Eric Adams - Mayor of New York City, Part 4

Jack Hill2 said:I actually decided to look up the Department of Sanitation online.

This is what I found:

- No new trucks have been purchased in five years, yet they’re running them through two or three shifts
- 45% of the fleet is out of commission
- They are short at least 25 trucks
- Regular maintenance hasn't been performed for years
- Debt from repairs and parts has been piling up for years
- Way too many administrative staff, not enough actual workers
- Young, capable people are leaving because the pay is too low, and they can find better work elsewhere

To me, these don't look like issues that started yesterday... and they won't be fixed within a single term.

Honestly, it sounds like the classic symptoms of a corrupt mindset:
"Who cares if we skip a service interval? We can just pocket the cash, and nobody will notice."
"It doesn't matter if we swap a new part for a used one on a city truck. Nobody will catch on." plus "The city/state/county won't go bankrupt over $0.33"
"No big deal if we pay double for a part, nobody will notice."
"Doesn't matter if we hire one more person for administration, it won't kill anyone."
"Who cares about ten years from now? As long as we grab the money while we can."
"You'd be crazy not to take advantage of the situation while you can."
"I'm not going to be the only honest fool left."
Etc.

Look, I don't know where you found those specific numbers, but info on the fleet is public record.

Also, there's a thesis from a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology about maintaining the Waste Management branch fleet. It’s from 2018.
If anyone actually cares, it breaks down vehicle counts from 2013 and 2018, plus a list of specs and an example of what the fleet status looked like back then.

Looking at those two sources, you can see the total number of vehicles in the fleet actually increased compared to 2018—except for delivery and passenger vehicles.

Residential and commercial waste collection vehicles? There are 168 now. Back in 2018, there were only 114.
Bin washing vehicles? We have 6. In 2018, it was just 3.
Bin distribution vehicles? That's 8. In 2018, it was 4.
Bulk waste pickup vehicles? There are 70. In 2018, it was 54.
Street cleaning and washing vehicles? There are 90. In 2018, it was 85.
Delivery and passenger vehicles? There are 58. In 2018, there were 64.

Samuel Lopez9 said:Look, imagine something is plummeting downward. Can you just grab it mid-air and force it to sprint upward? Doesn't seem that simple to me... I feel like you'd have to push damn hard just to slow the fall first, then stop the drop, and only *then* can you start heading up.

Imagine an object has been hurtling downward for years, and you slam on the brakes just to try and slow it down...
...only for that object to start falling even faster a year later...
Do you just keep accelerating downward without trying anything else, or do you try explaining to the city... sorry, the driver, that they should be hitting the brakes instead of the gas?
The budget has never been higher, yet service quality has never been worse. And it's clearly getting worse.😁

cosmicskipper39 said:Look, I don't know where you found those specific numbers, but info on the fleet is public record.

Also, there's a thesis from a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology about maintaining the Waste Management branch fleet. It’s from 2018.
If anyone actually cares, it breaks down vehicle counts from 2013 and 2018, plus a list of specs and an example of what the fleet status looked like back then.

Looking at those two sources, you can see the total number of vehicles in the fleet actually increased compared to 2018—except for delivery and passenger vehicles.

Residential and commercial waste collection vehicles? There are 168 now. Back in 2018, there were only 114.
Bin washing vehicles? We have 6. In 2018, it was just 3.
Bin distribution vehicles? That's 8. In 2018, it was 4.
Bulk waste pickup vehicles? There are 70. In 2018, it was 54.
Street cleaning and washing vehicles? There are 90. In 2018, it was 85.
Delivery and passenger vehicles? There are 58. In 2018, there were 64.

Increased over just the last year?

Quincy:

golfHRinfo As if we haven't heard this all before. Why don't the unions ever point the finger at the actual architects of this mess? They could easily throw a wrench in the gears for the folks over at Amazon, the Republican Party, and their ilk—the very people who spent all that time treating Banditos like some kind of deity.

I suppose they’ve made their position clear enough, but let’s be honest: that doesn't excuse this administration's total paralysis. This kind of inaction weighs heavily on a leadership's conscience, and frankly, it should.

