LESSONS LEARNED WHILE ON THE BEAT
Mattering not nattering
COURIER LIFE, OCT. 30-NOV. 5, 2020 25
WITH BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT ERIC ADAMS
A complete disregard for NYCHA families
Like most mothers, Jonquella
Wheeler dedicates
her life to her children.
A resident of the Van Dyke
Houses in Brownsville, Ms.
Wheeler is raising her two boys
as a single mother. In 2012, her
life changed in the blink of an
eye when she took her younger
son Khemel for a routine doctor’s
visit. The doctor told her
Khemel had tested positive for
extremely elevated levels of
lead in his blood.
Following her son’s diagnosis,
Department of Health inspectors
showed up at her apartment
and detected the presence
of lead paint. Most was coming
from exposed pipes in her living
room. Lead is a well-known
neurotoxin that can cause a
variety of issues, particularly
when those exposed are under
the age of six. Ms. Wheeler was
heartbroken, but she knew she
couldn’t remain silent.
Since her son’s diagnosis,
she has spoken out about how
she feels the city has failed
Khemel, who is now 10 and suffering
from symptoms of lead
poisoning.
Ms. Wheeler’s story is far
from unique, and she bravely
shared it again as we stood outside
Van Dyke Houses on the
weekend of Oct. 25. The Thursday
before, Bart Schwartz, the
federal monitor for NYCHA,
had revealed that 9,000 apartments
that had children living
in or spending signifi cant time
there contained lead paint —
more than triple the amount
previously thought.
That list of 9,000 includes
apartments of relatives where
children spent more than 10
hours a week. NYCHA previously
acknowledged back in
2018 that 3,000 apartments had
lead hazards. And that updated
fi gure still may be an underestimate
of the extent of the issue.
Recent reporting by nonprofi t
newsroom The City indicates
that the real number of apartments
in NYCHA with lead hazards
may be closer to 20,000.
In any other year, this
would be considered the biggest
governmental failure in recent
memory. It underscores the
complete disregard the city has
shown to Black and brown children,
who comprise the vast
majority of children living in
NYCHA. I can’t help but think
that if the widespread presence
of lead were detected in Sutton
Place in Manhattan, and not
Sutter Avenue in Brownsville,
the city’s response would be
very different.
The only way we will see a
long-term turnaround at NYCHA
is real-time data-driven
accountability and transparency
of its asset management.
Every boiler in need of repair,
or apartment with lead
paint, or any other maintenance
issue across the 334 developments
and 178,895 apartments
that comprise NYCHA
should be tracked and consistently
updated in a centralized
database. I laid out
a plan to do just that, called
NYCHAStat, two years ago.
The city has committed to
implementing it, but we have
yet to see any progress.
Right now, however, our
focus needs to be on expedited
remediation efforts. Every
day that children continue
to spend time in apartments
with lead paint only increases
their risk of exposure. We simply
cannot wait for NYCHA’s
new capital revenue plan to
fund these efforts, which will
take years. Congress and the
White House must add the
full cost of NYCHA lead remediation
into the stimulus
package being negotiated
so that we can clean up all
apartments immediately. NYCHA
should also fast-track
contracting procedures, and
immediately engage any citybased
company licensed to do
this remediation work that
will pay prevailing wage.
And because they have already
failed to uphold their
most basic responsibility to
keep tenants safe, NYCHA
must not charge rent to any
tenant living in any apartment
found to contain lead
until it is fully remediated.
We also need real accountability
for these failures.
The horrifying story Ms.
Wheeler shared is that of
so many families living in
public housing. They feel ignored
and overlooked. They
feel beaten down by the
routine indignities they’re
forced to endure. They feel
like second-class citizens.
They feel voiceless.
We owe it to Ms. Wheeler,
Khemel, and the thousands of
other families suffering right
now to continue amplifying
their voices.
Eric Adams is borough president
of Brooklyn. He served 22
years in the New York City Police
Department (NYPD), retiring
at the rank of captain, as
well as represented District 20
in the New York State Senate.
Borough President Eric Adams.
OPINION
Early voting has started,
and we brace for the
eventual results of the
2020 election. From the day
this is published (Friday, Oct.
30,) through Tuesday, Nov.
3, many people are going to
continue to tell each other to
“Vote!” The early voting totals
indicate folks are eager to,
and it’s great to see. Unfortunately,
here in New York City,
it largely doesn’t matter.
Why doesn’t it matter? It’s
twofold. Due to local partisanship,
all but three area elections
are non-competitive.
The competitive races are the
11th Congressional, 22nd State
Senate, and 64th Assembly
districts. Speaking of partisanship
in each of those races,
I strongly recommend voting
for the Democrat. Every other
election was determined back
in June during the Democratic
Primary.
You might have heard we
have other elections, such
as the one for president. But,
thanks to the Electoral College
valuing land and livestock
more than people and
population, the length of the
lines that are reported on nonstop
will not be more than
a talking point for bragging
rights.
Over the next few weeks,
you’re likely to hear folks
from low population states, especially
Republicans, regardless
of whether Joe Biden wins
it, defending the Electoral College.
They will say things like
moving to a National Popular
Vote would make candidates
only focus on highly populous
states and that New York and
California and “those people”
will have too much power.
Maybe, that’s the case in a parallel
universe. In this one, we
have a system in which the majority
is entirely ignored and
even mocked in campaigns
and governance. Needed relief
from COVID-19 and wildfi res
goes begging.
This is all a result of practicing
practical politics in
our current system. Why is it
practical? Whether you win by
millions or one vote, the electoral
votes remain the same.
Ironically, the Electoral College
also disincentivizes those
inclined to vote for Donald
Trump in the reddest (think
Wyoming) and bluest (think
Brooklyn) of places.
So what can you do? Well, if
you like not having a say, you
can sit on your hands. However,
if reading this makes
you realize, or reinforces,
a need for change, the fi rst
thing you should do is look to
get involved with organizations
looking to end the Electoral
College. If we move to
national popular vote, we’ll
take another step towards including
everyone in our democratic
republic.
In recognition of the single
party proclivities of our
city, if you want to increase
the odds of having meaningful
input in to your choices for
mayor, comptroller, public advocate,
borough president and
city councilmember from Jan.
1, 2022 until at least Dec. 21,
2025, register as a Democrat
and vote in the primary. That
will matter.
Mike Racioppo is the District
Manager of CB 6.
MIKE DROP
Mike Racioppo