Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
“Building a recovery for all of us means creating thousands and thousands of jobs that will make our city a safer and more beautiful place to live, work, and play. That mission has never been more important. Together, we will deliver the kind of recovery that New Yorkers deserve,” Mayor de Blasio said.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced the launch of the City Cleanup Corps, a New Deal-inspired economic recovery program to directly create 10,000 jobs and make New York City the cleanest, greenest city in the United States.
Announced in the Mayor’s Recovery for All of Us plan, the New York City CCC is modeled after the New Deal’s U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps, which hired thousands of unemployed Americans from across the country to improve public lands, forests and parks during the Great Depression. The federal stimulus passed by President Joe Biden and Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate will be used to fund the program.
“In 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt built the nation’s economic recovery by improving infrastructure, putting Americans back to work, and restoring civic pride in our public spaces. Today, New York City is leading the way in doing it again,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Building a recovery for all of us means creating thousands and thousands of jobs that will make our city a safer and more beautiful place to live, work, and play. That mission has never been more important. Together, we will deliver the kind of recovery that New Yorkers deserve.”
Hiring will begin in April, with 1,000 New Yorkers hired this month. More than 7,700 positions will be posted in July and build to 10,000. Hiring will take place across 10 different City agencies, including Department of Parks & Recreation, Department of Transportation, New York City Housing Authority, and Department of Environmental Protection.
According to the administration, the CCC will immediately get to work revitalizing New York City’s public spaces and neighborhoods, beautifying parks and green spaces, and bringing art to the city’s open spaces. This will include a citywide graffiti removal campaign, pressure washing sidewalks, designing murals, tending to community gardens, and maintaining Open Streets.
The CCC’s work will focus on key areas identified by local communities and elected officials, business districts, and the 33 neighborhoods hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic as identified by the City’s Taskforce on Racial Equity and Inclusion.
“As elected officials, our constituents expect us to ensure that their families are safe, and their streets are clean, among other duties,” said City Councilman Bob Holden (D-Middle Village). “While in office, I ensured that proper funding was allocated for street cleaning services, graffiti removal, snow shoveling, and additional basket collections. The mayor’s City Cleanup Corps is a great initiative that would not only create jobs but help keep our streets clean.”
Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Corona) added, “Beautifying our parks and spaces, and cleaning our streets throughout the pandemic have been a labor of love for so many New Yorkers, who have volunteered their time, especially across my district. Now we can truly double down on having cleaner neighborhoods that we can be proud of while getting thousands of New Yorkers back to work. The City Cleanup Corps is great news for our City as we work to recover from this pandemic.”