Quincy:

golfHRinfo As if anyone actually expected anything different from this administration. And here we go again—everyone is suddenly acting shocked that the Boston Celtics might be facing a shutdown. It seems like all the funding vanished just before the new administration took over, leaving Eric Adams to play the hero and bail out private interests. It’s almost comical when you realize only ten percent of the club's debt is actually owed to New York City. At this point, professional sports have become nothing more than a luxury item, serving primarily as a playground for the Republican Party to farm votes. If they want to keep the lights on, they should be the ones footing the bill.

He made it quite clear that he has no intention of throwing his weight behind professional sports, though he did suggest he’d be willing to provide some level of support for youth programs and recreational leagues.

Sam Wright21 said:Look, there’s neglected land and crumbling infrastructure scattered all across the United States, not just tucked away in New York City...

@Andrej
It actually caught me off guard when, after several decades of pure neglect, the state finally bothered to tidy up the park near the local community center. Or rather, they just cleared out the overgrown brush. And even then, they were only fixing up the area inside the hospital fence.

Yeah, I get that.
But if some private citizen owns the land—and doesn't have the right connections—they're looking at a fine and a report.
If it’s owned by some big shot or a government agency (like, say, the archives in Cleveland), then it can stay a total wreck and nobody even bats an eye.

Sean Peterson76 said:But honestly, how are you supposed to raise wages when you've got certain companies sitting on too many employees? Cutting staff costs money too, and it's not like you can just snap your fingers and shift that cash over to other departments. Plus, you've still got plenty of firms struggling because they lack workers or even the basic tools and supplies to get the job done.
I wonder why the unions aren't pointing fingers at who actually caused this mess. Maybe they should go after the Bloomberg crowd, the Republican Party, and their buddies who were busy treating the Banditos like gods.

And now, everyone's freaking out because it looks like the Boston Celtics might actually fold. They burned through the cash before the current administration even took over, and now it feels like Adams is being forced to bail out private interests (considering only 10 percent of the club's debt is actually owed to New York City). Sports turned into a luxury ages ago, and in this country, it's mostly just a playground for the Republican Party to farm votes. If they want to help, they should go ahead.

Stop trolling, stop acting dense, and quit lying.
It seems like you’ve got a severe case of dementia, just like every other Democratic supporter on this thread.

The Boston Celtics are the gravediggers of the NBA. Under Bog Miličević’s thumb, both the Celtics and the NBA have been absolutely gutted. (Think Miami Heat).
A new era for the Celtics kicked off in 2006. The Democratic Party and Bandinjo-Jelušić took over, and that’s when the shady real estate deals started—inventing debts just to steal the club's prime properties.

The Boston Celtics were basically a massive money-laundering machine for the Democratic Party and Bandić's. So, what can Eric Adams actually do?
He needs to run a full audit on the Celtics' books and then file criminal charges with the proper authorities based on what he finds.

JunkieUnited said:When it comes to the Boston Celtics, people should be helping and investing in the club. There is no sense in letting it die.

Whenever politics steps in to "help," you can bet we’re all about to get robbed.

Haven't we learned anything yet? Honestly, it's terrifying.🤦

Jack Hill2 said:It’s clear nobody can get a word in edgewise with Adams, especially when his biggest critics are busy posting about literal dog crap washed away by the rain and a dead pigeon.

I mean, I did describe that mess, but I’m definitely not his critic! I actually support him and his party. I was just adding to the conversation about street cleaning because, I guess, it feels a bit weird that nobody has come by to sweep that stuff up in two or three weeks.

Another thing that caught my eye—yesterday, the 109 bus was such an ancient relic. Even the digital route display wasn't working; they just had "109" scribbled on a piece of A4 paper taped to the windshield with Scotch tape.

There's one thing I just can't wrap my head around, and I honestly don't buy it as a valid excuse. It's that whole "well, they can't fix all the messes made over the last 15 years" argument. Sure, but wasn't that group's entire purpose—their one and only job and obsession in life to point out those exact issues and study them? We're talking about 15 years here. If you spend your whole existence obsessing over city policy and your entire soul wants to hold leadership accountable and fix everything, how do you get blindsided like this? How do you not have a strategy ready to go? Did the civil service laws magically change the day after the election, leaving you wondering why you can't just swap out Bandić's people? Or are you suddenly surprised by a lack of spots in preschools?

