Eric Adams - Mayor of New York City, Part 4

Jose Campbell2 said:There really isn't much of a dilemma here.
Anyone who cares already knows 😁

I don't follow this stuff religiously, but from what I've gathered, I've managed to get answers to most of my questions.
I'd much rather things were different, honestly. It might be unpopular to point out, but we're dealing with the fallout of an old-school institution turned slum. Even when people don't say it explicitly, you can tell the root cause is decades of decay.
The current situation feels like accumulated stress; everything is fraying at the seams, and you can't just fix it with a single executive order.

Alex Moore3 said:Oops, looks like we're getting an ice rink back, and they're even looking at new spots.
The danger seems to have passed, and suddenly the revenue generated for New York City and its residents during the Christmas Market will become a major talking point.😁

The ice rink is returning to Tomislavac. It’ll be a bit smaller than what we had under the previous administration, though. The current tender specifies that the rink can't take up more than 600 square meters of green space.
https://www.chicago.info/aktualno/vra...ivnost/435885/

I support Eric Adams' decision here, though I hope he continues working to fix his other missteps as well.

As for me, I still can't get behind putting an ice rink in a protected landscape area. Trying to mimic Joe Biden isn't exactly "correcting mistakes." Does the man not have a single original idea of his own?!?

And don't think the danger has vanished; COVID is starting to flare up again.

I’m sitting here staring in pure disbelief at the little kids in that other thread while I was typing out my response—honestly, a huge thank you to those who actually bothered to start these discussions.

The sheer level of preparedness shown by his inner circle!

.

Berkshire Hathaway just posted a job opening for the Sanitation Department:

The catch is they’re only offering fixed-term contracts for a year. Honestly, do they really think even ten people will apply given the current pay and working conditions?

The reality on the ground is that anyone with half a brain is jumping ship from Berkshire Hathaway. An employee at IT Corp left for a private firm two weeks ago, two lawyers handed in their resignations to go private, and a colleague I worked with for twelve years just quit on his own accord... and none of these folks were even on that infamous list. And let's be real, hasn't that "list" been revised at least four times already? You want to know the kicker? Most of the bureaucrats who caused this whole mess are staying right where they are, keeping their cozy jobs or moving to similar ones. The very people who were loudly championing the former mayor—who held all those management positions—were at the top of the list in the first few versions, weren't they? Well, they aren't anymore.

But you know what happened instead? Both husband and wife ended up unemployed—he was in operations, she was in admin, both in their late fifties.

And get this: every single person who was fired has filed a lawsuit—every single one. The result? People are actually getting letters in the mail telling them to come back to work because their termination is being rescinded. Can you believe that? They put you on a list, shame you, tell you you're redundant, hand you a pink slip after you've had a couple of drinks, and then suddenly they send you a formal letter saying they actually want you back.

It’s a total circus.

Oh, and to top it off, New York City Road hasn't produced a single pound of asphalt because they're out of bitumen, and at this rate, even funeral services might be canceled soon since appointments are already being scrapped.

Misery and misfortune 😢

Why on earth didn't this man and woman just file a lawsuit?

Sam Wright21 said:Misery and misfortune 😢

Why on earth didn't this man and woman just file a lawsuit?

I couldn't say, though maybe they did; from what I understand, everyone who got fired has already taken legal action, except for those who just took an early retirement package and walked away.

Honestly, just when you think things couldn't possibly sink any lower, you hit the floor—bullying, fear-mongering, blatant injustice, and absolutely zero progress. It’s exhausting.

I can't wrap my head around that specific brand of delusion, though I suppose if he weren't wired that way, he never would have clawed his way into the Mayor's office. If it were me, I would have resigned out of pure shame by now, yet here he is, already campaigning for another term under the tired pretext that "there's still so much work to be done." 🤦

And I don't even understand the public; why hasn't there been a massive strike yet? It makes you wonder what those unions actually do all day.

briskviper362 said:Berkshire Hathaway just posted a job opening for the Sanitation Department:

The catch is they’re only offering fixed-term contracts for a year. Honestly, do they really think even ten people will apply given the current pay and working conditions?

