Op-Ed: Together We Can Save Our City – QNS

Have you ever heard of the Doomsday Clock?

The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic representation of how close humanity is to its own destruction, maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. New York City has its own Doomsday Clock, but ours is not quite as symbolic – ours has a definitive countdown to the destruction of New York City as we know it. That countdown ends on the day that the City of Yes becomes law.

Already, New York City’s infrastructure is crumbling. Just last year, a 127-year-old water main burst beneath Times Square, of all places, flooding the subway station and causing delays for countless commuters. Our streets are in shambles, with potholes plaguing major roadways throughout the five boroughs. Buildings are literally collapsing, and our bridges and tunnels are approaching critical levels when it comes to repair needs. 

This situation is made infinitely worse by the ongoing migrant crisis, which is pouring tens of thousands of new people into the city while siphoning billions of dollars away from public services. DSNY lot cleanups, Parks maintenance and other programs that New Yorkers once took for granted have been stripped away as money is diverted to pay for the mass of humanity flooding across our bridges and tunnels, and as a result we are seeing our streets strewn with garbage and our parks overgrown.

The City of Yes, with its virtually unchecked building allowances and the removal of community input on massive developments in their neighborhoods, would only push these infrastructure issues past their breaking points. It would lead to chaos.

Luckily for us, the hands on this clock can be stopped, and our city can be saved.

To stop the clock we need moderate Democrats to step away from the far-left radicals who have hijacked their party. We need them to not only reject the City of Yes, which would effectively be the final nail in the coffin when it comes to the future of NYC, but we need them to reject the litany of dangerous legislation that has been forced through at the city and state level as well – legislation like the misguided bail reform that allows violent criminals to prowl our streets unhindered. Legislation that spends our tax dollars on sheltering the whole planet while New Yorkers go hungry due to the rising price of everyday goods. Legislation that handcuffs our police and prioritizes criminals at the expense of ordinary New Yorkers. 

If we work as a team, I know that we can make a New York City that is truly equitable. We can bring about affordable housing for unhoused and hardworking New Yorkers that doesn’t destroy communities with unnecessary high-rises. We can create a safe, peaceful place where everyone can grow and thrive without worrying about dizzying crime rates. We can reverse the downward trend that we have been seeing for nearly a decade and restore the Big Apple to its rightful place as the greatest city in the world. All we need is a little unity. If moderate Democrats and Republicans join forces, I know that we can buck the trends and pull our city back from the brink.

We can stop the Doomsday Clock. But we need to do it together. 

*Council Member Joann Ariola represents District 32, which includes Glendale, Woodhaven, Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Broad Channel, and the western half of the Rockaway Peninsula.