NYC NOW - November 21, 2024: Midday News

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

Mayor Eric Adams has agreed to unlock $5 billion for sewers, streets, and open spaces in exchange for City Council support of his signature housing plan, according to two city officials. Meanwhile, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge celebrates its 60th anniversary this Thursday. Also, the NYPD has a new Commissioner. Jessica Tisch, who previously led the Sanitation Department, is returning to the police agency, where she once served as Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology. Jillian Snider, a retired NYPD officer and Director of Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties at the R Street Institute, weighs in on what Tisch’s leadership could mean for the department. And finally, Thanksgiving is almost here. WNYC is spotlighting unique holiday traditions. We hear from Michael Antonoff of Forest Hills.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Thursday, November 21st. Here's the midday news from Veronica Del Valle. Mayor Adams is agreeing to unlock $5 billion to fund sewers, streets, and open spaces in exchange for city council support for the zoning plan he's dubbed City of Yes. That's according to two New York City officials briefed on the negotiations. The zoning plan would allow for more housing to be built across the five boroughs, including in lower-density areas. As part of the deal, the city would also allocate money to subsidize affordable housing construction and preservation. News of the deal comes as the council committees are scheduled to vote on the zoning plan today.

A spokesperson for the mayor did not immediately comment on the deal. The Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened 60 years ago today. At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Then New York City Mayor Robert Wagner spoke at the opening. This latest addition to our city's great wealth of bridges represents a new summit of achievement. Surely we must see it not only as the biggest, but as the most beautiful of all, the most princely and the most stately. That most princely bridge hangs from towers 693 feet tall. They're far enough that the tops are slightly further away than the bases to compensate for the curvature of the earth.

The MTA says each tower is held together with 3 million rivets and 1 million volts. Now for the weather, right now it's rain, fog, and mist about 48 degrees. Later in the day, showers in the mid-40s. Tonight, showers until 10 p.m. and a low of 37. Up next, Mayor Eric Adams has named Jessica Tish as the new NYPD commissioner. More on her appointment after the break. NYC.

The NYPD has a new commissioner. Jessica Tish is moving from heading the Department of Sanitation to police headquarters. Earlier in her career, she spent years at the NYPD as a deputy commissioner of information technology and played a major role managing the rollout of body-worn cameras. My colleague Tiffany Hansen caught up with Jillian Snyder. She's a retired NYPD officer and currently serves as an adjunct lecture at John Jay College. She's also the director of criminal justice and civil liberties at the R Street Institute. Jillian, just wondering your initial reaction when you heard the news about Jessica Tisch, who is, as I mentioned, the current sanitation commissioner.

She's been appointed to the head of the NYPD. So your reaction? initial shock. I was very surprised that they would think to pull someone from the outside in, especially someone who's never served formally in a law enforcement capacity. Mayor Adams is now on his fourth commissioner since taking office. I'm just wondering what you think that says about his leadership at the NYPD. You will have turnover in that role. I'm just more concerned with how the rank and file members of the service feel about it. having that much shuffling for your top leader, you know, would make someone feel a little

concerned, a little disheartened that there's not a lot of structure at the top of the organization. Well, you mentioned rank and file officers. I'm curious because Tish has served with the NYPD before, as I mentioned, but not in uniform. What do you think that is going to do specifically for rank and file officers? I actually did speak to a couple of members of the service yesterday. I still have some family and friends on the job. And everyone kind of, you know, put their hands up in question. They were like, how is this person going to be able to relate to me? And yes, although she served with the department in a civilian function for about eight or nine years, and from what I know, she did a really great job in her position, but it's not the same as putting a uniform on,

going out and dealing with members of the public in the way that uniformed officers do. Tish comes from a wealthy New York City family. Her grandfather founded the Lowe's Corporation. The family is known for their philanthropy. So I'm curious how you think that background might affect her ability to lead an agency that has a complicated history with underserved communities. I don't think that her family or their wealth. I don't think that should play into considerations at all. I mean, obviously it would to someone who's really scrutinizing her appointment. But I think, think that if the mayor felt comfortable and confident in her ability to perform in this function, I think that we should give her time to, you know, come over, transition from her current role with the Department of Sanitation, back into the NYPD, settle in. Of course, there are a lot of other things going on within the department, especially in the upper ranks right now. There's been a lot of criticism and scrutiny on what's going on there. So I think we should

afford her the time to come in, settle in, get her bearings, and then see where we go from I don't like to pass early judgment. Talking with Jillian Snyder, a retired NYPD officer, serving currently as an adjunct lecture at John Jay College and also the Director of Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties at the R Street Institute about the news that Jessica Tisch is moving from the head of the sanitation department to police headquarters. Ms. Snyder, thanks so much for your time this morning.

Thank you. Have a great day. around the corner and we want to know how you make the holiday unique. What are your Thanksgiving holiday traditions? How did they get started? Michael Antonoff of Forest Hills shared his tradition. He says his birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year. As anyone fortunate enough to have been born in late November, we'll tell you, relatives invited to Thanksgiving dinner feel obligated to bring presents for the birthday boy or girl. Growing up, I amassed a silo of things. were electric trains in a chemistry lab, there was a radio kick with a range of two feet. I'd play a kazoo into the mic, and the sound came out of a transistor radio, another gift. I suppose that

personal accumulation violates the spirit of the holiday. And indeed it does. In retrospect, I should have been most thankful for being so fortunate. We want to hear from you. What are some of your unique holiday traditions? How did they come to be? Send us a brief voice memo at your voice at WNYC.org. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a day,

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