Cash Waste in a Crisis: Chirl’s Bloated Staff Budget
The recent story in The Post about Chirlane McCray employing a staff of 14 people for various nonsensical positions is the last straw (“Chirl’s mega$taff is for ‘the people’: Blas,” Aug. 20).
Isn’t it enough that her mental-health program was a total disaster, and she somehow still cannot account for the money that was allocated to her for that ridiculous idiocy?
Now, she has the audacity to use taxpayer money to help pay bloated salaries, totaling nearly $2 million, for these 14 people.
With the threat of massive city layoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, there is no reason whatsoever for so many people to be paid such ridiculous salaries.
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
How much longer can city officials tolerate the mayor’s wife being involved in any position?
She failed miserably with ThriveNYC, but that doesn’t stop de Blasio from appointing her queen.
These two imbeciles are laughing all the way to the bank as King Cuomo stares into his mirror on the wall and does nothing about anything.
McCray is a loser. Democratic leaders are watching this city burn to the ground.
Vincent Conti
Staten Island
As rats take over uncollected trash and city workers are laid off due to cutbacks, McCray plays the role of Marie Antoinette, who famously said: “Let them eat cake.”
The financial burden that her “staff ” places on an already overtaxed city budget is unconscionable, and it should be subject to the same cutbacks as other city agencies. The city’s first lady should do what is honorable and reduce her staff, so that money is freed up for more crucial services and personnel.
Mel Young
Lawrence
On the mayor’s wife’s $2 million staff budget: the City Council should defund her office.
The council has no problem in “defunding” the police and cutting the budgets of other agencies.
If the City Council had some guts, it would eliminate her funding or cut it to the bone in view of the need for budgetary austerity. She has no need for a staff of 14.
Let her have one assistant, and nothing more. While we are it, the council should eliminate ThriveNYC, which is a pure, political boondoggle.
Mark Seitelman
Manhattan
When does it end? Why are city officials allowing the mayor’s wife to waste the taxpayers’ money with her pet cause, ThriveNYC, and a staff of 14 with salaries of over $2 million?
This is the worst case of nepotism this city has seen in years. Why isn’t there an investigation? Enough is enough; it’s time to defund McCray.
Paul Baden
Matawan, NJ
It’s way past time for the self-promoting lord Gov. Cuomo to get off his high horse and start holding Mayor de Blasio and his wife accountable for the wasting of funds, overstaffing and neglecting the fine people of New York City. We all know how many have left New York with no intention of returning.
Now is the time to start the calling out of all three of them. Besides painting the streets, writing a total lie of a book and wasting millions of dollars on a broken and unsuccessful ThriveNYC, they have done exactly nothing!
Doc Ludemann
Bridgeport, Conn.
I’m confused. Who is the mayor of New York City? De Blasio claims his wife absolutely needs a 14-member staff that costs the taxpayers nearly $2 million dollars a year, and that’s on top of the $1.25 billion that she has already wasted on the ThriveNYC program that was supposed to help New Yorkers.
At the same time, the city is making $100 million in coronavirus-induced cuts to the Sanitation Department, which will affect the city in a very bad way.
Amongst everything else that is going on these days, this is just deplorable, disgusting and inexcusable, especially during these trying times. Cleanliness should be a top priority. This is just so unacceptable.
Lydia Fasano
Dunellen, NJ