Eric Adams - Mayor of New York City, Part 4

gentlestag15 said: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.

When reporters cornered the council regarding waste collection—specifically asking if residents would see lower bills since the service isn't being provided—the answer was pretty blunt:

We’re going to crack down harder on people who don't dispose of their trash properly.😁

What did you expect from socialists? A booming economy?🤦

Here’s my take on what was actually said:

"We're looking into some kind of compensation for citizens to make things right, while at the same time, the sanitation department is thinking about incentives for drivers—basically rewarding field workers based on how much trash they actually collect," Eric Adams stated.

driftingtinker said:Here’s my take on what was actually said:

"We're looking into some kind of compensation for citizens to make things right, while at the same time, the sanitation department is thinking about incentives for drivers—basically rewarding field workers based on how much trash they actually collect," Eric Adams stated.

Are they actually thinking about this?🤦

I hope the usual suspects and everyone else on this forum take a good, long year to think about their choices before they try to settle their bills.

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.

Here is the actual breakdown:
They just ordered 1,750 tons of bitumen at a unit price of roughly $1733 per ton, which totals about $3033333 for the whole 1,750 tons.

If you look back at the old contract, you can see ExxonMobil was selling bitumen at a unit price of approximately $967. According to media reports, they wanted to raise that price by just 6%, which would have meant an extra $1025 per ton.
Had they actually agreed to that, they would only be paying $1793167 for the 1,750 tons of bitumen today.

So, thanks to this little performance, we’re looking at a straight-up loss of $1240167

granitefox16 said: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?...

Their platform claims they’re focused on strengthening local governance, but honestly, it feels like just another hollow promise designed to sound meaningful to the average voter.

brightpuma said: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.

It’s just not right, and Eric Adams was completely justified in calling out this practice. A standard probationary period is perfectly normal; I mean, surely you don't actually believe that every single person working there is being brought on through temporary, short-term contracts?

Sam Wright21 said:Their platform claims they’re focused on strengthening local governance, but honestly, it feels like just another hollow promise designed to sound meaningful to the average voter.

It’s just not right, and Eric Adams was completely justified in calling out this practice. A standard probationary period is perfectly normal; I mean, surely you don't actually believe that every single person working there is being brought on through temporary, short-term contracts?

Yeah, I actually think they are. 🙂
They work on one-year contracts, and half of that is just a trial period. From what I've heard, that's pretty much the standard for all those government agencies and municipal conglomerates.
After that first year, some people get extended for another year, while others finally land a permanent role. It really just depends on the specific company.

briskviper362 said:Here is the actual breakdown:
They just ordered 1,750 tons of bitumen at a unit price of roughly $1733 per ton, which totals about $3033333 for the whole 1,750 tons.

If you look back at the old contract, you can see ExxonMobil was selling bitumen at a unit price of approximately $967. According to media reports, they wanted to raise that price by just 6%, which would have meant an extra $1025 per ton.
Had they actually agreed to that, they would only be paying $1793167 for the 1,750 tons of bitumen today.

So, thanks to this little performance, we’re looking at a straight-up loss of $1240167

Wait, do you honestly believe they locked in those prices back then just so ExxonMobil would bother fulfilling the delivery through to the end?

gentlestag15 said: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.

It happens every Tuesday ☕

Sam Wright21 said:Their platform claims they’re focused on strengthening local governance, but honestly, it feels like just another hollow promise designed to sound meaningful to the average voter.

It’s just not right, and Eric Adams was completely justified in calling out this practice. A standard probationary period is perfectly normal; I mean, surely you don't actually believe that every single person working there is being brought on through temporary, short-term contracts?

Oh sure, because they’re definitely going to respect every single local board and neighborhood council in the district when they screw over the landfill...

Funny how much they care about "empowering" local government suddenly.

Robin Jones2 said:Wait, do you honestly believe they locked in those prices back then just so ExxonMobil would bother fulfilling the delivery through to the end?

According to what’s been hitting the news lately, ExxonMobil pushed for a 6% hike, which got shut down immediately, and that’s exactly when things started falling apart.

The conflict of interest commission just weighed in on that whole Tesla situation today:

“Based on all the evidence and paperwork gathered for this case, the commission has advised the individual that this compensation—set at such a flat, lump-sum rate—is in direct violation of the municipal conglomerate’s company vehicle usage policy. Furthermore, using private vehicles for official business effectively counts as receiving extra pay for public duties, which is strictly prohibited under Article 7 d) of the ZSSI”

So, where does that leave us? 🤣☕🍿

brightpuma said:Yeah, I actually think they are. 🙂
They work on one-year contracts, and half of that is just a trial period. From what I've heard, that's pretty much the standard for all those government agencies and municipal conglomerates.
After that first year, some people get extended for another year, while others finally land a permanent role. It really just depends on the specific company.