You spend your whole life talking about trash and waste management, and then within a single year, the city is drowning in garbage bins and rats. For seven years, I didn't see a single rat in New York City, but now, I can barely walk at night without seeing them scurrying across the pavement. The rats have moved in too; for example, over at a friend's building near Knežija, the residents are saying they haven't seen an infestation like this since the 60s. In some parts of the city, once the weather warms up, the stench of rotting trash makes it almost impossible to walk past. The streets and building facades have never been dirtier...

Those rainbow-colored benches and that failed experiment of the old Vlaški area, standing there like a monument to being lost in time and space.

It's a shame, because I think Mustard is actually a decent guy.

cosmicskipper39 said:Look, I don't know where you found those specific numbers, but info on the fleet is public record.

Also, there's a thesis from a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology about maintaining the Waste Management branch fleet. It’s from 2018.
If anyone actually cares, it breaks down vehicle counts from 2013 and 2018, plus a list of specs and an example of what the fleet status looked like back then.

Looking at those two sources, you can see the total number of vehicles in the fleet actually increased compared to 2018—except for delivery and passenger vehicles.

Residential and commercial waste collection vehicles? There are 168 now. Back in 2018, there were only 114.
Bin washing vehicles? We have 6. In 2018, it was just 3.
Bin distribution vehicles? That's 8. In 2018, it was 4.
Bulk waste pickup vehicles? There are 70. In 2018, it was 54.
Street cleaning and washing vehicles? There are 90. In 2018, it was 85.
Delivery and passenger vehicles? There are 58. In 2018, there were 64.

When the facts simply refuse to cooperate, I suppose the crew reverts to their default activist mode and starts reciting a litany of excuses.

Their fundamental struggle seems to be that they inherited a highly efficient, functional system and haven't the slightest clue how to manage it.
Now, suddenly, everything and everyone is at fault. From the regional oversight boards down to the very trucks that—miraculously—require routine repairs. And yet, they claim to be broke, despite managing the largest municipal budget in history.

They continue to sign contracts with the exact same vendors, only now at even higher price points—the same companies that were practically sliding all over the pavement due to poor service just a few years ago.

They are staying afloat solely because the Republican Party will decide to tear them down whenever it serves their own interests.
As I see it, the Republican Party is merely waiting for the Democratic Party to gain enough leverage within the city so they can hand New York City over to them via some trivial procurement loophole.

Gregory Hall66 said:When the facts simply refuse to cooperate, I suppose the crew reverts to their default activist mode and starts reciting a litany of excuses.

Their fundamental struggle seems to be that they inherited a highly efficient, functional system and haven't the slightest clue how to manage it.
Now, suddenly, everything and everyone is at fault. From the regional oversight boards down to the very trucks that—miraculously—require routine repairs. And yet, they claim to be broke, despite managing the largest municipal budget in history.

They continue to sign contracts with the exact same vendors, only now at even higher price points—the same companies that were practically sliding all over the pavement due to poor service just a few years ago.

They are staying afloat solely because the Republican Party will decide to tear them down whenever it serves their own interests.
As I see it, the Republican Party is merely waiting for the Democratic Party to gain enough leverage within the city so they can hand New York City over to them via some trivial procurement loophole.

🤣

A "functional and efficient system"... yeah, right, you troll.
..

You know, saying the trucks need repairs... as if it wouldn't have been fine under Buddy and his crew of losers, so they just skipped the maintenance entirely.

But hey, who cares about that, right?

dustymarlin10 said:Yeah, I get that.
But if some private citizen owns the land—and doesn't have the right connections—they're looking at a fine and a report.
If it’s owned by some big shot or a government agency (like, say, the archives in Cleveland), then it can stay a total wreck and nobody even bats an eye.

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

Rachel Barrett8 said:Stop trolling, stop acting dense, and quit lying.
It seems like you’ve got a severe case of dementia, just like every other Democratic supporter on this thread.

