Mayor Bill de Blasio
Capping off his first complete Winter as Mayor, I must offer praise for this years street clearing after a very difficult season. Here in Bed-Stuy we were used to getting the back end of the snow clearing and salting. Last year we noticed a rather sharp improvement. Our streets were actually cleared rather than left unkept until after rich folks got theirs done.
But this year we got that plus the enforcement. Tickets flew when people did not clear their sidewalks of ice. After the salt trucks came through, bulldozers and crews came through to deal with the excess so we dont have to climb over solid walls of ice to cross the street. Trash enforcement was not as good, but considering the circumstances I don't expect Sanitation to do everything all at once. They need time off just like everyone else. I have a neighbor who is depot mechanic and he put in 18 hour shifts on the regular. Fire had their vehicles well chained and so did the Board of Ed and MTA buses. Despite day after day after day of snow, ice and rain, I was able to move around the Borough with only minor difficulty. Parks was a little slow to clear certain paths, but those playgrounds that are next to schools were cleared promptly.
I still feel that the city needs to regulate the types of salt it allows to be put down because certain brands irritate dog paws. But this is a minor quibble of a dog lover. The mayor would probably just tell me to buy dog shoes and shut up. Which I did.
This is the kind of stuff a Mayor has to do and do well. We've had very few problems this winter and it is nice to see the neighborhood well cared for.
Well done, Mr. Mayor!