Small correction here, kind of off-topic. Duke Energy offers direct permanent contracts. They do a one-month probation and then it's permanent right away. That's mostly for mechanical and electrical engineers, though. ExxonMobil was also similar, giving engineers permanent roles after their trial period. Generally, for high-demand jobs, they don't mess around with fixed-term contracts since they need people anyway, especially since those roles aren't always seen as attractive.

Back to the topic, looking at the last few pages, it seems like the current leadership first decided to halt everything and do the exact opposite of Bandić's approach, but then slowly realized they had to revert certain things back to how they were. Like Advent—since Advent brings in good revenue and New York City is short on cash.

Adam Diaz67 said:Small correction here, kind of off-topic. Duke Energy offers direct permanent contracts. They do a one-month probation and then it's permanent right away. That's mostly for mechanical and electrical engineers, though. ExxonMobil was also similar, giving engineers permanent roles after their trial period. Generally, for high-demand jobs, they don't mess around with fixed-term contracts since they need people anyway, especially since those roles aren't always seen as attractive.

Back to the topic, looking at the last few pages, it seems like the current leadership first decided to halt everything and do the exact opposite of Bandić's approach, but then slowly realized they had to revert certain things back to how they were. Like Advent—since Advent brings in good revenue and New York City is short on cash.

And that's exactly where we hit a wall. Everything left behind by the old guard was being stalled or systematically dismantled. What we’re seeing now is just the fallout from that approach combined with the global labor shortage and the looming crises on the horizon.

The municipal conglomerate basically operated under two flawed assumptions:
1. Every single job opening was rigged for Bandić's crew, so they should just cancel all of them.
2. Everyone working at the conglomerate is just an incompetent crony who hates the new leadership.

Now, Point 1 might have had some truth to it once upon a time, but look at us now—we still end up relying on the same old players because there's literally nobody else qualified to do the work. We're still stuck with ExxonMobil because they're the cheapest option, and so on. If you completely shut down public procurement like this, the consequences are going to haunt us all the way through next Easter.

As for Point 2, that's just plain false, isn't it? Half of these employees had nothing to do with building Bandić's inner circle, and it's honestly tragic that the very people who were praying for actual change are the ones getting hit the hardest right now. Meanwhile, the most vocal supporters of the old regime are quietly scrubbing their names from that infamous list that keeps getting revised.

briskviper362 said:And that's exactly where we hit a wall. Everything left behind by the old guard was being stalled or systematically dismantled. What we’re seeing now is just the fallout from that approach combined with the global labor shortage and the looming crises on the horizon.

The municipal conglomerate basically operated under two flawed assumptions:
1. Every single job opening was rigged for Bandić's crew, so they should just cancel all of them.
2. Everyone working at the conglomerate is just an incompetent crony who hates the new leadership.

Now, Point 1 might have had some truth to it once upon a time, but look at us now—we still end up relying on the same old players because there's literally nobody else qualified to do the work. We're still stuck with ExxonMobil because they're the cheapest option, and so on. If you completely shut down public procurement like this, the consequences are going to haunt us all the way through next Easter.

As for Point 2, that's just plain false, isn't it? Half of these employees had nothing to do with building Bandić's inner circle, and it's honestly tragic that the very people who were praying for actual change are the ones getting hit the hardest right now. Meanwhile, the most vocal supporters of the old regime are quietly scrubbing their names from that infamous list that keeps getting revised.

And that's exactly where we hit a wall. Everything left behind by the old guard was being stalled or systematically dismantled. What we’re seeing now is just the fallout from that approach combined with the global labor shortage and the looming crises on the horizon.

The municipal conglomerate basically operated under two flawed assumptions:
1. Every single job opening was rigged for Bandić's crew, so they should just cancel all of them.
2. Everyone working at the conglomerate is just an incompetent crony who hates the new leadership.

Now, Point 1 might have had some truth to it once upon a time, but look at us now—we still end up relying on the same old players because there's literally nobody else qualified to do the work. We're still stuck with ExxonMobil because they're the cheapest option, and so on. If you completely shut down public procurement like this, the consequences are going to haunt us all the way through next Easter.

