Need Manhattan ‘recovery czar’

Manhattan would get its own “COVID recovery czar,” under a new proposal from City Councilman Mark Levine, who’s running for borough president.

That’s part of his plan to make the office intensively focus on bringing Manhattan back from the ravages of the coronavirus outbreak.

“Recovery from COVID — from the economic shock in addition to the health shock, addressing the inequality that this pandemic has exposed — this is what’s going to define the entire first term of the next borough president,” the Democrat told the Daily News on Wednesday. “And we need a structure in the office that directly addresses this.”

Levine’s “czar” and “COVID recovery unit” would work to boost funding for public hospitals and clinics, support small businesses and help artists, among other areas.

Since the outbreak started, Levine, who is chairman of the Council’s Health Committee, has been a frequent voice of criticism of the de Blasio administration’s response. Most recently, he called out mayoral officials for overseeing a vaccine rollout that has seen wealthy, white neighborhoods get doses far more rapidly than low-income communities of color.

“I’m going to fight to bring in resources to the public hospital system because it’s so key to our ability to serve the vulnerable in any health crisis,” he said.

Since the City Charter was revised to take away most borough presidents’ power in 1989, the job has largely been seen as ceremonial.

But Levine sees a key role for the borough president in navigating the post-COVID-19 world.

With an estimated one in three small businesses predicted to close by the end of the pandemic, he said he’d help mom-and-pop shops get access to capital, cut red tape and encourage bars and restaurants to get involved in local community boards.

Levine, whose Council district includes Manhattanville, Morningside Heights and Hamilton Heights, promised to “reinvigorate” the Midtown workforce and encourage job growth uptown.

“We will build back in a way that prioritizes uptown Manhattan in many different sectors,” he said. “Let’s revisit tourism so the treasures of uptown get explored.”

Levine, a former teacher who joined the Council in 2014, also called for a panel with local, state and federal officials to audit the city’s preparedness for future emergencies.

“One of the most important powers of the office is the power to convene to tackle tough questions,” he said.

Other candidates in the June 22 Democratic primary for Manhattan borough president include former state official Lindsey Boylan, Councilman Ben Kallos and state Sen. Brad Hoylman.