This column, from the weekly opinion piece MATTER OF FACT, first appeared on BrooklynReporter.com, the Home Reporter and Spectator dated February 3, 2023
New York City’s next budget does not need to be finalized until the new fiscal year begins July 1, but the process of the Mayor and City Council hammering out a budget they agree on begins each January. This year, the gulf between the two sides appears to be quite wide at the outset.
In response to Mayor Adams preliminary budget, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Finance Chair Justin Brannan released a statement on January 12 that recognized our fiscal limitations but expressed concerns with The Mayor’s plan. They cited the need to prioritize housing and food assistance, as well as committing to adequately funding early childhood education, public schools, CUNY, and libraries, areas in which the mayor has faced backlash over his proposed cuts.
The backlash has been warranted. Adams is proposing to slash about $300 million from the city schools budget and $168 million from CUNY. His plan calls for a $257 million cut to the Department of Health and $188 million reduction to the Department of Youth and Community Development.
The proposed $42 million cut to public libraries would force them to reduce hours, staff, branches, and limit programming and services. From COVID tests to a warm place to be in the winter or a cool place to be in summer’s extreme heat, New York City’s public libraries have become much more than just places to take out a book. They have become community hubs for essential services, especially for our most vulnerable New Yorkers, who will be greatly affected if the Mayor’s cuts become reality.
As Universal Pre-K before it, 3-K For All was moving ahead and poised to be just as significant in positively affecting the lives of families and the economy of the city. Adams does not plan to exapnd 3-K next year, which will have detrimental effects on the families that need it, as well as the early education workers that it would employ.
Many city agencies and departments have already been struggling to provide essential services as the city has faced the loss of many municipal workers and difficulty hiring new employees. Drastic cuts to these city agencies and departments will cement this understaffed environment and further compound the problems they are dealing with.
The Mayor contends that he is calling for cuts across the board to every department. However, whereas the Department of Sanitation would see their budget but by 5.7%, the NYPD’s reduction would only be 2.7%. New York City Police Commissioner Sewell recently touted the global reach of the NYPD at a press conference, showing video of officers stationed in far-flung places around the world, such as Spain. Discussing whether extremely costly initiatives like these should continue is not defunding the police, it is simply asking whether our city is being fiscally responsible with our tax dollars.
The criticism Adams has received for this preliminary budget has been in addition to criticisms he has faced on myriad other issues. One year into his term, Adams has made some good decisions, but he has made far too many poor choices.
Rather than reflect on the feedback he has received, he has shown a penchant for casting blame on those who have found fault with him or simply just relayed what he has said or done. He recently launched a newsletter that he intends to be a direct medium between him and New Yorkers to explain what he is doing and why he is doing it, but the messages seem like they are little more than propaganda puff pieces to lionize the Mayor’s every move. According to the New York Daily News, Adams has grown increasingly irritated over how the local media have covered him and he intends for his newsletter to counteract what he has decided is distorted journalism about him.
A lot of jokes have been made about Adams saying he would be the mayor of swagger, but his rocky year in office has not been helped by his ego. New Yorkers need a mayor focused on them, not on himself or how he thinks he is portrayed by the press.
Adams does not get to make the budget himself and he must negotiate with the City Council. There will be hearings in March and April on this preliminary budget, and then again after Adams releases his revised executive budget in April. Pay attention to what he calls for and if you have the opportunity, make your voice heard.