As for Point 2, that's just plain false, isn't it? Half of these employees had nothing to do with building Bandić's inner circle, and it's honestly tragic that the very people who were praying for actual change are the ones getting hit the hardest right now. Meanwhile, the most vocal supporters of the old regime are quietly scrubbing their names from that infamous list that keeps getting revised.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.

driftingcrane18 said:And that's exactly where we hit a wall. Everything left behind by the old guard was being stalled or systematically dismantled. What we’re seeing now is just the fallout from that approach combined with the global labor shortage and the looming crises on the horizon.

The municipal conglomerate basically operated under two flawed assumptions:
1. Every single job opening was rigged for Bandić's crew, so they should just cancel all of them.
2. Everyone working at the conglomerate is just an incompetent crony who hates the new leadership.

Now, Point 1 might have had some truth to it once upon a time, but look at us now—we still end up relying on the same old players because there's literally nobody else qualified to do the work. We're still stuck with ExxonMobil because they're the cheapest option, and so on. If you completely shut down public procurement like this, the consequences are going to haunt us all the way through next Easter.

As for Point 2, that's just plain false, isn't it? Half of these employees had nothing to do with building Bandić's inner circle, and it's honestly tragic that the very people who were praying for actual change are the ones getting hit the hardest right now. Meanwhile, the most vocal supporters of the old regime are quietly scrubbing their names from that infamous list that keeps getting revised.

Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
I see where you're coming from, I really do, but that's just not how things work here. Out of eleven openings for department heads, only five were filled, and not one single person was picked from within the municipal conglomerate. All eleven applicants were internal candidates, so do you honestly believe every single one of them was so incompetent that they weren't qualified? It seems they'd much rather grab someone off a job board and hand them an operational leadership role than promote anyone from the inside.
And what about those other six vacancies? They were just canceled. That's the textbook definition of playing favorites, except this time it's the interests of the new administration. They'd rather have nobody in charge than someone from the old guard. They went looking desperately for outside talent, but it turns out there simply wasn't a pool of experts willing to jump in and satisfy the whims of the new political party.

I can't speak to those with "different" contracts, but I don't think it's quite what you're suggesting, because during the first wave, they managed to shake off a good chunk of the cronies, and now everyone who survived that initial purge is slowly trickling out. It's not even about their current contracts, since the crew is actually landing new ones and even moving into management roles.

briskviper362 said:Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.

Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
I see where you're coming from, I really do, but that's just not how things work here. Out of eleven openings for department heads, only five were filled, and not one single person was picked from within the municipal conglomerate. All eleven applicants were internal candidates, so do you honestly believe every single one of them was so incompetent that they weren't qualified? It seems they'd much rather grab someone off a job board and hand them an operational leadership role than promote anyone from the inside.
And what about those other six vacancies? They were just canceled. That's the textbook definition of playing favorites, except this time it's the interests of the new administration. They'd rather have nobody in charge than someone from the old guard. They went looking desperately for outside talent, but it turns out there simply wasn't a pool of experts willing to jump in and satisfy the whims of the new political party.

I can't speak to those with "different" contracts, but I don't think it's quite what you're suggesting, because during the first wave, they managed to shake off a good chunk of the cronies, and now everyone who survived that initial purge is slowly trickling out. It's not even about their current contracts, since the crew is actually landing new ones and even moving into management roles.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
I see where you're coming from, I really do, but that's just not how things work here. Out of eleven openings for department heads, only five were filled, and not one single person was picked from within the municipal conglomerate. All eleven applicants were internal candidates, so do you honestly believe every single one of them was so incompetent that they weren't qualified? It seems they'd much rather grab someone off a job board and hand them an operational leadership role than promote anyone from the inside.
And what about those other six vacancies? They were just canceled. That's the textbook definition of playing favorites, except this time it's the interests of the new administration. They'd rather have nobody in charge than someone from the old guard. They went looking desperately for outside talent, but it turns out there simply wasn't a pool of experts willing to jump in and satisfy the whims of the new political party.

