moments when they spot him out and about...🙂🙂🙂

Man. It’s not my fault here. If you agree to eight deliveries at a certain price point, then deliver all eight. If you can't actually guarantee that many trips at those rates, then either hike the price or just be upfront and say, "Hey, we can't do eight anymore, let's drop it down to six (or five, or four)." That’s what people call transparent business. You can't just send me an invoice detailing specific services and then fail to actually perform them. Of course I'm going to complain when I don't get what I paid for. It’s like if you and I agreed that I’d bring you two gallons of milk every week for $17 a month. Then, suddenly, the price of milk spikes and it's no longer worth it for me, so I just start bringing you one gallon a week instead without saying a word—but I still send you the exact same bill (two gallons a week for $17/mo). If you complain, I’ll just tell you, "What are you whining about? Everything is more expensive now, at least you're getting something." You have every right to be furious with me because that isn't what I'm billing you for.

vividraven79 said:Just imagine... in a world where everything is getting more expensive, you end up getting less for the exact same price.
You know, I've spent years laughing at people whining about gas prices because "I only ever fill up for $33" anyway... but damn, the service has gone downhill. I used to get $33200 miles out of a tank, and now I'm lucky if I hit 150.

Or imagine walking into a coffee shop with a group of friends. You check the menu, order eight coffees, but the server only brings out six. Then, they leave the bill for all eight right there on the table.
Because you’re such a pushover, you end up explaining to your friends who didn't even get a drink that it's probably better not to have caffeine in this heat anyway, and then you quietly pay the full tab without making a scene.😁

Sam Wright21 said:Are you even aware that this new construction actually sustained damage in the quake? My own building, for instance, is fifty years old and sitting right near the epicenter, yet it didn't suffer a single crack.

..."sweetheart," if I may say so, you've become one of my absolute favorites on this forum 🎉 (and please, don't let the others gang up on me for saying that), but you really shouldn't nitpick every single word I drop. Honestly, I feel like I should have to write an entire white paper for every little project mentioned here; trying to put everything into words on a message board is, quite frankly, both mentally and technically 👍impossible. Perhaps if you try reading my posts "between the lines," you might actually grasp the core of what I'm getting at... but anyway... money, money, money, and more money—that is essentially the alpha and the omega of the whole situation...☕ and we're talking about it in infinite quantities, and wouldn't that just be lovely if it were free...

Here’s an interesting takeaway from today’s press conference. When asked about the call for residents to contact the GOP regarding tank financing—and the fact that this same GOP uses a single account for all buildings, which is actually illegal—Eric Adams claimed he was hearing about it for the first time. This is after a full year in office.
I can wrap my head around not knowing something, but the idea that not a single staffer flagged this to him? That's just hard to believe.

Adam Diaz67 said:Man. It’s not my fault here. If you agree to eight deliveries at a certain price point, then deliver all eight. If you can't actually guarantee that many trips at those rates, then either hike the price or just be upfront and say, "Hey, we can't do eight anymore, let's drop it down to six (or five, or four)." That’s what people call transparent business. You can't just send me an invoice detailing specific services and then fail to actually perform them. Of course I'm going to complain when I don't get what I paid for. It’s like if you and I agreed that I’d bring you two gallons of milk every week for $17 a month. Then, suddenly, the price of milk spikes and it's no longer worth it for me, so I just start bringing you one gallon a week instead without saying a word—but I still send you the exact same bill (two gallons a week for $17/mo). If you complain, I’ll just tell you, "What are you whining about? Everything is more expensive now, at least you're getting something." You have every right to be furious with me because that isn't what I'm billing you for.

I didn't realize the mixed waste was being delayed too; I thought the discussion was strictly about the sorted stuff like paper, plastic, and compost.
if the mixed waste is running late—meaning they're skipping scheduled pickups entirely—that's just wrong and shouldn't be billed. Honestly, if they charge for it, they're in breach of contract.

The bills have already gone out, and naturally, people are losing their minds. Just look at how they're handling trash collection over in New York City.

vividraven79 said:I didn't realize the mixed waste was being delayed too; I thought the discussion was strictly about the sorted stuff like paper, plastic, and compost.
if the mixed waste is running late—meaning they're skipping scheduled pickups entirely—that's just wrong and shouldn't be billed. Honestly, if they charge for it, they're in breach of contract.