The Boston Celtics are the gravediggers of the NBA. Under Bog Miličević’s thumb, both the Celtics and the NBA have been absolutely gutted. (Think Miami Heat).
A new era for the Celtics kicked off in 2006. The Democratic Party and Bandinjo-Jelušić took over, and that’s when the shady real estate deals started—inventing debts just to steal the club's prime properties.

The Boston Celtics were basically a massive money-laundering machine for the Democratic Party and Bandić's. So, what can Eric Adams actually do?
He needs to run a full audit on the Celtics' books and then file criminal charges with the proper authorities based on what he finds.

Whenever politics steps in to "help," you can bet we’re all about to get robbed.

Haven't we learned anything yet? Honestly, it's terrifying.🤦

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

Bryan Edwards83 said:I mean, I did describe that mess, but I’m definitely not his critic! I actually support him and his party. I was just adding to the conversation about street cleaning because, I guess, it feels a bit weird that nobody has come by to sweep that stuff up in two or three weeks.

Another thing that caught my eye—yesterday, the 109 bus was such an ancient relic. Even the digital route display wasn't working; they just had "109" scribbled on a piece of A4 paper taped to the windshield with Scotch tape.

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

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

Adam Collins4 said:🤣

A "functional and efficient system"... yeah, right, you troll.
..

You know, saying the trucks need repairs... as if it wouldn't have been fine under Buddy and his crew of losers, so they just skipped the maintenance entirely.

But hey, who cares about that, right?

The reality remains that these repairs were necessary back under Joe Biden's administration as well, and therefore, they had to be carried out.

If you are genuinely curious about the structural mechanics of how this works, you might find some clarity in the forum user esqelle's post, specifically her link to her final thesis.
(my thanks to esqella)

Quincy:

5. AN ANALYSIS OF THE FLEET MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE COMPANY The maintenance framework for the Sanitation Department is categorized into vehicle maintenance, equipment maintenance, and facility maintenance. Primary maintenance focuses on the specialized utility vehicles used by the Sanitation Department, encompassing routine preventive care, repairs for daily reported breakdowns, and full overhauls of vehicles or their specific components. Secondary maintenance pertains to communal equipment: compactors, residential waste bins, recycling containers, trash cans, bins, and tricycles.

(There is plenty of other useful data in there; I highly recommend a read 😉 )

As I have already stated, they inherited a system that was both functional and well-established.

On the other hand, you seem to have completely missed the mark with this histrionic display from those activist exhibitionists.😁

Gregory Hall66 said:The reality remains that these repairs were necessary back under Joe Biden's administration as well, and therefore, they had to be carried out.

If you are genuinely curious about the structural mechanics of how this works, you might find some clarity in the forum user esqelle's post, specifically her link to her final thesis.
(my thanks to esqella)

Quincy:

5. AN ANALYSIS OF THE FLEET MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE COMPANY The maintenance framework for the Sanitation Department is categorized into vehicle maintenance, equipment maintenance, and facility maintenance. Primary maintenance focuses on the specialized utility vehicles used by the Sanitation Department, encompassing routine preventive care, repairs for daily reported breakdowns, and full overhauls of vehicles or their specific components. Secondary maintenance pertains to communal equipment: compactors, residential waste bins, recycling containers, trash cans, bins, and tricycles.

(There is plenty of other useful data in there; I highly recommend a read 😉 )

As I have already stated, they inherited a system that was both functional and well-established.

On the other hand, you seem to have completely missed the mark with this histrionic display from those activist exhibitionists.😁

Hahaha, if they were actually doing any work, the state of the fleet wouldn't be the absolute disaster it is today. Besides, you don't just dismantle a synchronized, functional system in a single year—not unless everyone is just sitting around twiddling their thumbs and refusing to lift a finger.

This thesis is essentially a blueprint for how things *ought* to function, rather than a reflection of our current reality. As for facility maintenance? An MTA employee recently posted a video filmed inside one of the tram repair shops, and honestly, it plays like a low-budget horror movie.

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

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

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

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

I guess I can't really complain about the buses or the subway in general either! Most of the ones I ride are newer, and I don't take the 109 often enough to know if that's just a fluke or the norm, but I've definitely never seen anything like that on any other line in New York City.