I can't speak to those with "different" contracts, but I don't think it's quite what you're suggesting, because during the first wave, they managed to shake off a good chunk of the cronies, and now everyone who survived that initial purge is slowly trickling out. It's not even about their current contracts, since the crew is actually landing new ones and even moving into management roles.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
I see where you're coming from, I really do, but that's just not how things work here. Out of eleven openings for department heads, only five were filled, and not one single person was picked from within the municipal conglomerate. All eleven applicants were internal candidates, so do you honestly believe every single one of them was so incompetent that they weren't qualified? It seems they'd much rather grab someone off a job board and hand them an operational leadership role than promote anyone from the inside.
And what about those other six vacancies? They were just canceled. That's the textbook definition of playing favorites, except this time it's the interests of the new administration. They'd rather have nobody in charge than someone from the old guard. They went looking desperately for outside talent, but it turns out there simply wasn't a pool of experts willing to jump in and satisfy the whims of the new political party.

I can't speak to those with "different" contracts, but I don't think it's quite what you're suggesting, because during the first wave, they managed to shake off a good chunk of the cronies, and now everyone who survived that initial purge is slowly trickling out. It's not even about their current contracts, since the crew is actually landing new ones and even moving into management roles.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
I see where you're coming from, I really do, but that's just not how things work here. Out of eleven openings for department heads, only five were filled, and not one single person was picked from within the municipal conglomerate. All eleven applicants were internal candidates, so do you honestly believe every single one of them was so incompetent that they weren't qualified? It seems they'd much rather grab someone off a job board and hand them an operational leadership role than promote anyone from the inside.
And what about those other six vacancies? They were just canceled. That's the textbook definition of playing favorites, except this time it's the interests of the new administration. They'd rather have nobody in charge than someone from the old guard. They went looking desperately for outside talent, but it turns out there simply wasn't a pool of experts willing to jump in and satisfy the whims of the new political party.

I can't speak to those with "different" contracts, but I don't think it's quite what you're suggesting, because during the first wave, they managed to shake off a good chunk of the cronies, and now everyone who survived that initial purge is slowly trickling out. It's not even about their current contracts, since the crew is actually landing new ones and even moving into management roles.
Assumption 2

Your attempt at analysis is interesting. It reminds me of the old days when kids from Brooklyn would go looking for fights with kids from Queens or try to sell bricks on the corner.

That narrative of yours—about the good guys who weren't part of Bandić's crew and are now
getting screwed—is pretty predictable.

In a real company, you know who does quality work. Fanaticism doesn't play a role in job descriptions or compensation packages.

The loudest Bandić supporters probably just had different types of employment contracts, which is why they were so vocal. No employer is going to protect people who openly discredit them.
I see where you're coming from, I really do, but that's just not how things work here. Out of eleven openings for department heads, only five were filled, and not one single person was picked from within the municipal conglomerate. All eleven applicants were internal candidates, so do you honestly believe every single one of them was so incompetent that they weren't qualified? It seems they'd much rather grab someone off a job board and hand them an operational leadership role than promote anyone from the inside.
And what about those other six vacancies? They were just canceled. That's the textbook definition of playing favorites, except this time it's the interests of the new administration. They'd rather have nobody in charge than someone from the old guard. They went looking desperately for outside talent, but it turns out there simply wasn't a pool of experts willing to jump in and satisfy the whims of the new political party.

I can't speak to those with "different" contracts, but I don't think it's quite what you're suggesting, because during the first wave, they managed to shake off a good chunk of the cronies, and now everyone who survived that initial purge is slowly trickling out. It's not even about their current contracts, since the crew is actually landing new ones and even moving into management roles.
I see where you're coming from, I really do, but that's just not how things work here. Out of eleven openings for department heads, only five were filled, and not one single person was picked from within the municipal conglomerate. All eleven applicants were internal candidates, so do you honestly believe every single one of them was so incompetent that they weren't qualified? It seems they'd much rather grab someone off a job board and hand them an operational leadership role than promote anyone from the inside.
And what about those other six vacancies? They were just canceled. That's the textbook definition of playing favorites, except this time it's the interests of the new administration. They'd rather have nobody in charge than someone from the old guard. They went looking desperately for outside talent, but it turns out there simply wasn't a pool of experts willing to jump in and satisfy the whims of the new political party.

I can't speak to those with "different" contracts, but I don't think it's quite what you're suggesting, because during the first wave, they managed to shake off a good chunk of the cronies, and now everyone who survived that initial purge is slowly trickling out. It's not even about their current contracts, since the crew is actually landing new ones and even moving into management roles.
I see where you're coming from, I really do, but that's just not how things work here. Out of eleven openings for department heads, only five were filled, and not one single person was picked from within the municipal conglomerate. All eleven applicants were internal candidates, so do you honestly believe every single one of them was so incompetent that they weren't qualified? It seems they'd much rather grab someone off a job board and hand them an operational leadership role than promote anyone from the inside.
And what about those other six vacancies? They were just canceled. That's the textbook definition of playing favorites, except this time it's the interests of the new administration. They'd rather have nobody in charge than someone from the old guard. They went looking desperately for outside talent, but it turns out there simply wasn't a pool of experts willing to jump in and satisfy the whims of the new political party.

