New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio attempted to defend first lady Chirlane McCray against backlash on Wednesday after it was discovered she had private staff that's getting paid millions in taxpayer money. We did not say everything would be perfect, burbled the co-mayor as if anybody outside his immediate orbit expected an outcome even close to competent. Given that nobody seems to know how many programs there even are, itll be a while before McCrays allowance is cut off. Well, he didnt actually say rathole, and the price tag has doubtless been lowballed but he also had no credible explanation for the debacle, nor did he apologize for it. The couple donated $260,000, earmarked for Ms. McCrays mental health initiative, in 2015 and 2016. Right up there with co-Mayor Bill, who started the week on his own sour note announcing that his signature Renewal school program was closing up shop after pounding $773 million down a rathole. Sign up for our free email newsletter, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop. However, according to current and former employees in the Mayors office -- and public records --McCrays staff makes closer to $2 million. They need supportive housing, for example, where there are services available where they live, to be able to function. We are measuring.. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, former Post reporter Yoav Gonen pulled together. or redistributed. Theres a $117,000-a-year speechwriter, even though McCray held that same position under former Mayor David Dinkins, and a $150,000-a-year senior adviser who was recruited in April after de Blasio announced a hiring freeze to help close a $7 billion deficit caused by the coronavirus. [6][8], After graduating from college, McCray moved to New York City to work for Redbook. The fact that we've added more services, the fact that we now have an Office of Community Mental Health is in direct response to what people have been asking for, and that is more, more and more more mental health providers, especially mental health providers of color, says McCray. How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? But that doesn't mean a hospital. Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. We've received your submission. One is a $70,000-a-year videographer (paid via the Health Department!) Anyway, for details the mayoral missus deferred to one Susan Herman, who does the day-to-day management and makes the decisions., Turns out that ThriveNYC director Herman had no more firm a grasp on detail than did McCray telling the hearing that her agency employs 400 benchmarks to measure effectiveness but that all of those metrics are being refined.. She makes calls to share what our priorities are and to get attention and interest from others, said Mr. Bloch, describing Ms. McCray as a key part of the organizations fund-raising. our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. Its wrong, and it needs to stop, Reynoso said. And people did equate mental illness with homelessness, which is so wrong, says McCray. Nothing had been measured in the past, so what are we measuring for? Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. Folks, let me tell you something, if there truly is a "scheme" here and the money was intentionally "misused" or funnelled somewhere, that is criminal. If you love what we do, please consider a $1/month donation to keep us live! I think it's safe to say that Bill DeBlasio's presidential prospects are dead in the water before they even started. Mayoral Photography Office Nearly a third of New Yorkers may be out of work thanks to the. The pace appeared to pick up last year, with 16 calls on the schedules and seven more in the first two months of this year. But he said that he had no in-depth conversations with her about fund business. Her father, Robert Hooper McCray, a World War II veteran, was an inventory clerk at a military base while her mother, Katharine Clarissa Eileen ne Edwards, was an assembly worker at an electronics factory. Certainly not the City Council, a legislative body comprising 50 stuffed cabbages and a speaker who wants to be mayor a fellow who stood by incuriously as the citys streets and subways slowly filled with insane people, many of them threatening and dangerous. Oh, and her staff is twice the size it was in 2018, further evidence that the mayor is using city resources to set his wife up to win next years race for Brooklyn borough president. Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The ThriveNYC initiative, now three years old, is the signature effort of Chirlane McCray, the wife of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The Times further reported that according to McCray's public schedule, she had spent 19.5 hours in 2017 on work for the Mayor's Fund; however, her spokeswoman estimated that McCray spent 10% of her work schedule on Mayor's Fund business. The mayor's most recent budget deal includes another $115 million in mental-health spending, an effort McCray says to respond to the mounting mental health care needs of city residents after. The inquiries were closed in 2016 without charges being filed. Such as, how did it happen that Thrive burned through more $565 million over four-plus years to no appreciable good effect with nobody noticing? Nearly a third of New Yorkers may be out of work thanks to the pandemic and lockdowns, but first lady Chirlane McCrays staff is thriving. While studying there, she became a member of a black feminist organization known as the Combahee River Collective. Chiara was born seven months after the wedding in December 1994. Ms. McCray declined a request for a follow-up interview to discuss the funds activities in more detail. Its an approach McCray says helped the city respond to the high demand for mental health services during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. With over 22,000 layoffs of city workers looming, the mayor cant seriously expect to keep funding full-time, highly paid speechwriters and professional videographers for his wifes political ambitions. In 2004, she left Thompsons service to join Maimonides Medical Center, where she served possibly till 2009, trying to promote a culturally sensitive environment and make it attractive to a wider clientele. Photo by Spectrum News NY1. [8], When de Blasio became mayor, he hired publicist Rachel Noerdlinger to be McCray's chief of staff. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, De Blasio and McCray's pathetic NYPD meddling, The suite life: Debt-ridden de Blasio spending thousands to live large at Brooklyn hotel, Taken for a ride: De Blasio still gets NYPD security, despite misuse pay refusal, Not thriving: Rebranded mental health agency needs leader, says critics. This naked abuse of his public trust puts the lie to all de Blasios endless moral sanctimony. Harold Fetner, a real estate developer who joined the funds advisory board in 2014, made multiple donations to the fund, through companies he owns, from 2015 through 2017, totaling $67,350. In 1975, after earning her BA degree, Chirlane McCray attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course. Entitled, I Am a Lesbian, it tried to dispel the myth that there was no gay in Black community and also to assure Black lesbians that they were not alone. [22][23] ThriveNYC promotes a shift from a traditionally more reactive model, which can strain police, prisons, hospitals, and schools,[24] to an integrated public health approach focusing on awareness and early identification. The first lady of New York City Chirlane McCray is married to an American politician Bill de Blasio. Does anybody know how well more likely, how poorly the co-mayors hugely expensive pre-K program is working, especially that portion consigned to the citys notoriously problematic not-for-profit sector? [8] During her husband's campaign for mayor of New York City in the 2013 election, she edited his speeches and helped interview candidates for staff positions. They also mocked her, often contorting their mouths to make their lips look big. This story has been shared 132,852 times. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. [14], In 2004, McCray left Thompson's office to work in the private sector. Anyone can read what you share. After a brief rise, the number declined again. That the co-mayors could fly under the radar to burn through $1.6 billion to no obvious good effect is an embarrassment but understandable in the abstract. "This work is about the needs of the people of this city. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion! This principally is on the co-mayors, of course, but it is also on Stringer who wants to be mayor, but who shrinks from demonstrating that he deserves the job. The reason I say that all of Thrives budget is tailored to [all city residents] is because its very difficult to say [what] is the percentage of our population that is seriously mentally ill, concluded Mrs. Mayor without laughing. Concurrently with working for Redbook, she continued with her social activities, being acutely aware about the condition of black women in a big city like New York. But there are other mysteries out there, too. [37], "Chirlane McCray in sling after birthday injuries", "De Blasio gripes about rules barring spouses from paid gigs in government", "Chirlane McCray, de Blasio's Wife, Is Questioned Over His 'Revolutionary' $1 Billion Mental Health Plan", "NYC'S New First Lady Makes Barbadians Proud - Caribbean and Latin America Daily News", "Chirlane McCray: From Gay Trailblazer to Politician's Wife", "Once Alienated, and Now a Force in Her Husband's Bid for Mayor: Chirlane McCray Plays Key Role in de Blasio Campaign", "Ancient History: The Lesbian Past of Bill de Blasio's Wife", "Bill de Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray, on the "fluidity of love" and the political spotlight", "Pioneering Black Feminist Makes History Again", "The Family Bible Is a Guest for the Oath, but Not a Participant", "Bill de Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray, opens up on her role as the mayoral race's most visible spouse", "At City Hall, Backstage Player Is Cast in Main Stage Uproar", "Rachel Noerdlinger, former Chirlane McCray aide, kept ex-con boyfriend updated through controversy", "De Blasio Appoints Chirlane McCray, His Wife, to Lead Nonprofit Group", "Once-Thriving City Nonprofit Sputters Under Mayor's Wife, Chirlane McCray", "NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray Weighs in on Federal Mental Health Reform", "ThriveNYC: A Mental Health Roadmap for All", "Chirlane McCray and the Limits of First-Ladyship", "With opaque budget and elusive metrics, $850M ThriveNYC program attempts a reset", "There's too much money in Chirlane McCray's hands", "First Lady Chirlane McCray considering run for office in 2021", "Chirlane McCray's latest hires hint at run for public office", "Family in the Spotlight: De Blasio's Wife, Children Provide Multiracial Backdrop to Likely Mayoral Bid", "Bill de Blasio's wife recalls him first learning that she was a lesbian", "When Bill de Blasio's Wife Was a Lesbian", "De Blasio Finally Settles Down at Gracie Mansion", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chirlane_McCray&oldid=1144515944, This page was last edited on 14 March 2023, at 04:47. Much of that focus has been on communities of color, where many New Yorkers often lack safety nets, specifically the money and resources to cope in the face of mental illness. Thereafter, she moved to New York City, where she got a job as a low-level editor, writer and market researcher at a women's magazine called Redbook. This story has been shared 119,457 times. This story has been shared 364,374 times. She/her. I think theres added benefit. De Blasio is an Italian-American. They include the $70,000 videographer McCray brought on in February. At its inception in 2015, ThriveNYC was a seemingly unwieldy 54 initiative program. We did not say everything would be perfect, burbled the co-mayor as if anybody outside his immediate orbit expected an outcome even close to competent. [15] She worked for five years at Maimonides Medical Center. He said that a better measure of the funds success was the number of programs that it finances a number that has also fallen. A year later, she announced the formation of the Cities Thrive Coalition with aim of launching a more consolidated nationwide mental health system. Executives are focused on repairing the damage from the 18-month effort to split the firms auditing and consulting operations. "I like the fact that money is going toward mental health, but when they say we're seeing a benefit in all areas, I take exception to that, because I don't see it everywhere," Queens Councilman Robert Holden told The Post. . Council members learned Tuesday that only $30 million of Thrives $250 million annual budget an anemic 12 percent is spent on the seriously mentally ill, with the remainder of that enormously expensive burden shunted off to the citys more traditional social services agencies. In February, 2014, she was named as the chairperson of the Mayors Fund to Advance New York City. The fund has also moved into a larger space, in a building across from City Hall, which, for the first time, now includes a separate office for the chairwoman. ", Sometimes you look at a headline like this and think: "that can't possibly be true.". But the co-mayor made performance promises when he initiated the Renewal program, few of which even remotely were met, and presently gravity prevailed: The program caved in on itself. [6][12] At the time, de Blasio was an aide to a deputy mayor and McCray was a speechwriter. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. McCray says they are working to help those very people, by connecting them to services rather than placing them in psychiatric wards. The performance of the Mayors Fund Ms. McCrays only official role among her many unofficial responsibilities, including overseeing the citys mental health initiatives provides a window into her leadership style at a time when she is contemplating a run for office of her own. The 1984 ruling, known as the Chevron deference, directs courts to defer to a federal agencys legal approach when Congress has left the statutory language ambiguous, which some conservatives have come to oppose. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. It was reorganized and given its current name by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg after he took office in 2002, when the city was reeling from the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Fourteen city workers assisting McCray cost taxpayers $2 million a year most of it buried in the payrolls of various city agencies until former Post reporter Yoav Gonen pulled together the details for online paper The City. Mr. de Blasio had to seek permission from the citys Conflicts of Interest Board to name his wife to chair the fund, because city rules barred him from giving the job to a relative. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Well over a billion dollars has been spent on these mental health programs, and one of the main criticisms lobbed at the de Blasio Administration and McCray particularly. Other members of the shadow staff who participated in a Team Lunch in The Bronx in January 2019, according to McCrays public schedule, are a $143,000-a-year public relations director, also from the Department of Health, and a special assistant from the mayors office who makes $115,000. That two such scandals should bubble to the surface unannounced is bad enough. The only friend that she had was her Spanish teacher, Michael McCarthy. First lady Chirlane McCray's ThriveNYC unveiled a splashy new website Monday purporting to show the $1.25 billion plan has "dramatically improved the landscape of. She says the Cities Thrive initiative was started in response to a lack of guidance coming from the Trump Administration, but she is hopeful there will soon be more mental health support for cities under the Biden Administration. McCray is the proprietress of ThriveNYC, a mental-health-related something-or-other created four-plus years ago to give a little heft to the conceit that Bill and Chirlane were elected as co-mayors which is nonsense on stilts. Please share your thoughts about this article below. (And dont forget the Department of Correction: A huge but ultimately unknowable percentage of New Yorks mentally ill reside on Rikers Island and in other lock-ups.). That Stringer could sleep through it all is the real scandal; why does the city even have a comptroller, if thats the standard of performance? McCray says she is not running the Office of Community Mental Health Susan Herman is. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray, was given $900 million to start a mental health initiative focusing on helping the homeless in the city. Fast-forward to Wednesday, when the City Council was startled to discover that McCray and Team Thrive are closing in on having spent an eye-popping $900 million since the programs inception and nobody seems to have a clue on what. [30][31], McCray published an essay in Essence in 1979 entitled "I Am a Lesbian". Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The first spouse went before the City Council Tuesday tripping spectacularly over her own tongue while removing any doubt that her billion-dollar husbandly indulgence, ThriveNYC, amounts to an epic public policy swindle gussied up as a mental health program. The rescue deal will see JPMorgan take on all of First Republics $92 billion in deposits and buy most of its assets, heading off a collapse that threatened to reignite the recent banking crisis. Its wrong, and it needs to stop, Reynoso said. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. And we were fortunate to have an infrastructure of services that people could turn to, says McCray. Four years later, no one seems to know what that money was actually used for, according to the New York Post. [17] Later in 2014, Noerdlinger resigned her post following a series of controversies surrounding her behavior and that of persons close to her. The First Lady has also been working with local leaders from municipalities across the country, part of the Cities Thrive Coalition. "[34], McCray and de Blasio have a daughter, Chiara, and a son, Dante. But in the end, McCray insisted Tuesday, all the spending is to the benefit of every New Yorker. [28], ThriveNYC drew harsh criticism over allegations of mismanagement and accusations that it had failed to produce records of tangible results. Even as fund-raising has stalled, the fund has moved into larger offices which include a new, private office for Ms. McCray and the cost of running the operation has increased by more than 50 percent in the last two years. McCray says the citys mental health hotline, NYC Well, logged 33,000 texts, chats and calls this January up from 18,000 the year before, an 83% increase in use. Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres criticized ThriveNYC, stating that there was "no evidence its working". Instead, McCray called herself the programs most important advisor, saying, I don't run day-to-day programs, but I do oversee the development of the office, and make sure that we're keeping the direction, focusing on communities.. She is married to former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and had been described as de Blasio's "closest advisor. Baking day! Thereafter from 1994, she served Carl McCall, the New York State Comptroller, as his speech writer. The City Council discovered this shocking amount of potential waste during a meeting Wednesday. They're homeless for other reasons.. But another pattern is revealed by the calls: almost half of those contacted by Ms. McCray were contributors to her husbands mayoral campaigns (the Simonses each gave the maximum donation to Mr. de Blasios re-election campaign last year). There were 85 programs at last count, according to Ms. Olson. We launched Thrive long before the pandemic. Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire whose charitable efforts are well known, conceived the fund as a way for philanthropists, corporations and others to help subsidize city initiatives. Abbott tells Chicago mayor to take complaints on border crisis to the White House, Biden admin's coordination with environmental groups to ban gas stoves under investigation by Cruz, Comer, Virginia Gov. Once a white construction worker spit on her while she was riding a bike. The Phantom of the Opera The Final Curtain, California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, McCray says the citys mental health hotline, NYC Well, logged 33,000 texts, chats and calls this January, Some critics have said that Thrive focused too little on those with serious mental illnesses, The mayors most recent budget deal includes another $115 million in mental-health spending. Once-Thriving City Nonprofit Sputters Under Mayors Wife, Chirlane McCray, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/nyregion/city-nonprofit-that-thrived-after-9-11-lags-under-mayors-wife.html. