Brooklyn — Councilman David G. Greenfield is outraged at New York City’s gross mismanagement of its blizzard response and is calling on the City to accept full responsibility for the consequences, including endangering the lives of countless New Yorkers waiting for emergency response vehicles hindered by deplorable street conditions.
Greenfield, who represents the Boro Park, Midwood and Bensonhurst sections of Brooklyn, was shocked at the conditions as he walked the streets of his district this afternoon. “I’ve lived here my entire life,” said Greenfield, “and I’ve never seen the streets this way after a major snowstorm. We’ve seen significant snowfall in 2006, 2003, 1996 and even as recently as February of this year, but what I’m seeing on the streets today is unprecedented. It can only be described as shameful mismanagement at the highest levels of city government.”
Councilman Greenfield attributes the extremely hazardous conditions to Mayor Bloomberg’s personnel reductions at the Department of Sanitation, which left the Department short 400 sanitation workers.
“Here in Brooklyn we are used to being treated as step-children to Manhattan, waiting for available plows. But, there are major streets in my district that haven’t seen a plow at all,” Greenfield exclaimed. “There are even emergency response vehicles trapped in snow drifts because of unplowed streets. Quite frankly, I’ve never seen such a wholesale failure of government to provide basic services.”
Greenfield made a point of opening his office today to respond to numerous constituent complaints. Since last night, Greenfield has personally been working the phones trying to resolve a variety of snow-related issues. From sending assistance to a Boro Park – Williamsburg bus that was stuck on the BQE for five hours en route to Williamsburg, to clearing many main arteries in his district including 60th Street, 39th Street, Avenue N and Avenue I, Greenfield is doing whatever he can to assist constituents. Greenfield is currently directing resources to 49th Street, the block in his district leading to Maimonides Hospital, as well as Avenue J.
“The bottom line is that we owe a debt of gratitude to the outstanding men and women of the Sanitation Department, NYPD, NYFD and OEM. They selflessly left their families to serve their communities in incredibly dangerous conditions. Unfortunately, their superiors were woefully unprepared for this storm, leaving all New Yorkers in a ditch.”
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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32 Responses
HE IS SO RIGHT,
THE CITY IS MESSED UP
I dont know why we are thanking the sanitation workers so fast, I dont even know if theyre working today, I think theyre having a snow day
stop makeing nice to these people . that is what they are paid to do . if you want to tell them thanks , do it after a job is well done.
So he’s out there shoveling???????
If such a large storm hits only about once every ten years, how much in extra taxes do you want to pay for the sort of equipment that, say, Montreal, keeps on hand. Ask everyone if they want an extra fraction of a percent added to the taxes to cover the costs of hiring people and purchasing equipment that will be needed once a decade.
How many people, using their own money, keep several days supply of food, water and heat (a generator, a kerosene heater) against the possibility of a multi-day loss of utilities and access to stores?
Perhaps the best approach is to enjoy a day at home, learn with the kids, and realize that neither Mr. Bloomberg nor Mr. Greenfield is actually in charge of the weather (oops, I forgot the later is a Democrat, and they believe they can legislate about weather, e.g. their laws against global warming, which do seem very effective as of late)
I’m outraged as well!
You wanted tax cuts, you got tax cuts. You wanted funding cuts, you got funding cuts. You wanted smaller government, you got smaller government.
Now, weird as it seems, you’re getting smaller services. You get what you pay for. You don’t want to pay for government then there aren’t any government services.
400 workers short – that’s the figure I’ve read about the personnel shortfall in the Sanitation Department.
You got what you wanted, so why are you complaining?
Just count how many typos there are in this piece. A little more zehirus and you could teach a lot of people how to write well. Instead, you opt for speed and carelessness and it’s a shame.
IT IS NOW 6:15 AND ON EAST 29 ST BETWEEN I & J, WE HAVE NOT YET HAD A SNOW PLOW. NO CAR HAS PASSED THROUGH ALL DAY!! THIS IS REMINISCENT OF MAYOR LINDSEY’S PERFORMANCE IN THE 70’S. IT CAN’T BE ATTRIBUTED SOLELY TO THE LAYOFF OF 400 WORKERS.
the plows are in times square preparing for new years eve
It’s really crazy. Seems like they’ll just wait for all this snow to melt.