I can't speak to those with "different" contracts, but I don't think it's quite what you're suggesting, because during the first wave, they managed to shake off a good chunk of the cronies, and now everyone who survived that initial purge is slowly trickling out. It's not even about their current contracts, since the crew is actually landing new ones and even moving into management roles.



New contracts definitely look different from the old ones. Usually, they aren't changing them because the old terms were already fundamentally different.

Roger James2 said:The conflict of interest commission just weighed in on that whole Tesla situation today:

“Based on all the evidence and paperwork gathered for this case, the commission has advised the individual that this compensation—set at such a flat, lump-sum rate—is in direct violation of the municipal conglomerate’s company vehicle usage policy. Furthermore, using private vehicles for official business effectively counts as receiving extra pay for public duties, which is strictly prohibited under Article 7 d) of the ZSSI”

So, where does that leave us? 🤣☕🍿

Honestly, they clearly have no idea how to play the game. You don't do flat rates; you just file fake mileage reports and walk away with even more than those $2667

That’s why a company car is honestly the most seamless way to go. You’ve got it available 24/7, it counts as taxable fringe benefits, and that's basically it. Just a fuel card with a set limit and an ENC device for tolls, and you're all set. I mean, realistically, how many miles is some director at a municipal holding company actually driving when they could just hop on the subway to visit all their different branches?

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 personally think this is just a matter of skewed public perception. A job posting like this will always draw in a certain number of applicants.
So many people lost their jobs during this transition period. A huge chunk of the population falls into that 45-55 age bracket, and many have been unemployed for a long time. Some just haven't kept up with technological shifts, which obviously makes finding new opportunities much harder. If we're talking about a one-year temporary gig, any employed person could use the extra cash to bolster their household budget.

How many people out there are scavenging through dumpsters or walking miles just to find a plastic bottle or a decent piece of clothing? You can really feel a deep, long-standing poverty creeping through the streets of New York City. Plenty of retirees are working part-time just to supplement those meager pensions.

The hypothesis that the desire to work or earn an income simply doesn't exist is, in my opinion, highly debatable and frankly lacks any real basis.👍

Gingerina vividraven79 said:I mean, people say the theft isn't happening anymore, but honestly, I’m not so sure about that. I keep seeing all these pointless little projects popping up everywhere, and somehow they always end up costing three times what they should. It’s almost funny—if you can call it that—that he actually turned out to be competent enough to stick to his platform like he promised, which was a bit of a surprise, I guess. But lately, it feels like he just doesn't really care about any of that anymore.

I haven't really had the chance to drop by this thread at all this year, though I do remember you being one of those die-hard supporters of the Progressive Party over on Reddit.

So, they’re finally getting around to fixing up that pedestrian path running alongside the south side of St. Monica's Recreation Center. Since I’ve been passing by there a bit more frequently lately, I’ve actually had enough time to notice that the work seems pretty solid, I guess. It looks like they’re being quite thorough about applying the layers properly, which is a nice change of pace. There’s also a decent chance they might throw in a bike lane while they're at it, too.👍

I mean, if you look back at how things used to be, even decades ago, it’s like nothing ever actually got fixed or renovated around here. It just stayed exactly the same, I guess.🥱
The whole path is basically shot, honestly. Everyone just ends up gravitating toward that one smooth section right near the fence—you've got pedestrians, cyclists, people pushing strollers, even those heavy-duty grocery carts all squeezing into the same spot because, well, what else can they do? And don't even get me started on when it actually rains; the surface gets totally flooded, like we’re talking five to ten centimeters of standing water just sitting there. It's a mess.

You really have to keep one thing in mind at all times:
You know, I was thinking about those nightmare property disputes—the kind where the legal ownership of the land or the actual living space is just such a massive, tangled mess that you don't even know where to start. It’s wild. I guess you see stuff like this in certain parts of New York City, where you have these apartments where two completely different owners somehow end up sharing the exact same unit through the same front door. And then, because they have to make it work, they end up building these makeshift, DIY partitions to split a kitchen right down the middle. Or they'll take a decent-sized living room, hack it in half, and turn one side into a bedroom just to cram someone in. Then everyone ends up fighting over a single balcony, and they somehow cobble together two improvised bathrooms. It’s just this incredibly bizarre way for total strangers to live in close quarters, I suppose. Truly strange.

