Editorial
Time for de Blasio to lead on dining
Listening to Governor Andrew
Cuomo’s Tuesday briefi ng, you got a
clearer sense as to the biggest hurdle
standing in the way of returning to New
York City.
Cuomo didn’t explicitly blame Mayor
Bill de Blasio or any of his subordinates by
name — he rarely ever does for anyone not
named Trump — but the governor made it
clear that he isn’t happy with how they’ve
handled enforcing the existing COVID-19
regulations upon bars and restaurants in
the fi ve boroughs.
Hundreds of establishments have been
fi ned through operations by a joint task
force of the New York State Police and
the State Liquor Authority. According to
Cuomo, this task force is doing the job
more effectively than the city — and it is the
city’s alleged ineffectiveness that is keeping
thousands of mom-and-pop eateries in the
fi ve boroughs from welcoming customers
back inside.
We’re certain that de Blasio will refute
the governor in the same way he’s rebuffed
Cuomo on previous differences between
city and state — from school openings or
closings, to responsibility for police reform.
Or, de Blasio can actually seize the opportunity
for once to lead — and become
a hero for struggling restaurants and their
workers all throughout this city.
What does the mayor have to do? He
can start by not engaging the governor in
a philosophical debate when or whether to
reopen restaurants — nor should he complain
about the governor’s criticism with
how the city enforces rules and regulations.
The simple fact is this: Restaurants in
New York City are suffering mightily. They
lost months of income when the peak of
the COVID-19 pandemic forced a pause
on public life.
Only the truly hale and hearty New York
City eateries weathered that storm long
enough to get outdoor dining that started
in mid-June. But winter is coming — the
weather will get colder — and getting frostbite
with your food is far from appetizing.
It’s time for the mayor to meet Cuomo’s
challenge and get a real plan in place for the
return of indoor dining. These businesses
have suffered enough. The city must step
and take responsibility with a plan that
ensures clear regulations that will be clearly
enforced through regular inspections by
city offi cials.
New York City cannot let its restaurant
industry die of hunger. De Blasio must seize
this chance to save it now.
Op-ed
Budget cuts threaten the
nonprofits that New York’s
most vulnerable rely upon
BY WES MOORE
New York City’s nonprofi ts have
always played a critical role in
supporting vulnerable New Yorkers,
but the effects of COVID-19 have
signifi cantly exacerbated the demand for
human services, wreaking havoc on the
frontline organizations that New Yorkers
depend upon. Now a decision by the Mayor
threatens their viability amidst an ongoing
pandemic and unprecedented unemployment
rates.
On the city’s chopping block are reimbursements
to groups that help feed hungry
seniors, provide mental health care, educate
our children, and clothe and house the
homeless. For years, these organizations
have been a lifeline to New Yorkers living
in poverty and, throughout the pandemic,
they remain on the frontlines providing
essential life-saving services.
That’s why it is essential that the Mayor
immediately reinstate his commitment to
fully reimburse the city’s human service
organizations for their indirect expenses.
Since March, Robin Hood has invested
more than $40 million in over 500 local
nonprofi t groups providing cash assistance,
emergency food, rental assistance, and
healthcare to neighbors plunged further
into economic insecurity by this virus. While
Robin Hood and others continue to help
these organizations do their essential work,
dependable city government funding is the
only realistic path toward their sustainability.
In 2019, Mayor de Blasio and Council
Speaker Corey Johnson touted a fi scal
year 2020 budget deal that committed to
close the gap in reimbursements for human
service organizations’ so-called indirect expenses.
But, earlier this month, the Mayor
announced his intention to walk back the
2020 budget commitment by cutting these
reimbursements by 40 percent.
This seemingly innocuous budgetary
decision translates to tens of millions of
dollars, which will leave community organizations
holding the bag for approved,
budgeted expenses like utilities, bills, and
rent. An increased demand for services,
rising hazard pay for workers, building
closures, and enhanced cleaning measures
have imploded the already tight budgets
we force these groups to balance. These
slashes will not only cripple many of these
community organizations, but risk leaving
hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in
need with nowhere to turn to for help.
Community service providers have,
for years, borne the brunt of economic
downturns and budget cuts. For years,
that dynamic has helped fuel the Tale of
Two Cities that this Mayor has so admirably
sought to unwrite. We must hold him to his
word and beat back this proposal.
Our city is fi ghting to recover; but the
pandemic is on-going, the economic crisis
rages on, and millions remain in need. Now
we have a chance to rewrite the playbook
on how cities rebuild by putting the people
most vulnerable to crises fi rst. Starving
those who feed the hungry cannot be the
way forward.
Wes Moore is the CEO of Robin Hood,
one of the largest anti-poverty forces in the
nation. He is a bestselling author, a combat
veteran, and a social entrepreneur.
PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL
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