People are complaining about the mixed trash not being picked up regularly. For some reason, they actually removed the organic waste bins from my street entirely. Last summer, I think someone put stickers on them telling people not to use them because the smell was getting unbearable—plus, it was the first time I'd ever seen rats in this neighborhood.

I don't live in New York City full-time, so I don't pay super close attention, but I guess they empty the mixed waste bins about once a week. It’s not unusual for them to get so full that people end up leaving bags on the ground for a day or two since there's nowhere else to put them. That didn't used to happen. Also, the streets aren't being cleaned, because the wind blows trash out of the overflowing bins and it just rolls down the street. And I'm seeing fewer of those little sidewalk trash cans lately, too.

This isn't even really about Eric Adams, but does anyone actually know how much water is just leaking through the pipes? I mean, what's the actual state of the reservoir system like right now?

I wonder how much water actually goes to waste here. Some reports suggest we're losing about 28% in New York City. Just for context, Miami is sitting at 59%, and the total loss across America is around 49%. That’s basically 200 million cubic meters of drinking water just vanishing during transit. And of course, it's the taxpayers who end up footing the bill.

hmm... this source actually puts it at over 50%

"Specifically, the Government Accountability Office's findings on the New York City Department of Water and Power's operations for 2019 revealed a loss of 52.7 percent. For context, previous Audit data shows the loss was 53.4 percent in 2017, 52.7 percent the year before that, and 51.7 percent back in 2015."

vividraven79 said:I didn't realize the mixed waste was being delayed too; I thought the discussion was strictly about the sorted stuff like paper, plastic, and compost.
if the mixed waste is running late—meaning they're skipping scheduled pickups entirely—that's just wrong and shouldn't be billed. Honestly, if they charge for it, they're in breach of contract.

Seriously, isn't that common knowledge by now? 🤷

Back in my old neighborhood, they wouldn't even show up twice a week for months...

Adam Diaz67 said:I wonder how much water actually goes to waste here. Some reports suggest we're losing about 28% in New York City. Just for context, Miami is sitting at 59%, and the total loss across America is around 49%. That’s basically 200 million cubic meters of drinking water just vanishing during transit. And of course, it's the taxpayers who end up footing the bill.

I'm pretty sure San Francisco was the first in the US to roll out that smart system to track leaks and find bursts fast—can't remember the exact name—but it works like a charm. Yeah, it's pricey upfront, but the savings are massive...

Kyle Nelson2 said:This isn't even really about Eric Adams, but does anyone actually know how much water is just leaking through the pipes? I mean, what's the actual state of the reservoir system like right now?

The most recent update from three days ago:
Petek: Due to a failing system, New York City is losing $150,000 worth of drinking water every single day ...

https://www.google.com/url?esrc=s&q=...ANieW6rGfVA1bq

As far as I can recall, Bill de Blasio managed to secure about $1.5 billion from the disaster relief fund following the earthquake, based on expert assessments at the time.
Eric Adams turned down over a billion of those two billion dollars and sent it back to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, explaining that he had an excess and nowhere to put a billion dollars; he only took $600 million for building reconstruction, which the department immediately redirected toward other federal recovery projects.
He didn't take a single cent for fixing the underground infrastructure, even though the Spending Regulation for the relief fund specifically included provisions for repairing infrastructure—like water, gas, and sewage networks.
It’s been quite some time since I shared both the regulation and this information on this thread, and I ended up with several pages of people mocking me and insisting I was talking nonsense.