When it comes to deciding when to actually jump into a renovation or some kind of revitalization project, you always run into this inevitable friction where one homeowner is totally on board and ready to go, but then you’ve got another neighbor who just can't swing it—mostly because they're living on a fixed Social Security check and have to prioritize basic groceries and their medical bills over anything else.

So, there’s this one person who owns a piece of land that they aren't even using, which is just... I don't know, kind of a waste, right? They’re refusing to agree to sell it, even though we could actually build something useful with it—like a municipal daycare, a senior living facility, or maybe an educational center to actually get people informed. And honestly, I guess it's not just one spot; you see plenty of examples like this all over New York City, both downtown and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Nobody seems willing to step up and agree to a collective sale either, where they could just tear down those annoying partitions and sell the units as one large, cohesive space instead. If they did that, the money from the sale would probably cover two smaller apartments, which might actually be more practical. Plus, it would eliminate all that constant friction and the endless bickering over guests, noise complaints, or people coming home late at night. But people can be so incredibly stubborn sometimes. I suppose they’d rather just stay stuck in these miserable, forced living situations, feeding off that petty bitterness and constant gossiping. For some of them, I guess that kind of malicious resentment is basically their only way of socializing or feeling like they're actually participating in civic life.

It’s kind of a shame, really, that so many people just don't seem to get the whole ecological value thing. You hear them complaining constantly about how the grass isn't being mowed or whatever, but I guess they don't realize that leaving the grass alone is actually what helps biodiversity thrive. Like, honestly, having unmown patches, native wildflowers, shrubs, and all that greenery provides actual protection for so many different species of animals. It’s how you actually create life, I suppose.👍 Constant, relentless mowing is honestly such a disaster for the local ecosystem—it basically wipes out all the life in the soil, leaves the ground way too exposed to the Sun, and makes everything dry out much faster than it should. It’s kind of hilarious, really, watching these newly minted critics suddenly acting like they live and breathe lawn maintenance, as if a perfectly manicured yard is some kind of moral crusade.🤣 Suddenly, everyone’s acting like they actually care about the kids, even though those poor little things are basically sitting there in agony just waiting for the grass to finally be mowed so they can actually run around without getting eaten alive by some fatal tick.🙄

I mean, if you actually take a second to think about it, it’s pretty obvious that anyone with even a shred of common sense can see this whole thing is just pure melodrama, honestly—it's just a bunch of poorly constructed arguments that don't really hold any water when you look at them closely.😁

I mean, look, criticism is fine, I guess, provided it actually has some substance behind it. But unfortunately, New York City has been neglected for way too long. There’s just been this continuous streak of total lack of maintenance. And because of that fact, I suppose we need an equally continuous commitment to actually taking care of things.

A continuous streak of neglect spanning maybe 22 to 32 years.
A continuous streak of actual maintenance lasting about a year and two months.

It’s kind of impossible for anyone to improve something if it’s been systematically ignored for decades.

For instance, nobody really noticed the cleanup of all that accumulated trash under the bridge over by the Brooklyn outskirts, near the main landfill site. It’s basically been a dumping ground for ages. Now, you can't even recognize the waste anymore. That whole area actually has potential, if you think about it—maybe planting some trees, adding flowers, putting in some benches, ripping up those old concrete slabs, and repairing the bridge structure itself. You could even set up a few stalls where local farmers could sell organic produce. The space could actually feel inviting, rather than just being this awkward transit zone next to a dump.

And honestly, citizens could probably organize themselves, too; neighborhood reps could let people know if they actually wanted to clean up the areas right in front of their own buildings.
If you get 100 or 200 enthusiasts in every single district, that’s at least 100 or 200 bags of sorted trash that could be disposed of properly. Most apartment complexes have like 10 to 15 buildings. You can always find 100 enthusiasts to help out so a truck can haul the waste away. I actually saw a garbage truck out last night, just the other evening. It was Friday night. They don't really have the time to pick up trash from lawns, concrete, or bushes after dark. But, they do reliably pick up whatever has been put out correctly. The thing is, people often seem to think they can just toss batteries, fruit scraps, old rugs, clothes, plastic bags, and cardboard all into the same bin. There are always plenty of those "enthusiasts" around, I guess.