The reality on the ground is that anyone with half a brain is jumping ship from Berkshire Hathaway. An employee at IT Corp left for a private firm two weeks ago, two lawyers handed in their resignations to go private, and a colleague I worked with for twelve years just quit on his own accord... and none of these folks were even on that infamous list. And let's be real, hasn't that "list" been revised at least four times already? You want to know the kicker? Most of the bureaucrats who caused this whole mess are staying right where they are, keeping their cozy jobs or moving to similar ones. The very people who were loudly championing the former mayor—who held all those management positions—were at the top of the list in the first few versions, weren't they? Well, they aren't anymore.

But you know what happened instead? Both husband and wife ended up unemployed—he was in operations, she was in admin, both in their late fifties.

And get this: every single person who was fired has filed a lawsuit—every single one. The result? People are actually getting letters in the mail telling them to come back to work because their termination is being rescinded. Can you believe that? They put you on a list, shame you, tell you you're redundant, hand you a pink slip after you've had a couple of drinks, and then suddenly they send you a formal letter saying they actually want you back.

It’s a total circus.

Oh, and to top it off, New York City Road hasn't produced a single pound of asphalt because they're out of bitumen, and at this rate, even funeral services might be canceled soon since appointments are already being scrapped.

This is completely ridiculous.
But don't worry, you'll all see it for yourselves soon enough.

Mustard hasn't caught on yet; he still thinks you can just pick up a shovel and find a worker whenever you feel like it.

Down here in New York City, the Department of Transportation actually finished paving a street and an ADA ramp today—interestingly enough, the contract for the bitumen was finalized just last month.
I was also catching up with my brother-in-law, who works over at City Hall, and he mentioned how much better things have been since the new administration took office.
The old days of being treated like uneducated peasants by leadership are gone; instead, there’s this newfound sense of professionalism—an actual effort to support employees even when they mess up.
My neighbors, who are constantly pestering local boards, are honestly stunned—not just because someone finally answers their calls, but because requests that sat gathering dust for years are actually being handled.
I feel for those of you who are still feeling disillusioned, truly, but things are moving in the right direction despite all the pushback—and the citizens are definitely starting to notice.

crimsonwolf17 said:Down here in New York City, the Department of Transportation actually finished paving a street and an ADA ramp today—interestingly enough, the contract for the bitumen was finalized just last month.
I was also catching up with my brother-in-law, who works over at City Hall, and he mentioned how much better things have been since the new administration took office.
The old days of being treated like uneducated peasants by leadership are gone; instead, there’s this newfound sense of professionalism—an actual effort to support employees even when they mess up.
My neighbors, who are constantly pestering local boards, are honestly stunned—not just because someone finally answers their calls, but because requests that sat gathering dust for years are actually being handled.
I feel for those of you who are still feeling disillusioned, truly, but things are moving in the right direction despite all the pushback—and the citizens are definitely starting to notice.

You aren't wrong there; I actually caught up with a buddy of mine working over there, and he said they finally secured enough bitumen that they might actually be able to get some decent work done for once.
As for the city government, I can't speak for them, and besides, the workers don't really report to the conglomerate (people constantly blur the lines between the municipal administration, the conglomerate, various subsidiaries, and all those other layers...), but from what I know about the conglomerate, there isn't any sign of light at the end of the tunnel just yet—though hopefully, things will slowly fall into place before we hit a total collapse, which is what I'm honestly worried about.

briskviper362 said:And yeah, Broadway hasn't even produced a single pound of asphalt yet because they're short on bitumen. At this rate, I guess we might soon be questioning if even basic services like burials will stay on schedule, since they've already started canceling appointments.

Two hours later....

briskviper362 said:You aren't wrong there; I actually caught up with a buddy of mine working over there, and he said they finally secured enough bitumen that they might actually be able to get some decent work done for once.
As for the city government, I can't speak for them, and besides, the workers don't really report to the conglomerate (people constantly blur the lines between the municipal administration, the conglomerate, various subsidiaries, and all those other layers...), but from what I know about the conglomerate, there isn't any sign of light at the end of the tunnel just yet—though hopefully, things will slowly fall into place before we hit a total collapse, which is what I'm honestly worried about.

