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Greenfield Outraged At Blizzard Mismanagement

Brooklyn – Councilman David G. Greenfield is outraged at New York City’s gross mismanagement of its blizzard response and is calling on the City to accept full responsibility for the consequences, including putting countless of New Yorkers lives at risk. Greenfield heard from many emergency service workers who lamented that they were unable to reach patients in a timely fashion because their patients streets were not plowed at all.

Greenfield, who represents the Boro Park, Midwood and Bensonhurst sections of Brooklyn, was shocked at the conditions as he walked the streets of his district this afternoon. “I’ve lived here my entire life,” said Greenfield, “and I’ve never seen the streets this way after a major snowstorm.  We’ve seen significant snowfall in 2006, 2003, 1996 and even as recently as February of this year, but what I’m seeing on the streets today is unprecedented.  It can only be described as shameful mismanagement at the highest levels of city government.”

Councilman Greenfield attributes the extremely hazardous conditions to Mayor Bloomberg’s personnel reductions at the Department of Sanitation, which left the Department short 400 sanitation workers.

“Here in Brooklyn we are used to being the step-child of Manhattan, waiting for available plows.  But, there are major streets in my district that haven’t see a plow at all,” Greenfield exclaimed. “There are even emergency response vehicles trapped in snow drifts because of unplowed streets.  Quite frankly, I’ve never seen such a wholesale failure of government to provide basic services.”

Greenfield made a point of opening his office today to respond to numerous constituent complaints. Since last night, Greenfield has personally been working the phones trying to resolve a variety of snow-related issues.  From sending assistance to a Boro Park – Williamsburg bus that was stuck on the BQE for five hours en route to Williamsburg, to clearing many main arteries in his district including 60th Street, 39th Street, Avenue N and Avenue I, Greenfield is doing whatever he can to assist constituents.  Greenfield is currently directing resources to 49th Street, the block in his district leading to Maimonides Hospital, as well as Avenue J.

“The bottom line is that we owe a debt of gratitude to the outstanding men and women of the Sanitation Department, NYPD, NYFD and OEM.  They selflessly left their families to serve their communities in incredibly dangerous conditions.  Unfortunately, their superiors were woefully unprepared for this storm, leaving all New Yorkers in a ditch,” Greenfield concluded.

(YWN Desk – NYC)