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The nonprofit was created in 1994 by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani to raise private-sector money to finance some of his pet projects, including a children's book featuring his dog. And just as surely, jobs are the point both municipal positions and employment with the numberless, anonymous, unaccountable and usually politically connected not-for-profit agencies that live off city dollars. There is no limit to the size of donations to the fund, as there is for campaign contributions, and as a nonprofit controlled by the mayors office, the fund has routinely and legally raised money from donors who gave to Mr. de Blasios campaigns and his political causes. No more free rides: MTA brings back front-door bus boardin Woman has 'loud, full body orgasm' in the middle of LA concert, All the red carpet highlights and star-studded fashionfrom the Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala, Bride killed, groom seriously hurt by drunk driver just minutes after leaving reception, After legal weed, NYC's once-wild 4/20 party just another boring street fair, How a retired detective snared his seventh 'Torso Killer' confession, The best-dressed celebs at the 2023 Met Gala: Rihanna, Gisele Bndchen, more, Kim Kardashians Met Gala 2023 look sparks comparisons to Playboy cover, Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson reunite at Met Gala 9 months after breakup, Khristina Williams previews the New York Liberty's 2023 WNBA season, Katy Perry will be temporarily replaced on 'American Idol' amid drama. Spouse Bill de Blasio (m. 1994) Children 2 Education Wellesley College(BA) Chirlane Irene McCray(born November 29, 1954)[1]is an American writer, editor, and activist. The couple has two children, a son called Dante and daughter called Chiara. Contributions are stagnant, if not falling, and now support fewer programs. I first saw the story online under the title: "Bill DeBlasio's Wife Reportedly Loses $850 Million of Taxpayer Funds! The first spouse went before the City Council . Paul Martinka / SplashNews.com ThriveNYC, which McCray launched in 2015, came under scrutiny by watchdogs. That it should happen in a single week is worse its an embarrassment. [5], When she was ten years old, her family moved to Longmeadow, Massachusetts, becoming only the second black family in the area. [11], In 1991, McCray entered politics. The programs at issue ostensibly are meant to assist particularly challenged people the helpless, often homeless, mentally ill and small children whose futures are forfeited because they landed in shamefully nonfunctional schools, an experience from which they will never recover. Both City Hall and IBO suspect the Office of Management and Budget included fewer. The Times added: "A spreadsheet of nearly 500 data points tracked by City Hall included almost none related to patient outcomes". Uncovering The Satanic Panic: South Dakota. #thriveNYC. Its not necessary for me to sit through them if I can be raising thousands of dollars to actually pay for fund programs. [8], McCray enrolled at Wellesley College in 1972. Why do we get this kind of criticism? says McCray. That Stringer could sleep through it all is the real scandal; why does the city even have a comptroller, if thats the standard of performance? The U.S. economy no longer looks so exceptional. This story has been shared 110,413 times. Only anti-Trump hysteria allows for denial of Paterson's m Laurie Metcalf on getting directed by 'triple threat' Ray Romano, Academia's twisted reasons for shelving the SAT, Spring Break, Paris, Coachella: Gen Z is willing to go broke for luxury vacations, Woman has 'loud, full body orgasm' in the middle of LA concert, All the red carpet highlights and star-studded fashionfrom the Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala, Bride killed, groom seriously hurt by drunk driver just minutes after leaving reception, Katy Perry will be temporarily replaced on 'American Idol' amid drama. And it's only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. The chairwoman of the Mayors Fund to Advance the City of New York, Chirlane McCray, has largely been missing in action: She has attended less than half of the funds board meetings, and her outreach to donors has been sporadic. In that essay, McCray "frankly discussed her sexuality and expressed gratitude that she came to terms with her preference for women before marrying a man". And the chairwoman of the nonprofit, Chirlane McCray, has largely been missing in action: She has attended less than half of the funds board meetings, and her outreach to donors has been sporadic. Heres What Theyre Trying To Distract You From With The Trump Indictment. ", CHIRLANE MCCRAY ENJOYS $2M STAFF OF 14 AMID NYC BUDGET CRISIS, He added, "The mental health crisis is much deeper because of the coronavirus, across the whole city, that's one of the things she's been working on intensely, but also as the co-chair of the internal task force this extraordinary task force on racial inclusion that has been moving big policy changes.".