A while back—maybe a month, two, or three ago (time flies, so my memory is a little fuzzy)—the Secretary of HUD essentially forced Eric Adams into a meeting. By "forced," I mean the meeting was initiated by the Biden Administration rather than Adams himself, basically "shoving" two billion dollars toward him for New York City's underground infrastructure via EU funds—or something similar, I can't quite remember. This is what Adams has been talking about in recent weeks: how they are preparing projects worth two billion, starting with the first billion. It’s in the government's best interest to spend the VF2 money; under the NPOO, it's laid out that the EK approves cash tranches based on meeting specific milestones. The administration needs these projects to keep the economy moving, so they gave Tomašević a nudge and essentially forced his hand. It isn't easy for him; he'll have to cough up part of that two billion from the city treasury, which is why Tomašević has gone into a century-long slumber like Sleeping Beauty. Whether it's 20% or 30%, or even just 15%, if it's only 15%, that's still $230 million coming out of the city coffers—money that Tomašević doesn't actually have, since whatever he has (or borrows) goes toward ideological programs and idling machinery. He'd probably rather blow tens of millions on "civic education" in schools and preschools than on replacing cracked pipes.
It’s standard practice for mayors and governors to go to the Secretary and lobby for their cities' interests, begging for funds. In this case, for Sleeping Beauty Tomašević, the Prince—the Secretary—had to show up and convince her "to accept the kiss."🙂

Harold Phillips54 said:The most recent update from three days ago:
Petek: Due to a failing system, New York City is losing $150,000 worth of drinking water every single day ...

https://www.google.com/url?esrc=s&q=...ANieW6rGfVA1bq

As far as I can recall, Bill de Blasio managed to secure about $1.5 billion from the disaster relief fund following the earthquake, based on expert assessments at the time.
Eric Adams turned down over a billion of those two billion dollars and sent it back to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, explaining that he had an excess and nowhere to put a billion dollars; he only took $600 million for building reconstruction, which the department immediately redirected toward other federal recovery projects.
He didn't take a single cent for fixing the underground infrastructure, even though the Spending Regulation for the relief fund specifically included provisions for repairing infrastructure—like water, gas, and sewage networks.
It’s been quite some time since I shared both the regulation and this information on this thread, and I ended up with several pages of people mocking me and insisting I was talking nonsense.

A while back—maybe a month, two, or three ago (time flies, so my memory is a little fuzzy)—the Secretary of HUD essentially forced Eric Adams into a meeting. By "forced," I mean the meeting was initiated by the Biden Administration rather than Adams himself, basically "shoving" two billion dollars toward him for New York City's underground infrastructure via EU funds—or something similar, I can't quite remember. This is what Adams has been talking about in recent weeks: how they are preparing projects worth two billion, starting with the first billion. It’s in the government's best interest to spend the VF2 money; under the NPOO, it's laid out that the EK approves cash tranches based on meeting specific milestones. The administration needs these projects to keep the economy moving, so they gave Tomašević a nudge and essentially forced his hand. It isn't easy for him; he'll have to cough up part of that two billion from the city treasury, which is why Tomašević has gone into a century-long slumber like Sleeping Beauty. Whether it's 20% or 30%, or even just 15%, if it's only 15%, that's still $230 million coming out of the city coffers—money that Tomašević doesn't actually have, since whatever he has (or borrows) goes toward ideological programs and idling machinery. He'd probably rather blow tens of millions on "civic education" in schools and preschools than on replacing cracked pipes.
It’s standard practice for mayors and governors to go to the Secretary and lobby for their cities' interests, begging for funds. In this case, for Sleeping Beauty Tomašević, the Prince—the Secretary—had to show up and convince her "to accept the kiss."🙂

That money couldn't have gone toward the water supply because the utility system is already in shambles, not because of the earthquake.

Sam Wright21 said:That money couldn't have gone toward the water supply because the utility system is already in shambles, not because of the earthquake.

I think you're missing the mark here, just like before.
Even Tomašević's deputy mentioned on the news that the water infrastructure was damaged and due to the earthquake, if I recall correctly. He explained that ground shifts caused the pipe joints to move out of alignment. Having worked with irrigation fittings and valves myself, that makes perfect sense to me.

In those specific parts of New York City where the earthquake actually caused damage, repairs could have been funded through the recovery fund—obviously, we're talking about the affected areas, not the entire city's network.
But even that didn't happen.
It’s obvious to everyone that the water system is aging and failing, but since the earthquake, these kinds of breakdowns have become much more frequent and significantly harder to manage.

Imagine the scandal, New York City celebrating a national holiday