Staff Reports
Wow, the city of New York really can’t catch a break with their mayors, can they? First, they had Bill de Blasio, who couldn’t seem to find a way to support law enforcement if his life depended on it. And now, they have Eric Adams, who was supposed to be different, being a former cop and all. But it seems like things are going downhill pretty fast.
Let’s start with the fact that Adams appointed two female commissioners to head the fire and police departments. Now, normally that would be seen as a good thing, right? But it turns out that these women are not exactly winning over the hearts of their departments. Keechant Sewell, the commissioner of the police department, ended up quitting after just 18 months on the job. Apparently, the mayor’s office was constantly undercutting her, which is not a great way to run a city. But hey, who needs a competent leader when you can have a bunch of drama and infighting instead?
And over at the fire department, Laura Kavanagh, the commissioner, has faced intense criticism from the rank-and-file. She demoted some chiefs back in February, which did not go over well at all. In fact, she was booed at a promotions ceremony and even during an FDNY vs. NYPD hockey game. Ouch. It seems like the firefighters really don’t trust her and think she’s ruining the department. Can’t say I blame them.
But wait, it gets even better. The FDNY is in a “Mexican standoff” with 10 top chiefs who have asked to be demoted in protest of Kavanagh’s shake-up. And it seems like Kavanagh has no idea how to handle the situation. She’s had ample time to act on their request, but has done absolutely nothing. Talk about a lack of leadership and decision-making.
All in all, it sounds like Adams’ promise to improve relations with law enforcement has fallen flat on its face. Instead of restoring order and restoring the trust between the departments and the community, he’s just created more chaos and division. It’s like he’s following in de Blasio’s footsteps, which is definitely not what anyone was hoping for. It’s a shame that New York City can’t seem to find a mayor who actually knows how to do their job and make things better.