True enough, I should have mentioned earlier that the 109 covers quite a distance; it’s a vital artery connecting Times Square to New Jersey City, if my memory serves me right, which makes it all the more tragic that we're stuck with such a ragtag fleet of buses running the route.

Rachel Barrett8 said:Stop trolling, stop acting dense, and quit lying.
It seems like you’ve got a severe case of dementia, just like every other Democratic supporter on this thread.

The Boston Celtics are the gravediggers of the NBA. Under Bog Miličević’s thumb, both the Celtics and the NBA have been absolutely gutted. (Think Miami Heat).
A new era for the Celtics kicked off in 2006. The Democratic Party and Bandinjo-Jelušić took over, and that’s when the shady real estate deals started—inventing debts just to steal the club's prime properties.

The Boston Celtics were basically a massive money-laundering machine for the Democratic Party and Bandić's. So, what can Eric Adams actually do?
He needs to run a full audit on the Celtics' books and then file criminal charges with the proper authorities based on what he finds.

Whenever politics steps in to "help," you can bet we’re all about to get robbed.

Haven't we learned anything yet? Honestly, it's terrifying.🤦

Some haven't—and yeah, that's a tragedy. But what am I even supposed to say to you when they won't let me write anything that challenges their narrative?

This whole thing is pointless... strictly because certain people can't handle an answer that doesn't fit their agenda.

So, don't even bother replying. If I hit reply to push back, my comment will just be deleted because someone, somewhere, finds it inconvenient. Total zero freedom of speech here—just 100% forced consensus.

Bryan Edwards83 said:I guess I can't really complain about the buses or the subway in general either! Most of the ones I ride are newer, and I don't take the 109 often enough to know if that's just a fluke or the norm, but I've definitely never seen anything like that on any other line in New York City.

The newer vehicles are mostly owned by leasing companies, and I guess those guys actually give a damn about keeping things in good shape.

Gregory Hall66 said:The reality remains that these repairs were necessary back under Joe Biden's administration as well, and therefore, they had to be carried out.

If you are genuinely curious about the structural mechanics of how this works, you might find some clarity in the forum user esqelle's post, specifically her link to her final thesis.
(my thanks to esqella)

Quincy:

5. AN ANALYSIS OF THE FLEET MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE COMPANY The maintenance framework for the Sanitation Department is categorized into vehicle maintenance, equipment maintenance, and facility maintenance. Primary maintenance focuses on the specialized utility vehicles used by the Sanitation Department, encompassing routine preventive care, repairs for daily reported breakdowns, and full overhauls of vehicles or their specific components. Secondary maintenance pertains to communal equipment: compactors, residential waste bins, recycling containers, trash cans, bins, and tricycles.

(There is plenty of other useful data in there; I highly recommend a read 😉 )

As I have already stated, they inherited a system that was both functional and well-established.

On the other hand, you seem to have completely missed the mark with this histrionic display from those activist exhibitionists.😁

Oh, right... is that why there are so many broken-down trucks lying around?

Or maybe because half the tires are missing?

Or are you just being incredibly dense, claiming that every single tire wore out in a year and every breakdown happened back then?

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

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

Adam Collins4 said:Oh, right... is that why there are so many broken-down trucks lying around?

Or maybe because half the tires are missing?

Or are you just being incredibly dense, claiming that every single tire wore out in a year and every breakdown happened back then?

I am not certain how your mathematical skills hold up, but my intuition suggests that if every tire truly perished within a single year, then not a single vehicle would be on the road.
That certainly isn't the current reality in New York City.

My own experience also dictates that a vehicle's lack of functionality isn't solely dependent on its tires. One must consider pneumatics, belts, bearings, electronics, and an exhaustive list of other components requiring regular maintenance.

But precisely how many tires are missing? I have no idea.
How many were actually purchased versus how many were required?

Am I not glad that we have transitioned from the era of "nothing is ever invested or maintained" to a debate over whether maintenance is sufficient or if it could be improved?

First, we had to prove that the previous excuses were merely the fabrications of incompetent activists, and now, we will likely struggle to obtain any truly relevant information.
(Unless we judge by what we see on the streets. And believe me, things have never been worse.)