Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Editorial

Fix the Sink Before December

With less than a year left in office, Mayor Michael Bloomberg would leave an important legacy if he could actually eliminate the huge backlog in repairs needed in New York City’s public housing — home to more than 400,000 people.

There are about 420,000 repairs needed in the city’s aging public housing complexes. Some tenants complaining about leaky pipes or broken lights have been told that the repairs won’t be done until 2014. That is inexcusable.

Last week, Mr. Bloomberg promised to eliminate the backlog by spending $40 million to add 300 workers to the current repair work force of 2,000. He wants the New York City Housing Authority to organize its maintenance crews so that materials and tools are readily available. About $10 million would be new money from the city, with the rest from administrative savings by the authority.

Mr. Bloomberg also wants future repair requests to get much quicker responses. His goal is for crews to respond to emergencies within 24 hours. For other repairs, he wants workers to fix problems within two weeks.

On top of routine maintenance, the authority says there are still many apartments in need of repairs from damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Some housing advocates like Steven Banks, the chief lawyer for the Legal Aid Society, are skeptical of such promises. Mr. Banks welcomed the mayor’s plan but also noted that the housing authority has made similar promises before without making a dent in the backlog.

The mayor blames federal disinvestment for the repair delays. Federal operating and capital have gone from $1.67 billion in 2001 to $1.66 billion in 2012 even as the costs have risen and the buildings have aged. Still, anything Mr. Bloomberg can do to speed up the work will help preserve housing that is critically important in the city.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 26 of the New York edition with the headline: Fix the Sink Before December. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT