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Opinion

Lessons from NYC Past: Like Mayors Before Him, Eric Adams Enters Office Amid Major Crisis


village amid crisis

Mayor Eric Adams (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


Voters have thrust Eric Adams upon history. He has taken office as the city faces one of its greatest crises—a resurging covid pandemic as a result of the highly-contagious Omicron variant—along with the usual city troubles of crime, homelessness, and mental illness, among others.

Yet, Adams is hardly the first mayor to be sworn in during a crisis. What historical lessons exist for Mayor Adams?

Mayor Michael Bloomberg was sworn into office four months after September 11, 2001, as the city also faced an economic crisis and the uncertainty of a world engulfed in the reality of terrorism and war. New York City had to sharpen its defense against external, global threats in addition to the usual street crime while ensuring that its economy did not fully crumble and keeping people from fleeing the city.

Mayor Bloomberg tackled these crises with resolve. He quickly assembled a team with government and private sector experience. To deal with the economic crisis, he initiated building projects throughout the boroughs that brought in needed jobs and showed the world that the city was resilient. Understanding the necessity of improved technology, Bloomberg sought the expansion of the technology sector, which also brought in jobs. Seeing the need to streamline government services, Bloomberg merged some city departments and agencies, and introduced the 311 system. And understanding the threats to safety, he appointed as police commissioner Ray Kelly, who had first served in the role under Mayor David Dinkins, to lead on public safety and launch an NYPD counter-terrorism unit.

Within the first two years of his mayoralty, New York City not only balanced its budget (required by law after the economic crisis of the ’70s) but reported budget surpluses. Crime also continued to trend downward.

Granted, Bloomberg’s tenure included very real and troubling controversy, like the awful stop-and-frisk program. Yet his leadership of the city amid the crisis of his ascent was a model.

In 1978, Mayor Ed Koch likewise inherited a city in crisis. Koch stepped into his City Hall position facing one of the biggest financial crises since the Great Depression. Upon taking office, he realized that his predecessor, Abe Beame, had underestimated the vast budget deficit the city faced. The city was in the hole for $240 million, $130 million more than Beame had mentioned. Undeterred by the crisis, Koch set about learning the intricacies of the city’s complicated budget, using his budget director, Jim Brigham, as a personal tutor.

Like Bloomberg, Koch organized a team of senior administration officials, in this case to develop a financial plan that would restore the city’s fiscal health. Historian Jonathan Soffer in his book on the Koch era explains that the team worked arduously to move the city forward, essentially “working two jobs,” meeting in a building with little heat, and working well into the night crunching numbers and brainstorming together. The result was a four-year financial plan that, through difficult cuts and strategic spending, balanced the books within a few years.

Of course, we know all too well the wounds Koch inflicted on himself, wounds that led to his defeat to David Dinkins in 1989. But Koch’s leadership at the start of his tenure helped the city turn the corner.

John Lindsay’s mayoralty started with a transit strike that paralyzed the city for 12 days, a situation that grew out of issues pre-dating Lindsay’s official start. In fact, as mayor-elect, Lindsay spent much of December in talks with outgoing mayor Robert Wagner, the infamous Transit Workers Union chief, Mike Quill, and others. The situation was so dire, requiring round-the-clock attention, that Lindsay and top aides slept in cots in City Hall on his very night as mayor.

Though negotiations did not go as expected, and though the final agreement closely reflected Quill’s original ask, Lindsay took control of the public narrative early on, giving New Yorkers the perception he was in control of a dire situation. One poll taken after the strike indicated that 75% of New Yorkers approved of Lindsay’s handling of the situation, perhaps proving that Lindsay’s direct contact through the press and speeches had had the desired impact on public opinion.

All three of these mayors handled their crises in similar ways: with sound management skills, by dealing with major challenges head on, by surrounding themselves with a competent team, and by communicating consistently and honestly with city residents. These are traits that Mayor Adams would be wise to follow. Certainly in this, his first week, the mayor seems to be showing that he is in control and ready to lead New York City forward through this challenging time. 

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Eli Valentin is an adjunct lecturer at Union Theological Seminary. He writes regular columns for Gotham Gazette, largely focused on Latino politics in New York City, and is a frequent guest political analyst at Univision NY. On Twitter @EliValentinNY.

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How is New York City Assessing High School Students’ Social and Emotional Skills?


schools students covid safety

Students back at school (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


The pandemic has exacerbated the mental health risks faced by students in our public schools. Last spring, in an effort to monitor students' social-emotional health, the de Blasio administration awarded an $18 million contract to Aperture Education, a South Carolina-based “social enterprise” founded in 2017, to assess students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) at at all grade levels. As a public high school student, I am concerned that the tool being used, which was originally designed for elementary and middle school students, will not be able to accurately measure social-emotional skills and needs in a high school environment.

“The trauma of the pandemic has been acutely felt by our youngest New Yorkers,” said Mayor de Blasio at a December 2020 press conference (announcing “a mental health plan to support students”), “we will give our kids the emotional support they need to succeed in a safe and supportive environment.” Then-Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said at the same event, “Students are only able to succeed academically when their social and emotional needs are being met…we know we’ll use these tools and resources to provide our school communities with the ability to confront and address trauma while fostering a safe, supportive environment for all students.”

The tool, known as the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), consists of a 43-question form that a teacher fills out for each student. Questions aim to assess a student’s SEL competencies in eight areas: self-awareness, optimistic thinking, self-management, goal-directed behavior, social awareness, relationship skills, personal responsibility, and decision-making. Teachers are asked to note how often over the last month they have observed students engaging in particular behaviors: “how often did the youth complement or congratulate somebody?” or “teach someone how to do something?” or “accept another choice when his/her first choice was not available?” or “respond to another person’s feelings?” In response, the teacher must choose “never,” “rarely,” “sometimes,” “often,” or “almost always.”

These questions are based on scenarios that would be unlikely in many high school settings in which classroom activities are almost entirely focused on academic material rather than social development. I can assure you that in my calculus class there are very few occasions when one might exhibit the kinds of behaviors described in this tool. Also, unlike teachers in lower grades, high school teachers typically only see their students for one class period a day. When I showed one of my teachers the questions, he laughed and wondered how he would ever fill out the form. He also said he would be reluctant to put “never” for the majority of answers (even if he had not observed the behavior) out of fear that a string of “nevers” would raise red flags unnecessarily.

The screener was rolled out very quickly and with very little explanation in late October, and according to the agreement reached between the UFT and the DOE, the screenings were completed by December 4th. Parents immediately expressed concerns about how the collected information would be used and whether it would be kept private. But families should also be concerned that this tool is only a slightly adapted version of one created for younger children. The original version of this assessment was developed in 2008 for use in K-8 grades, and there is little available research on the effectiveness of the versions adapted for the high school level.

The research most often cited to confirm the DESSA’s effectiveness is a 2018 paper by Paul A. LeBuffe, Valerie B. Shapiro, and Jenifer L. Robitaille. The authors expressly admit that while the “DESSA is currently appropriate for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the lack of a high school version has been a barrier.” Even though the “high school edition” has since been developed, it is not clear that it is age-appropriate.

New York City Department of Education officials have pointed to the positive research and reviews, but what they have not addressed is the fact that all of these reviews are based on the version for younger students. My research turned up several other studies of the screener's effectiveness but all were evaluations of the K-8 version.

Also concerning is the fact that the most cited study was not an independent evaluation. All three of the authors of the 2018 paper were involved in the creation of the DESSA tool and are in some way associated with Aperture Education: LeBuffe is Vice President of Research and Development, Robitalle is a senior research associate, and Shapiro has been sponsored by Aperture to speak at events.

If New York City is to properly address the mental health concerns of students, there should be more information and transparency about how this tool will be used to help those in high school. These screeners, which were paid for with federal covid relief dollars, cost taxpayers a lot of money, and it is not clear what the benefit will be. If so many of the screener questions do not apply to a high school setting,  schools will not be able to gauge and address social and emotional strengths and challenges of the city's high school students.

