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Council Member De La Rosa inquires about agency distribution of DC 37 vacancies
0:32:49
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140 sec
Council Member Carmen De La Rosa asks Henry Garrido, Executive Director of District Council 37, about the distribution of 8,000 DC 37 vacancies across city agencies. Garrido provides a detailed response, highlighting significant vacancies in the Parks Department and issues with revenue-generating positions in various agencies.
- Garrido mentions a loss of 1,000 positions in the Parks Department, with ongoing discussions to restore 750 positions.
- He criticizes the financial logic behind some staffing decisions, such as using Sanitation workers for park cleaning instead of Parks Department employees.
- Garrido emphasizes severe understaffing in finance and revenue departments, particularly in property assessment roles.
Carmen De La Rosa
0:32:49
Yes.
0:32:50
I just have one quick question.
0:32:51
You testified that of the 22,000 vacancies, 8,000 are DC 37 positions.
0:32:57
Can you give us a vision as to which agencies these positions belong in?
Henry Garrido
0:33:02
Well, it's across the board.
0:33:03
But, you know, I think I mentioned parks where we have lost a 1,000 positions.
0:33:09
We're in discussions, with the administration to try to restore 750, including 250 PEP officers, who, as I said, bring in revenue.
0:33:18
And this is where it doesn't make a lot of sense.
0:33:20
So if the issue was rare money, why would the administration pursue a charter revision that would allow sanitation to clean the parks where it cost them more to do so than the very park workers that are being there?
0:33:33
Right?
0:33:33
And, I have to go through a civil service position where the park workers where our noncompetitor titles could do so at a lower cost.
0:33:42
So a lot of this rhetoric that it is a budget exercise is not really to me, it doesn't pan out.
0:33:48
The same thing happened with ulterior in department of of, transportation where people are cleaning, where new positions were higher at a higher cost, with a higher pension cost.
0:33:58
No disrespect to sanitation workers.
0:34:00
I work extremely well with Harry Nispoli and and his members, but it it doesn't mean make any financial sense.
0:34:07
What he does seem to do is that a lot of the people in the very positions that we have hiring, I mean, residency requirement that live in the very neighborhoods that they're supposed to service are being disenfranchised.
0:34:21
But parks certainly is at the top of that list.
0:34:25
Certainly, we've done better with health care because after the pandemic.
0:34:29
But, finance and revenue, as I said, this is a tax cut by neglect.
0:34:35
You have over a 1000000 parcels in district 2 in New York, and you have 2 assessors.
0:34:40
I think about that.
0:34:41
Manhattan downtown buildings that includes Hudson Yara and everybody else has 2 people doing the entire borough.
0:34:49
That is insane.
0:34:51
If you compare that to Nassau County and look at Nassau County, it has 250 people just for Nassau County itself, and it's mostly residential.
0:34:59
So we're leaving money on the table for this.
0:35:01
So, certainly, parks, finance, revenue producing are at at its worst.
Carmen De La Rosa
0:35:08
Thank you so much for answering your questions.