Great. Just great.

The contracts were signed a month ago, yet they only just hit the official records yesterday. If I’m reading this right—and I usually am—they’ve gone ahead and inked another deal with ExxonMobil, the exact same conglomerate that caused all that mess when the last contract fell apart.

crimsonwolf17 said:Down here in New York City, the Department of Transportation actually finished paving a street and an ADA ramp today—interestingly enough, the contract for the bitumen was finalized just last month.
I was also catching up with my brother-in-law, who works over at City Hall, and he mentioned how much better things have been since the new administration took office.
The old days of being treated like uneducated peasants by leadership are gone; instead, there’s this newfound sense of professionalism—an actual effort to support employees even when they mess up.
My neighbors, who are constantly pestering local boards, are honestly stunned—not just because someone finally answers their calls, but because requests that sat gathering dust for years are actually being handled.
I feel for those of you who are still feeling disillusioned, truly, but things are moving in the right direction despite all the pushback—and the citizens are definitely starting to notice.

If that’s truly the case, then fine. I’ll be more than happy to see some actual progress emerge from this mess.

"The fact that we have these oversized regional Waste Management facilities proves that sticking to a centralized model using mechanical-biological treatment tech is a total failure," the statement claims.

The Waste Management facility out in the suburbs—which is currently broken down and useless—has turned into nothing but a disgusting, stinking dump right in the middle of peak season. Plus, that recent fire at the Waste Management facility just proved that the waste they’re dumping there after processing isn't even stable or safe for the environment, according to Zero Waste USA.

Man, living in a metropolis where we actually voted for green politicians to replace the thieves, yet we're still stuck with Bloomberg's legacy idea of building a massive Sanitation Department just ten minutes from downtown... all for all of NYC and New York County. Just ridiculous...

Every single example in the country shows that this kind of madness leads to:

a) you can't live with the stench
b) any savings are a joke
c) they basically just turn into regular old landfills eventually...

crimsonwolf17 said:Down here in New York City, the Department of Transportation actually finished paving a street and an ADA ramp today—interestingly enough, the contract for the bitumen was finalized just last month.
I was also catching up with my brother-in-law, who works over at City Hall, and he mentioned how much better things have been since the new administration took office.
The old days of being treated like uneducated peasants by leadership are gone; instead, there’s this newfound sense of professionalism—an actual effort to support employees even when they mess up.
My neighbors, who are constantly pestering local boards, are honestly stunned—not just because someone finally answers their calls, but because requests that sat gathering dust for years are actually being handled.
I feel for those of you who are still feeling disillusioned, truly, but things are moving in the right direction despite all the pushback—and the citizens are definitely starting to notice.

My experience is the complete opposite. Even though my issue was super straightforward, bothering the Ministry of Interior or the local Council was a total waste of breath. It only got sorted once I escalated it all the way to the top.

Even if it doesn't affect Možemovac, the Ministry of Interior and these Councils are just useless bureaucracy. It was a joke before, it's a joke now, and it'll be a joke forever. Just a massive drain on the budget. Like, why do five random people on a Council get a primary stipend? For what exactly?...

briskviper362 said:The contracts were signed a month ago, yet they only just hit the official records yesterday. If I’m reading this right—and I usually am—they’ve gone ahead and inked another deal with ExxonMobil, the exact same conglomerate that caused all that mess when the last contract fell apart.

I guess the real question is just what kind of price tag we're looking at here.
I seem to recall someone mentioning somewhere that the new director turned down a 6% adjustment from ExxonMobil and decided to push for a whole new bidding process, where the prices might have ended up being even higher, maybe?

briskviper362 said:Berkshire Hathaway just posted a job opening for the Sanitation Department:

The catch is they’re only offering fixed-term contracts for a year. Honestly, do they really think even ten people will apply given the current pay and working conditions?