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Benjamin Fishbein is a senior at the Bronx High School of Science.

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New York Needs Leaders Who Think School Safety is Important


classroom covid

Kids and teachers safe in school (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if we had a mayor who thought school safety was important. Bill de Blasio didn’t, or he wouldn’t have placed the ridiculous plan we’ve had since September into effect. Eric Adams doesn’t, or he wouldn’t have rubber-stamped the ‘doubling’ of the anemic de Blasio plan.

Here’s the problem. You can say we’re testing 10%, 20%, or whatever percentage you choose for covid, but it’s not a real figure unless you’re talking about everyone. Right now, we are planning to PCR test only 20% of those students who have opted in to be tested. De Blasio, anxious to keep covid stats low in any manner possible, had students opt in rather than out of testing. Not only that, but out of that pool, we’re only going to test the students who step up on any given day. 

If I don’t believe in vaccines, if I don’t believe in science, or if I don’t believe in COVID-19, forget about me, let alone my kid. If I don’t believe one minute of any class should be missed, ever, I’m not giving permission for my kid to be tested, and I’m not getting tested either (and I may very well send my sick child into school). If I don’t feel like walking downstairs where they’re getting tested, I’m out too. How many teenagers feel they’re unlikely to have serious symptoms, so can’t and won’t be bothered to get tested? (After all, teens know everything, as any parent or teacher of one can attest.)

So what are we really getting 20% of? It’s hard to say, but what we haven’t got is a representative sample. As a high school teacher in an overcrowded Queens school, I will be part of the 20%, because I think my safety and that of others is more important than anything else our school has to offer. People like me, though, take every precaution in trying to protect ourselves and others. We wear quality masks, always, when we’re indoors outside of our homes. We did this even when laws and places of business didn’t require it. We got vaccinated (and boosted) when eligible. And we test regularly. To keep everyone safe.

If Mayor Adams or Governor Kathy Hochul were serious about protecting over a million people who go to New York City schools each day — and everyone else those people then come into close contact with — they wouldn’t endorse this charade. They’d say we’re testing  at least 20% of everyone in each school, every week. They’d say if you don’t want to take the test, stay home. Would it be inconvenient for parents to have their kids home? Would it be inconvenient for me not to receive a paycheck? You bet it would. 

There are serious consequences for shirking public safety. If I don’t feel like keeping my students safe, the state has every right to get rid of me and find someone who will. And if I don’t feel like my kid should be part of that effort, then my kid ought not to be in school with others who will take part in protecting one another. We already do this by requiring a suite of vaccines for students to attend schools.

It’s particularly egregious that we haven’t enacted such a testing program in pre-K and 3-K, where kids are not even eligible to be vaccinated. How can we not make an extra effort to identify young students with covid, particularly given pediatric cases and hospitalizations have jumped significantly?

Representative PCR testing, in fact, is the very least we would do if we were serious about keeping people safe. If we wanted to do the very best we could for our kids and one another, we’d require vaccination of absolutely everyone who attends our schools. We already require multiple vaccinations. Why not this one too?

How did public health become a political hot potato? It’s ridiculous beyond belief that we’re still arguing about whether or not eligible people should be vaccinated. It’s time for Eric Adams and Kathy Hochul to show leadership and stand up to people who’d risk the health of our population so as to indulge outlandish conspiracy theories.

You don’t need to be the Oracle of Delphi to predict the cost of negligence. Covid has been exploding for weeks, and it’s on us to reverse that pattern rather than encourage it. My wife, in Spanish, sometimes says, “Common sense is the least common of all the senses.”

Nowhere is that better personified than in the short-sighted, self-congratulatory, borderline meaningless gestures of our new mayor and governor. They must correct these dangerous policies now.

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Arthur Goldstein is an ESL teacher at Francis Lewis High School, and a UFT executive committee member. On Twitter @TeacherArthurG.

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