Come Jan. 1, Mayor-elect Eric Adams will likely be handed the keys to Metropolis Corridor — and a heap of issues left behind by Mayor Invoice de Blasio, together with a criminal offense surge, union resistance over the COVID-19 mandate and $5 billion budget deficit, to call just a few.
“Eric acknowledged in his victory speech that there are a lot of challenges in New York City,” mentioned former metropolis Councilman David Greenfield, who heads the anti-poverty group Met Council.
“From public safety to budget issues to housing, we could certainly use the kind of vision and focus that he brings to the job.”
He added, “There are a lot of hopes that are riding on his mayoralty. Some mayors start with one or two challenges — he’s starting out with a half dozen.”
Right here’s a take a look at the combined bag of issues Adams is inheriting from his predecessor:
Crime
There have been 1,324 shootings throughout the 5 boroughs thus far this 12 months, which isn’t solely up from the 1,299 reported over the identical 10-month interval final 12 months, it’s nonetheless greater than double the rate seen in New York City pre-pandemic.
And town’s homicide charge is ready to exceed 400 for the second 12 months in a row for the primary time since 2010 and 2011.
In the meantime, the NYPD remains to be attempting to restore its relationships with metropolis lawmakers and minority neighborhoods after its dealing with of last summer’s George Floyd protests.
“He’s got a much higher shooting and homicide rate. He’s got morale issues in the department,” mentioned Chris Herrmann, an affiliate professor at CUNY’s John Jay Faculty of Legal Justice, who was as soon as a criminal offense statistics knowledgeable on the NYPD.
And, he added, “He’s going to have to figure out how to recruit in a community with fractured relationships.”
Adams, a former NYPD captain, has pledged to convey again and reform the NYPD’s controversial ant-crime unit to crack down on drug and gun violence.
“It’s going to be a tug of war,” mentioned Maria Haberfeld, who teaches police science at John Jay. “The challenge for Adams will be to bring back aggressive policing tactics, while not throwing out the progress from the last eight years.”
COVID-19
Hizzoner’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for metropolis employees has compelled a showdown with FDNY unions, with the number of smoke eaters calling in sick greater than double the same old ranges on the primary day of the order alone.
Officers have described it as an organized sick-out, which the unions have denied.
Sanitation workers also staged a slowdown that left trash piling up in southern Brooklyn and on Staten Island for days, forcing officers to order Sunday shifts to get caught up.
And hundreds of cops have filed for medical exemptions, which is able to take weeks to course of.
De Blasio and well being officers have defended the mandate, mentioning that they’ve pushed the general vaccination charge to 92 p.c of metropolis employees with no less than one shot.
Adams backs the mandate however has mentioned that he would have struck offers with municipal labor unions earlier than implementing them.
The vaccination order has large title supporters among the many metropolis’s civil rights activists who wish to see officers do much more.
“We’re not out of the woods with COVID in the black and brown communities,” mentioned Hazel Dukes, the longtime head of the New York state chapter of the NAACP. “[Adams] will have to address the continued need for people to get vaccinated.”
“I’ve been vaccinated since I was a child. I didn’t die,” she added. “This issue should have never been turned into a political football.”
A vacant Midtown
Solely a few third of Manhattan’s workplace employees have returned to their desks within the workplace because the COVID-19 pandemic continues to play out.
“It’s gonna be a big challenge,” mentioned Kathy Wylde, the top of the Partnership for New York Metropolis, a voice for the Massive Apple’s enterprise group. “There are more uncertainties facing the city than since immediately following 9/11.”
If the shift to distant work stays everlasting, it may shake property values in Manhattan and push extra New Yorkers to rethink whether or not town’s facilities — its museums, theaters, eating places and bustle — outweigh its prices in excessive taxes and costly rents.
“They don’t have to pay a premium to live close to their job in the city anymore,” she added.
Price range mess
These declines in property evaluations are partially chargeable for deficits Adams will face as quickly as he steps within the door at Metropolis Corridor, which the Residents Price range Fee estimates already attain $5 billion yearly.
De Blasio’s most up-to-date funds got here in at a record-setting $98.7 billion — floated largely by an enormous injection of COVID-19 help from a federal rescue bundle.
“He needs to close that budget gap and the best way to do it is to have more efficient services rather than service cuts,” mentioned Andrew Rein, the CBC’s president. “We need to prioritize — focus on what’s important and deliver it in the most efficient way. The alternative is to massively cut services or have tax increases.”
Disaster underground
Adams should lean on his days as a transit cop to deal with ongoing problems with crime and psychological sickness within the subway system.
A 50 percent spike in thefts concentrating on metropolis straphangers drove an total enhance in felony subway crime in September, in keeping with NYPD information — reversing months of declines after Hizzoner lastly boosted patrols during rush hour.
Metropolis Corridor’s determination to ship one other 250 patrols underground got here after a string of vicious assaults spurred a disagreement between the MTA and de Blasio, with the MTA accusing the mayor of “negligence.”
The transit company later credited the inflow of cops with lowering the crime charge over the summer season — till the latest uptick in pickpocketing under floor.
