Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani put on his work gloves today to mark Day 100 of his administration, announcing that "cleaning illegal dumping in Soundview" won the City's first Mayor's Municipal Madness - a competition of city fixes in which every problem is addressed, but only one is tackled by the Mayor himself.
Over the course of the competition, New Yorkers cast more than 21,000 votes on 16 repairs. Cleaning illegal dumping in Soundview received 18,761 votes total and won the final matchup with 67.7% of the votes.
"This is what being a New Yorker is all about: listening to your neighbors, rolling up your sleeves and getting to work," said Mayor Mamdani. "No problem is too small for this administration - not broken water fountains on the Lower East Side, not faded crosswalks in Jamaica and certainly not illegal dumping in Soundview. 100 days in, we're delivering fixes of all shapes and sizes for the city that deserves nothing but the best."
"Every day, at every hour, City workers are solving problems - simple and complex - for New Yorkers," said Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson. "The Mayor's Municipal Madness gave New Yorkers a closer look at that work and a chance to shape how we marked this administration's hundredth day: by tackling the daily frustrations our neighbors face."
Competing commissioners - Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner Gregory Anderson, Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Tricia Shimamura and Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn - joined Mayor Mamdani to "talk trash" at a postgame press conference in Soundview. Bronx G.E.M.S. cheerleaders and DSNY mascot Scrappy hyped up the crowd as crews kicked off a sweeping cleanup of the entire district.
"Our team runs the court day and night to remove the 24 million pounds of waste New Yorkers set out every single day, and as this tournament highlights, we do even more behind the scenes to keep this city clean, green and not-so-mean," said DSNY Commissioner Gregory Anderson. "In the world of March Madness, 67 teams go home disappointed. In New York City's Municipal Madness, 8.6 million New Yorkers win, because every repair is completed, every improvement is made and from Soundview to Bushwick to Sunset Park, New Yorkers are seeing real results because of this effort."
"NYC Parks may have lost the Municipal Madness final voting, but all New Yorkers won. Parks and our fellow City agencies have completed a whole roster of significant fixes in public spaces citywide," said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. "Whether it's repairing a playground fence, fixing a drinking fountain or sprucing up a handball court, these improvements make a big difference to the way people enjoy our parks. We're proud to conduct these types of repairs year-round to improve quality of life for all New Yorkers."
"From repainted crosswalks to replacing new signs, we know that small fixes still have big impact for New Yorkers who spend just as much time on city streets as they do at home," said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. "NYC DOT may have been an early out in Municipal Madness this year, but the real win comes from delivering street safety improvements 24/7, 365 days a year to speed up transit and keep New Yorkers moving."
The Mayor's Municipal Madness launched in late March, inviting New Yorkers to vote on 16 repairs City agencies committed to completing within the administration's first 100 days. Every project has been completed. The runner-up, resurfacing a basketball court in Morrisania, began today and will wrap this weekend, while the champion, cleaning up illegal dumping, is being carried out today with the help of the Mayor.
