Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Launches "Renew Crew" to Bring Faster Repairs and Better Parks to New Yorkers
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good morning, Glendale. It is a pleasure to be joined by friends and partners here in Queens to make a very special announcement. I want to acknowledge [that] we have leaders from both inside and outside of City government here with us today. We have our Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson. We have Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. We have Kathy Park Price from New Yorkers for Parks. We have Maxime, who is one of New York's foremost advocates for better playgrounds for all. We have Jane, Maxime's mom and Georgie, Maxime's dad. We also have the Forest Park Trust. We have our Queens Community Board 5 district manager, Gary Giordano, [and] Queens Community Board 5 Chairperson Walter Sanchez. And can we have a round of applause for the incredible parks workers that we have joining us here today? Truly love and appreciate the work that you all do. So here at Dry Harbor Playground, days are filled with the sound of sneakers on the basketball court, the crack of a bat on the baseball field and kids perched on top of the ship structure shouting, "All hands-on deck," which makes sense for a park called Dry Harbor. But even if that ship may have never set sail, it still has a captain, and every captain needs a crew. Today, that crew is here: say hello to New York City's first-ever, “Renew Crew.” This is a team dedicated to transforming playgrounds, sports courts and rec centers at parks across the five boroughs. The basketball hoop that is hanging on for dear life. The water fountain that has not worked since spring, or the fence that looks like it's about to give up entirely. If it is broken, this crew will fix it. The overgrown tennis court, the rusted swing set [and] the bench that needs a new coat of paint. If it is run down, this crew will renew it. No longer will New Yorkers have to wait months for City government to fix their parks and their playgrounds. The Renew Crew will show up, get the job done and move on to the next location that needs them. This kind of efficiency is long overdue. Over the past 12 months alone, 311 has logged more than 5,000 complaints for the exact kind of work that this crew will tackle: broken equipment, surfaces cracking underfoot and fields overtaken by weeds. Our parks are the beating heart of the city, where families can relax together, where children can play and where people can find peace amidst chaos, and we will not allow them to be neglected any longer. That is why we have invested $2.3 million to support the work of this team. With the Renew Crew and the fixes they will deliver, we will build on the work we have already done to bring public excellence to public spaces across our city. Since January, we have filled more than 191,000 potholes, cut the number of sidewalk sheds darkening our sidewalks by nearly 10 percent and announced our plan to expand trash containerization to new districts in every borough, bringing more than 6,500 Empire Bins from Woodside to Weeksville. That same urgency belongs in our playgrounds, too. A bent backboard should not have to wait years for a fix. Starting this month, this very crew will be hard at work in parks across the five boroughs: Fort Four Playground in the Bronx, American Playground in Brooklyn, Annunciation Playground in Manhattan, Old Town Playground in Staten Island and right here at Dry Harbor [Playground] in Queens. That means a new safety surface, resurfaced basketball courts, a refurbished bocce court and a fresh coat of paint on that very ship that the Renew Crew let me help with and that they may or may not be correcting as I speak. And that work will not only continue, [but] it will expand to the workers of New York City Parks who are here with us today. Thank you for all that you have already done to better our city and all that you will do in the months and years to come. To the rest of New York, if you see something broken in your own park, do not hesitate to call 311. The days of those kinds of complaints collecting dust for months are no longer. And to every kid who's ever called themselves captain of that ship or gotten a whole playground reopened like Maxime did for McKinley Park, now you have a crew of your own. Thank you. And now I would like to invite up Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura to say a few more words about this work.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceBefore we go to the questions, can we have one more round of applause for Maxime. Okay, hello, everyone — missed you.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceFighting off my curiosity, I'm going to go for the first question and then we'll come back to your second one. This is one of the foremost priorities for our administration because, as you said, yes, we know the facts of the context, which is that we have a sewage system that was built for the rainfall of a century ago and that the climate crisis has intensified and increased that rainfall. And also, it is not going to be the case that we are simply going to sit on our hands until the day in which the sewage system is entirely overhauled. So, we are exploring every single avenue that we have, whether it is from the installation of cloudburst technology to the use of permeable pavement to the question of floodable parks, parks that are actually built to absorb that kind of excess rainfall. I'll pass it over to our deputy mayor for operations to add some additional details.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I think we never want to accept the premise that something has to be unaffordable when it comes to a sporting event that is part of what so many love about our city. Some of my favorite memories as a kid growing up in New York City are going to the qualifiers for free before the [U.S.] Open began. I remember when I bought a grounds pass — I think it was $50 bucks for day one — and I know that that number has skyrocketed over recent years. So, we are always going to look to ways to make these kinds of events more accessible to everyday New Yorkers. That is not something that will be limited to the World Cup. And the reason for that is that it is a moment that can really open so many kids' eyes to the wonder of a sport that they may not know before. And as you've said, it is happening in one of the jewels of our city. So that's going to be something that we continue to work on, and it is something that continues to be a part of our affordability agenda.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI continue to be fully confident in both the legality and the importance of our initiative to deliver five city-run grocery stores, one in each borough, to the people of our city. We are talking about a reflection of a cost-of-living crisis that has seen grocery prices increase by about 30 percent over the last few years. And we're also talking about delivering five city-run grocery stores in a city of 8.5 million people that has more than 1,000 grocery stores. And we've seen, in fact, with Essex Street Market in Manhattan as well as Moore Street Market in Brooklyn, a model where the city has subsidized groceries and it has not had a negative effect on bodegas around them or on grocery stores around them. And I'm confident both in the legality of this, that will stand up in court and the importance of delivering it —
