What a city. There truly isn’t any place like New York City. Autumn is my favorite time in the city, even as it gets colder more frequently and darker much earlier, trees are shedding, and leaves are falling to the ground while I play “Autumn in New York” by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. I feel a great sense of hope and promise during the fall season.
Right now, the New York City political scene is in tumult. Mayor Eric Adams is facing an historic tenure as the 110th mayor and is staring down several indictments. So many people in top appointments in his administration have resigned that it is literally too difficult to keep track of the comings and goings of officials in key positions in the city. However, in the midst of all of this, I still have an overwhelming sense of hope right now.
Maybe it’s because Knicks season has begun and my beloved Mets are on a historic run (and the Yankees are doing well, I hear). Beyond the sports triumphs, though, the current disorganization at the top has reminded me of the thousands of dedicated employees in the public sector. Sure, it is best when we have commissioners and deputy mayors in place. However, this reshuffling of the deck can, in many ways, be what is best for the city. There are some positions where the incoming leadership is someone who should have been in place from the beginning of Mayor Adams’s tenure.
Sometimes from the ashes a more fertile soil evolves. I am optimistic that the new leadership will allow the city to not just survive but thrive. As of now, trash is still being picked up, the war on rats is still in effect, teachers are still in classrooms, crime has not spiked, businesses have not left the city, and we are slowly getting better at incorporating new arrivals into our very diverse and complex city.
Where do we go from here? Sadly for our city, we are in for several months of nonstop coverage and leaks pertaining to the woes of Eric Adams. I truly hope that the business of selling papers does not obscure the necessity for journalists to cover other areas of the city that need assistance. The decline in local media from major newspaper outlets has been disturbing to witness. However, if you care about local politics as I do, I strongly suggest checking out outlets such as The City, Gothamist, City and State, and Vital City, as a start.
This city needs all of us to be participatory for it to work. We have a mayoral primary coming in June 2025 and it is not too early to start doing your research on the various candidates for mayor and several other offices.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
I would like for Dr. Greer to clarify what she meant when stating, “…crime has not spiked, businesses have not left the city, and we are slowly getting better at incorporating new arrivals into our very diverse and complex city” because last time I checked crime was increasing and very bad, many businesses have either left the city or are struggling to survive now, and the “new arrivals” as she called them, is that the illegal migrants being shipped to big cities such as NYC? I would like clarification on this because it seems that Dr. Greer is either playing on people’s intellectual capability to read and watch various news sources, and, not to mention look around in their own neighborhoods and communities that seem to become worse. Inflation is killing everyone! People are struggling to pay for housing, utilities, groceries and the basics of American living. The illegal migrants have been linked to displacing black communities, such as the case in Chicago and here in New York, where they are given minimum $15,000 in food stamps and $5,000 spending cash on cards, free drivers licenses, can vote on the upcoming presidential elections, and not to mention the Venezuelan gangs taking over areas of Colorado have been linked to drug trafficking, sex trafficking, violence, and rapes of women and children all over the USA, as well as Kamala Harris the laughing hyena and the Biden administration behind all of that nonsense because they support an open border policy. So, yes while it is good to be hopeful in our daily lives, it is also good to be realistic about what is actually going on in our communities, neighborhoods, towns, cities and country as a whole. Dr. Greer, do you even live among the average American? I ask this because your article almost takes the tone of an individual that lives in a well to do or gated community. One that does not have to partake in the harsh realities of everyday life right outside of their doorstep let alone apartment building.