Another bad Democratic
choice for New York City
What, When, How
COURIER L 24 IFE, OCT. 16-22, 2020
OPINION
This week it was reported
that Brooklyn Democratic
Councilman Carlos
Menchaca, who has represented
Sunset Park, Red Hook,
and parts of Borough Park
since 2014, may be eyeing a run
for mayor next year. His stances
on the Police Department and
job creation make him another
bad Democratic choice for our
city.
When the latest New York
City budget was adopted in
June, funds for the NYPD were
cut by at least $420 million, according
to the city’s Independent
Budget Offi ce — all the
while shootings and burglaries
remain up across the city.
However, this wasn’t enough
for Menchaca.
On June 29, as the budget
was being fi nalized between
the mayor and City Council,
Menchaca tweeted, “…not one
cop will be fi red because of
this budget. That’s not justice.
That’s not sacrifi ce. That’s not
the sacrifi ce this moment demands.
We need a real cut tothe
NYPD.”
One would think that an
elected offi cial whose district
has seen a 24.6 percent increase
in burglaries year-to-date as of
Oct. 14 compared to last year,
according to Police Department
data, would want more funding
for the NYPD. Not today’s Democrats.
Their policies have made
our city less safe. Indeed, last
Sunday, former NYPD Commissioner
Ray Kelly said on John
Catsimatidis’ radio show “The
Cats Roundtable,” that “there’s
a feeling of unease” amongst
New York City residents.
“People complain to me all
the time — they feel unsafe in
the city,” Kelly said on the program.
“The uniform offi cers on
the streets get absolutely no support
and no backing…so they’re
backing off. They have become
much more reactive rather than
proactive. And pro-activity
has really been the main reason
why crime has gone down
in New York for a couple of decades.
Now, all of a sudden, in a
few short months, it has turned
completely around.”
Many of the Democratic
contenders for Gracie Mansion
have not uttered a word about
restoring support for the NYPD,
and the policies that made New
York City the safest big city in
America under former mayors
Giuliani and Bloomberg.
Instead, they continue to cater
to the radical-left movement to
“Defund the Police.”
Prospective GOP contenders
like Catsimatidis and Guardian
Angels founder Curtis Sliwa
have said that restoring public
safety will be their top priority,
which would include bringing
back the recently disbanded
street anti-crime unit which
specialized in getting guns off
our streets.
Just as Alexandria Ocasio-
Cortez led the effort to kill the
Amazon deal in Queens that
would have provided thousands
of jobs for local residents,
Menchaca has also stopped a
rezoning proposal for Sunset
Park’s Industry City that would
have redeveloped the 35-acre
industrial complex area with
retail and academic space. This
$1 billion, 12-year plan would
have similarly provided thousands
of jobs for Brooklyn residents.
The main priorities for our
next mayor will be making
New York safe again, and reviving
our economy. Unfortunately
Menchaca, like other
Democrats, doesn’t agree.
Editor’s note: Shooting incidents,
burglaries, murders, and
grand larceny vehicle thefts
are all up this year compared to
last year’s numbers, although
they remain lower than the 10-
year average. All other crimes,
such as rape, robbery, and felony
assault, are down this year
citywide.
Bob Capano has worked for
Brooklyn Republican and Democrat
elected offi cials, and has
been an adjunct political science
professor for over 15 years.
Follow him on twitter @bobcapano.
THE RIGHT
VIEW
Bob Capano
Political Scientist and
Yale Law Professor Harold
Laswell famously defi
ned politics as “Who Gets
What, When and How.” If people
are getting what they want,
they’re less inclined to change
as change is inherently risky.
For that reason, real
change, and even its possibility,
has only happened in the
midst of crisis. The piling on of
a pandemic, record unemployment,
on camera police killings,
and courts irredeemably
trashing their illegitimacy as
partisan pawns has anointed
this year an unyielding crisis.
Dealing with each aspect of
the crisis, signifi cant changes
or proposed changes, had become
necessary. If someone
told you a year ago that you’d
be wearing a mask every day
of October rather than just on
Halloween you’d have scoffed
at them. The crisis caused by
this COVID-19 pandemic, and
the COVID-related deaths of
over 30,000 New Yorkers necessitated
that change for the overwhelming
number of rational
New Yorkers. When it comes
to the political and policy side
of things, New York and New
York City in particular are not
getting essential help from the
federal and state governments.
By receiving far less than
they pay out in federal taxes,
the city and state are both what
is known as a “donor.” The
city is further a donor in relation
to the state. Under normal
circumstances without unusual
strains on society, this
has been understood as part
of the collective responsibility
as we are part of a greater
whole with shared resources.
However, these are not normal
times. We’re in a crisis — and
that crisis requires a shifting
of resources and priorities.
Perhaps, as we contemplate
granting statehood to Puerto
Rico and Washington D.C,
we should grant statehood to
NYC.
While it’s unlikely to occur,
it wouldn’t be the fi rst
time this was proposed. During
a prior fi nancial crisis,
Norman Mailer and Jimmy
Breslin ran for mayor and City
Council president in 1969, respectively,
with statehood as
part of their platform. It would
lead to us having two senators
for 8 million citizens instead
of only two for 19 million. For
anyone concerned that we’d be
overrepresented, fear not as
states like Wyoming and South
Dakota with fewer residents
than Brooklyn have a combined
four United States senators,
so our anachronistic and
anti-Democratic governmental
structures will still be very
much intact.
While improbable, this conversation
may move our current
leaders here in New York
State to give New York City
the resources and/or tools to
fi ght our way out of this crisis.
Things like returning 24/7
subway service, the power of
setting New York City income
tax rates, and granting borrowing
authority to avert city
layoffs.
There’s precedence for
“threats” such as this working
out for the better.
Let’s call our new state
Gotham and let’s hope we sever
ties peacefully like Czechoslovakia,
which, in 1993, split into
the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Like Czechs and Slovaks,
downstaters and upstate speak
related languages and we can
better determine who gets
what, when, and how.
Mike Racioppo is the District
Manager of Community
Board 6.
MIKE DROP
Mike Racioppo
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