Last Updated on September 20, 2017 by Lawrence Berezin
Unless you live under a Rock you were hammered by an NYC blizzard
You know there was a horrifying response to the NYC blizzard.
What was NYC’s official response?.To kick the cat. And in this case, the cat was the NYC driving public. Like any good government looking to find a scapegoat, NYC issued 9,910 parking tickets on Monday, February 9, 2011; twice the average number as alternate-side parking regulations went back in effect following a record month of snow. Those summonses could bring the city as much as $437,000. On an average day, the city doles out 5,460 tickets. That’s about $241,000 in fines.
Clint Eastwood got it right when asked about his battalion’s response to an emergency
Enough blame to go around
Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration is rejecting a package of 17 City Council proposed bills for improving New York City’s response to weather-related emergencies like the December blizzard that sparked several investigations. Instead, Mayor Bloomberg has formulated his administration’s 15 point plan.
The Wall Street Journal reports, “Liz Weinstein, the director of the mayor’s Office of Operations, said at a hearing Wednesday that the proposed legislation would duplicate city efforts and limit the flexibility of emergency management officials.
But council members said they would continue to pursue the bills. They said it was the only way to make sure that current officials and future administrations don’t repeat the mistakes of the day-after-Christmas storm.”
Commentary
Imagine that, the NYC Council and Mayor Bloomberg can’t agree. The Mayor offers 15 points of light to shed on his administration’s inept response: while the NYC Council offers 17 proposed bills. My question is, how do you legislate good judgment and communication skills?
If future generations of NYC leaders want to make sure the 2010 blizzard nightmare response is not repeated, all they have to do is view any of the film, videos, media reports, and official testimony from a myriad of administration officials of NYC’s response to this emergency.You don’t need 17 bills and 15 points of light to lead you from this darkness.
The answer is very simple. Make sure the right people, exercising their good judgment, are in place to handle future emergencies. The answer lies with people, good people; not paper.
[Larry’s note: A special thanks to “The Gothamist,” “New York Times,” and “Wall Street Journal” for their excellent coverage and reporting of these events]
Review of 2010 Blizzard Response 01-10-11
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