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceAbsolutely. What we can do is continue with our approach citywide of looking for ways to cut costs and cut the regulations that so many bodegueros, as well as grocery store owners, have to jump through in order to do their work. And what we found through our OPEN Task Force is already the identification of more than 50 potential changes that target things from the current necessity of having two different licenses to sell hot food and cold, dairy, frozen dessert, as well as the kinds of things that make it harder for bodegas to both sell items outside of the store and inside of the store.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWhat we have announced today is something that will be done through city funds, and that is something that we have put forward because the cost of inaction is, frankly, too high. Every year that the city does not act on the BQE costs the city at least $160 million. And there have been many administrations that have understood the importance of this. We want to be one that also delivers on the fix to this central part of the BQE. I'll pass it over to our deputy mayor of operations to add some additional details.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I can tell you, I went to an incredible Georgian — sorry, an incredible Uzbek restaurant called Alons — I know, sorry. I saw the T-shirt; it says, "Cool Georgian Dude," and it just threw me. I don't know where he is now. He has the dog with him. But it was a lovely time upstate. Bounced around, missed the city, missed you guys, happy to be home.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, the reason to not attend that hearing was on the basis of the legal consequences of doing so, because we are in the midst of a legal case on this very question. And so, we know that the hearing last week was explicitly focused on the very issues that are at the heart of that case. And we didn't believe that it would be in the legal interest of the city to send a senior representative. However, we did send a written statement from Commissioner Lee, and we also did inform the Council that the commissioner would be available to take any kinds of questions after Aug. 31 because by that point, there would not still be that same question of the legal concerns. And to your first question, look, I think anyone who is focused on delivering a more affordable life for the people of New York City, a fairer life for people of New York City and, frankly, of those of the world, should be welcomed into this work. And that's what I see so many doing, and that's the kind of initiatives and efforts that we continue to encourage.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYes, I bought two roast chickens at the Tops supermarket at Coxsackie. I also went to Casa Susanna in Leeds. I had a lovely time, and it was — it was very restorative, and I also stayed in touch with the team on a regular basis to make sure that all was always going well. And on one of those issues, you know, when it comes to the 911 calls, the issue has since been resolved, and the system is running normally. And again, what normally means is that every 911 call is being connected and responded to by a call taker. That's been the case since the issue was resolved. In terms of your question of how this happened, what we've identified at this time was an early morning software update by Motorola that created this issue. And that issue was then resolved by the morning of the same day, and we are now taking steps to ensure that that never happens again.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThe relationship continues as it's been, and the talks have been productive. And they've been productive because we have a shared understanding of the critical role that paraprofessionals play in our public school system and in our city. And we are looking at ways to permanently address this inequity. And that's the subject of those conversations. And then to your first question, I very much oppose these proposed changes by the current Brooklyn Democratic Party chair. I oppose them because they are an attempt to circumvent the will of voters, and what we should see is a Brooklyn Democratic Party that is a reflection of what New Yorkers want to see in their home, as opposed to a representation of so much of what has led New Yorkers — and Americans — to become disengaged and disaffected with politics at large. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou are checking in with your team on a regular basis, not just only in the event of a crisis. And then obviously, if there is anything that comes up that demands your attention, you have to be there. You have to have some kind of cell service. But the peace of mind is also just a time to reflect and a time to rest. And I think it's also part of what we want for every New Yorker, that they also get time to actually step away from the day-to-day. And I'm incredibly appreciative of my team, who ensured that the work to deliver for the city continues unabated.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I think the Council has a role to play, and it is in conducting those kinds of hearings, and our job is to ensure that we're answering and delivering for New Yorkers when it comes to Legionnaires'. I'll get back to you specifically on the genome sequencing question. What I will say is that the cluster has been closed. It's been about five weeks since the identification of a new case. However, we know that Legionnaires' has been something that has afflicted our city on an almost annual basis, and we are looking at ways to ensure this is something that we deliver on for the weeks and months and years to come, but I do appreciate the question.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYes, I still support Vision Zero. I still support any initiative that we have to reduce the number of crashes across the city and to ensure that there is no longer a hierarchy of safety based on what mode of transit you're using. Whether you're a pedestrian, a cyclist, a driver, a public transit rider, you should be entitled to the same level of safety. And so, one of the things that I've spoken to with my deputy mayor for Operations, with our DOT commissioner, is how do we implement the changes to the streetscape that also understand the ways in which we are either incentivizing or disincentivizing safe choices made by New Yorkers. And so, a lot of this is actually delivering on the protected bike lanes that we have seen forgotten over many years in our city, as well as delivering more bus lanes and busways and bringing the first bus rapid transit corridor to Flatbush by 2030. These are all different steps that we're taking to address this. However, as you said, it is something that is immensely concerning, because we're talking about fatal consequences and families whose lives are irrevocably changed.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceIt is an issue of immense importance to us in the administration, and it is an issue that we will be speaking to soon. And to your first question, I continue to support Congressman Jeffries and his bid to become the leader.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, our first order of business when being alerted as to the issue with the call system was to resolve the call system, and that was the focus. And after what we found is that a significant number of the calls that were coming in over the course of that period of time were being rerouted to another part of the 911 system. And there were about — there were fewer than 400 calls, unique calls that were not connected. And so, over the course of the time since that was resolved and as it was going through the day, the work was being done to do everything we could to reach out to New Yorkers directly to ensure that we could provide them with whatever service was necessary. Because again, this is one of the most critical parts of our city's infrastructure. And we have identified that this was from a Motorola software update. And now we are looking to take all of the steps we can to ensure this does not happen ever again.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Launches "Renew Crew" to Bring Faster Repairs and Better Parks to New Yorkers.