Call Them Out, Eric

The Citizens Budget Commission survey documenting a steep plunge in New Yorkers’ views of city life should open eyes. Especially the mayor’s. No, Mayor Adams isn’t to blame for all these declines. But he clearly hasn’t done enough to fix things.

The survey showed just 30% of New Yorkers’ rate their quality of life as excellent, down from 51% in 2017. The share who see public safety in their nabes as good or excellent dipped from 50% to 37%.

Well, duh: Major felonies last year were up 31% over 2017, and though misdemeanors were down slightly from that year, they were 13% higher than in 2019.

Taxes shot through the roof, too — along with government spending: Albany’s outlays soared 48% in that time; the city’s rose 28%.

Migrants, mentally ill homeless, illegal pot shops and a host of other scourges have also soured New Yorkers on city life.

Most of the woe stems from the disastrous decisions of pols like Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, state lawmakers and those at the far-left City Council. De Blasio defunded police. Cuomo and lawmakers in Albany imposed cashless bail and other crime-promoting laws.

The state cut psychiatric hospital beds, hiked taxes, OK’d congestion pricing, botched pot legalization. Cuomo and the Legislature also messed with the rent laws, crushing the city’s housing market for anyone seeking a new place.

Yet Adams’ pushback has ranged from lame to nonexistent. At this point, he’s basically accepted the status quo on criminal-justice reforms and other issues, like congestion pricing, where he backs the general policy but merely argues for “a different version.”

And he touts Gotham as a sanctuary city, welcoming waves of migrants, under the delusion that Washington (or maybe Albany) will help foot the bills. Gothamites are now paying billions for these illegal newcomers.

Adams should be shouting from the rafters about the damage Albany has done and encouraging voters to oust representatives who won’t fix, say, the no-bail law. He should be demanding more psych beds — and laws to ease commitment of the violent mentally ill.

He should be slamming President Biden, by name, every day for his disastrous “comeone-come-all” border policy.

Adams promised to be the new face of the Democratic Party, someone willing to plot a saner, middle course. But if he’s unwilling to challenge his party’s extremists, he’ll never fulfill that vow.