A relative of mine passed away last night because ambulances couldn’t get there quick enough when he went into cardiac arrest.
What will become of our crazy country? They all seem to be working on wrong things.
Stupid Bloomberg. Squeeze every last penny out of us, but when we need some decent service, he’s not here. We’re not asking for THAT much.
My wife can go into labor at any moment w/o a way to the hospital chv”sh
I am a republican but not crazy.
Have we gotten any tax cuts or less tickets I would think that’s the price but as of now trafic agents are being hired & sanitation workers fired
If I pay NYC taxes I want something in return
Not bike lanes, not Pedestrian safty (fire danger) islands and not new traffic patterns (that only makes traffic move slow) or any other “bloomberg brainstorm”
I wonder if any of this is being orchestrated by the sanitation employees?
Mayor Mike Bloomberg Shame On You!
he is trying to Cut the Budget so he didnt send Plow Trucks
but in the same time the City Lost More Money!
the city is crippled no buisness the city lost millions
he is steping over the dollars & picking up the pennys…
I wonder if things would have been different if this was a week when the public schools in the city were open.
Sorry Mr. Greenfield and all other politicians blaming the mayor and city administration -you’re to blame also. In order to have proper snow removal, it has to be in the budget. You cut taxes, which people want, but what they don’t want is lack of city services. If you want to cut taxes -cut the pork barrel spending, not the services.
Lucky for you, most people can’t figure this out!
To Nor_besimcha: beshaa tova
I get to lose another day’s pay for the street I live on has not been plowed despite the fact ambulances need to get to Maimonides Hospital from Flatbush and not a single car passed this block since yesterday.
How about if we try not doing our work one day just because you and I would be fired SO maybe its time to tell Mr Mayor you overstepped your welcome
Thank God we had a massive storm. It gives Greenfield something else to jump up and down about.
Mayor Bloomberg’s street, well-cleared of winter debris.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/12/27/blogs/27cityroom-mayors-street/27cityroom-mayors-street-blog480.jpg
Cut taxes? In NYC? What are you drinking?
Bloomberg has certainly given a lame duck performance. We had a few blizzards last year, and there was much better performance by DOS. If the city has to contract out to get streets cleared because they’ve cut staff, then so be it. Train some ticket agents to drive plows while they have a day off because alternate and meters are suspended. Otherwise, they’re just lazing around.
one possible reason for E 29th street not having been plowed (aside for the fact that neither has 28th, 27th, 26th, etc.) is that there is a car parked horizontally across E 29th and Avenue I, if the plow went in, it would never get out.
Midwest,
Before you mess up again while going with the roam of liberalism, let me tell you this: do some research!
Firstly, New York City residents haven’t heard about tax cuts in years. Yes, the federal government recently extended the tax cuts, but are you expecting the feds to provide snow removal too?
I don’t know about the midwest (listen, with a Governor like Pawlenty or Daniels etc. – lowering taxes all the time – it sounds good to bash Republicans all the time – we actually feel liberalism), but here in NYC we only experienced tax increases in recent years. Understandably, the liberals won’t be happy until the millionaire tax is initiated as well (moving ALL of the New Yorkers to Texas); fortunately, Mayor Bloomberg, a liberal in nature, understands the effect that will have on the city.