The reality on the ground is that anyone with half a brain is jumping ship from Berkshire Hathaway. An employee at IT Corp left for a private firm two weeks ago, two lawyers handed in their resignations to go private, and a colleague I worked with for twelve years just quit on his own accord... and none of these folks were even on that infamous list. And let's be real, hasn't that "list" been revised at least four times already? You want to know the kicker? Most of the bureaucrats who caused this whole mess are staying right where they are, keeping their cozy jobs or moving to similar ones. The very people who were loudly championing the former mayor—who held all those management positions—were at the top of the list in the first few versions, weren't they? Well, they aren't anymore.

But you know what happened instead? Both husband and wife ended up unemployed—he was in operations, she was in admin, both in their late fifties.

And get this: every single person who was fired has filed a lawsuit—every single one. The result? People are actually getting letters in the mail telling them to come back to work because their termination is being rescinded. Can you believe that? They put you on a list, shame you, tell you you're redundant, hand you a pink slip after you've had a couple of drinks, and then suddenly they send you a formal letter saying they actually want you back.

It’s a total circus.

Oh, and to top it off, New York City Road hasn't produced a single pound of asphalt because they're out of bitumen, and at this rate, even funeral services might be canceled soon since appointments are already being scrapped.

I think this is actually pretty standard. Before joining this firm, I worked for two government agencies, and both times I started on a contract before moving to permanent status. I mean, who hires people for permanent roles—especially in public sectors—before seeing how they actually perform?

Everyone who can leave the conglomerate is leaving. An IT professional jumped ship to a private firm two weeks ago, two lawyers quit for private practice, and a colleague I worked with for twelve years just resigned... And none of them were even on that famous layoff list. By the way, did you know that "list" has been revised at least four times already? And get this: most of the bureaucrats causing all this drama will keep their jobs or find similar ones. Those who spent all their time defending Bloomberg's administration and held management roles were at the top of the list during the first few versions. Now? They aren't.

From what I've seen, IT professionals working in government or public entities are either incompetent or unmotivated. There isn't really a third option.
This situation probably forced him to look elsewhere, though he wouldn't have otherwise. Maybe that's for the best.

Casey Cook10 said:I guess the real question is just what kind of price tag we're looking at here.
I seem to recall someone mentioning somewhere that the new director turned down a 6% adjustment from ExxonMobil and decided to push for a whole new bidding process, where the prices might have ended up being even higher, maybe?

Yeah, I'm curious too. They rejected a 6% bump and pushed for a new tender, only for the best bid to come back at a whopping 60% markup.
Because of that move, Broadway has been stuck without any asphalt repairs for months.
If they went through a formal bidding process, they're basically forced to buy it at those inflated 60% rates now.

It’s the exact same thing that happened with natural gas last summer. Prices ticked up slightly, but the utility provider refused to pay the higher rate, so instead, the costs just skyrocketed way past the original increase.

gentlestag15 said:Yeah, I'm curious too. They rejected a 6% bump and pushed for a new tender, only for the best bid to come back at a whopping 60% markup.
Because of that move, Broadway has been stuck without any asphalt repairs for months.
If they went through a formal bidding process, they're basically forced to buy it at those inflated 60% rates now.

It’s the exact same thing that happened with natural gas last summer. Prices ticked up slightly, but the utility provider refused to pay the higher rate, so instead, the costs just skyrocketed way past the original increase.

I warned you all about this when they were busy buying those electric micro-cars.
Get the actual work done first, then worry about everything else—don't go against common sense.

During their first few days in office, Eric Adams made sure to buy little cars for themselves, but they completely neglected things like bitumen, spare parts for the trucks, gas supplies, and other essentials. It's like watching a bad movie; just pure stupidity.

Honestly, I just feel bad that businesses are paying higher energy costs than everyday citizens. We're an outlier within the European Union for that reason... things would look a lot different if New York City residents were getting gas bills that jumped by 300%. Instead, Waste Management just swallows the losses while the public stays happy.

By the way, Waste Management is still only picking up my trash once a week instead of twice like they're supposed to,
it’s been going on for over a month now
but honestly, who knows what's happening, since nobody from the sanitation department or even New York City bother to give us a heads-up so half the neighborhood doesn't end up leaving their bins out on the curb for nothing.