NYC Mayor de Blasio appoints wife to head COVID-19 racial task force
Members of NYC's City Council take objection to her appointment, believing the mayor is setting her up for a borough president run
New York's white mayor has the perfect candidate for the co-chair of the city's newly formed Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity, a committee set up to support people of color impacted by the novel coronavirus after 'the city that never sleeps' returns to its normal pace: His Black wife.
New York’s mayor has the perfect candidate for the co-chair of the city’s newly formed Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity, a committee set up to support people of color impacted by the novel coronavirus after ‘the city that never sleeps’ returns to its normal pace: His wife.
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In a move that many are considering a blatant act of nepotism, Mayor Bill de Blasio has appointed NYC’s first lady, Chirlane McCray to the position — boasting her work with ThriveNYC.
“I think what Chirlane has done over these last six years is take this issue [racial disparity], put it in the light, open up access for millions of people and then continue to build out a structure that could focus on effective delivery and equity … I think that’s exactly the kind of mindset needed for this task force.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
But according to the New York Post, many politicians (both Republicans and Democrats) are calling foul, believing that this is a game of politics that could possibly be the set-up for a potential Brooklyn borough president run for Ms. de Blasio. They question her qualifications, pointing to the very “billion-dollar money pit” that the Mayor is praising.
Councilman Robert Holden, a Dem from Queens, says, “This is political. I wish de Blasio would stop doing this … Let her win the Brooklyn borough presidency on her own merits.”
He further adds, “Her track record on Thrive and the statue commission hasn’t been so good.”
Staten Island’s Republican Councilman Joe Borelli echoes this sentiment, “Chirlane doesn’t have an impressive track record running task forces or agencies … This is too serious an issue to use it as profile raiser.”
Another politician, Republican Councilman Eric Ulrich took to Twitter sharing that he doesn’t believe anyone thinks that the appointment is a good idea.
“Putting @NYCFirstLady in charge of the newly created task force on racial inclusion and equity is a great idea,” -said No One Ever… By the way, what ever happened to all that money for ThriveNYC? @MentalHealthNYC
— Eric Ulrich (@eric_ulrich) April 26, 2020
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The position will not be paid, thus McCray will not be dipping into New York’s biggie bank for compensation. The question of the day is this: “Just how wide will the municipal wallet will open for this initiative?” The question is a valid one, as many believe according to Thrive’s budget Wall Street Journal, that hundreds of millions of dollars have either been squandered, lost, or mishandled.
Like Thrive once promised, this task force also promises to help minority communities. Let’s see if she can rise to the occasion.