Secondly, here’s your mistake. Republicans want the government to work. Period. Taxes were created to serve citizens and not to collect revenue. As the progressives hijacked this country, services were decreased as earmarked and transfer payments took its place. Today, tax is collected to spread the wealth and the extras might go for services. It is the fiscal conservatives that want a strong military; effective servicemen, police officers, firemen; garbage pickups; and timely snow removal among other necessary services. It is the “bridges to nowhere” and the “unemployment extensions” that live off our expense and the expense of our quality of life. Spending money we don’t have on the wrong things while driving up the debt (city, state and federal) just creates more havoc and mess up our economy even more. Do you know how much money this day has cost our economy? And what about tomorrow? The largest city in the country (with iss leading financial district) is shut down. What good does this do for our economy? Well, once again Bush is to blame…
At last, do you remember the ’96 blizzard (you know before Global Warming became an issue) when we had three days of snow and winds paralyzing the city? Do you remember the leadership at the time? NYC was back to work faster and better than today. Who led the city at the time? A fiscal-conservative and great heroic leader. Rudy Giuliani was his name. I know that liberals cringe when they hear his name. America’s Mayor is a title well deserved; not only for his stewardship on 9/11 (the day much of you liberals so want to forget) but for being here for all New Yorkers whenever we needed him. Oh, how I miss him…
Regardless of cuts etc.
Most of the problems plowing are due to stranded cars.
A state of emergency should have been declared Sunday evening prohibiting all non emergency driving like Rudy did in 96.
Stop blaming everyone from the Mayor to the Sanataition Department workers.
Look at yourselves, HaShem is definatly sending you a personal message.
HaShem iis the one who makes it snow.
A BIT OF BASIC 5YEAR OLD EMUNA.
Good luck.
David Hirsch, you’re right again (as you were on the article about the 2012 elections). Even this past winter, extra buses were running, no one waited until streets were impassible to first start plowing and/or salting. Major thoroughfares have not been plowed. But the drunks on new years eve will party, and midtown will be clear. Those of us in the boroughs, fahgetaboutit. Bloomberg will just wait for global warming to clean it up.
Here in Bayswater, the plows finally came through at about 8:30. They were totally worthless. By now, the snow on my street (one of the more traveled secondary roads) is somewhat packed but has large ridges. The first plow operator couldn’t figure out whether it would be better to keep the blade above the snow or lay it down parallel to the road. The second one opted to simply keep it above the snow. The good news is that since they did nothing, there’s no additional digging out for me to do.
ahh, but it’s good to know that with all the problems at DOS, there IS one city agency on the job – the Parks Dep’t.! Yes rather than the City marshalling all it’s resources to dod what needs to be done – namely, cleaning the streets, this morning I say a Parks dep’t snowplow busily cleaning the JOGGING PATH on Ocean Parkway!!!
I guess you haved to have priorities.
A Woman outside bklyn,
Don’t worry, liberals (claim that they) have solutions too. The Republican way was always to cut the social sevices and provide better and more efficient government services. While Democrats lobby for more Food Stamps, the Republicans want a stronger police force. Giuliani was a “racist” because he empowered the NYPD and actually made it a working department while he let the “minorities” struggle to live off their meager Food Stamps account. He actually set up jobs for those unable (better said – unwilling) to work and lived off the welfare rolls. Well, New Yorkers felt the difference and began to feel what “quality of life” defines. Crime went down and the city’s stature went up – we prospered. The liberals? They’re always in defense – defending “spreading the wealth.” Their claims? Food Stamps etc. actually reduce crime. When those “unfortunate” individuals recieve “transfer payments” the “criminals” are satisfied.
Snow removal also has a “liberal” way. Stop “destroying the planet” and we’ll have less snow (until a snow-defict will be because of “Climate Change”). Its (supposed to be) simple. Less carbon emissions equals less snow. More spending on “Green” offsets the snow-removal expense. Bloomberg is relocating the resources for our snow-removal to create
“wind turbines” atop the NYC bridges and skyscrapers. At least the money went for its planning…
Well, Dinkins experimented at our expense and Giuliani proved them wrong. Let’s stop experimenting and do things the right way. The “Change” rhetoric left me with only change in my pocket, I’d rather be in a ditch for this price…
Rudy may be an obnoxious individual, but when it came to running the city, no one can top him!
yes, we miss Rudy. That’s one thing about him, he knew how to run a city. Unlike Mr. Bloomberg who thinks this is a business!
And who thinks this business all takes place in Manhattan.