[14], In 2004, McCray left Thompson's office to work in the private sector. In the years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Mayors Fund to Advance the City of New York became a fund-raising juggernaut: The city-run nonprofit, which channels donations to city programs or causes, raised tens of millions of dollars from private sources. This story has been shared 119,457 times. 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. If youre civic-minded, youre probably involved in campaign support as well as philanthropy and the rest of it, so its hard to. During the tenure of President Clinton, she worked for the New York Foreign Press Center as a public affairs specialist. It was honorable work, it didnt cost very much and it filled up the spouses free time. Social PROOF Trump Indictment Will Likely Win Him 2024! or redistributed. Jane Meyer, a spokeswoman for the mayors office, said that Ms. McCrays public schedules listed fund-raising calls made on behalf of the fund, but an analysis of those schedules showed just three such calls in the first three years Mr. de Blasio was in office. What Was In Those Bush Sr. Funeral Envelopes? There is no evidence its working.. The board authorized its lawyers to sue Disney without explaining what the suit would allege, the latest salvo in the battle between the company and Florida Gov. [6][7][8] She wrote a column for her school newspaper in which she denounced classmates for their racism. Chirlane McCray, de Blasio's Wife, Is Questioned Over His [6][9] Essence later described the essay as "groundbreaking", asserting that it was "perhaps the first time a Black gay woman had spoken so openly and honestly about her sexuality in a Black magazine". Thats because there never was any doubt what the program was about. 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. 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. Birthday: November 29, 1954 (Sagittarius), Born In: Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, children: Chiara de Blasio, Dante de Blasio, Ancestry: Barbadian American, Saint Lucian American, U.S. State: Massachusetts, African-American From Massachusetts, See the events in life of Chirlane McCray in Chronological Order, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA438IuonLg. Market data provided by Factset. [30][31], McCray published an essay in Essence in 1979 entitled "I Am a Lesbian". our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Other families in the neighborhood circulated petitions demanding they leave. If theres a program thats been found to be ineffective, we should pull the plug, he said Wednesday. But the fund itself has become a much larger operation, adding employees and salaries. Bill de Blasio, Chirlane McCray, Chiara de Blasio and Dante de Blasio Chirlane is the loving mom of Chiara de Blasio and Dante de Blasio. Why do we get this kind of criticism? says McCray. It's a way of demonizing people who are suffering and saying they are not deserving of this.. Mr. de Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray, has done the same, presenting the effort as a national model to audiences from Atlanta to Seattle. This is 2018, Ms. McCray said, work can get done in all kinds of ways., and given its current name by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Most people who are homeless don't have a mental illness. Visitors cite his wealth and connections. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The rejection by her friends sowed the seeds of social and political activism. [12] During the Clinton administration, she worked for the New York Foreign Press Center as a public affairs specialist. In the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, the fund raised $14 million, according to a spokeswoman, Cynthia Olson, putting the fund on pace for its lowest annual revenues in more than a decade. We launched Thrive long before the pandemic. This story has been shared 375,122 times. The ThriveNYC initiative, now three years old, is the signature effort of Chirlane McCray, the wife of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Her mother, Katharine Clarissa Eileen (ne Edwards), was an assembly worker at an electronics factory, and her father, Robert Hooper McCray, was an inventory clerk at a military base. [6][7] During a portion of her high school years, McCray was the only black student in her school. The IBO budget shows $816 million. In fact, said Caraway, New Yorkers should be thanking McCrays staff for their contributions. McCray and de Blasio were married in 1994 in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. De Blasio's wife can't account for $850m given to mental health scheme https://t.co/gTEJcrCeob via @MailOnline, NYC Mayor De Blasio's wife spent $900 million in taxpayer moneywith no record of how it was used https://t.co/UGe8liu6L0, De Blasio and co-mayor wife have wasted $1.8B of taxpayer moneyFrankly Im surprised its not much more considering these two incompetent lazy stoners are at the helm. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. Mayor Bill de Blasio likes to say that theres plenty of money in New York City, but that its in the wrong hands. 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. OP1670 Exposes New Fed Power to Seize Control of U.S. Bank Accounts. 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. Make some of my familys favorite cookies with me: Ginger snaps! Save up to $15 with TurboTax coupon May 2023, Epic Bundle - 3x Expert Stock Recommendations, 15% Off DIY Online Tax Filing Services | H&R Block Coupon Code, 10% TopResume Discount Code for expert resume-writing services, Exclusive Groupon Promo Code - 30% OFF Local Experiences. That is, once upon a time, first spouses were content to pretend to be in charge of prettifying highways and things. [16] She also worked for Citigroup in its public relations department for six months before deciding it was "not a good fit". Office of Community Mental Health we are bringing mental health to the communities.. Several people on the list, when asked about the call, either did not remember the interaction or did not recall discussing donations. She published an essay in Essence in 1979 entitled "I Am a Lesbian". As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. What is the relationship of Chirlane McCray? But under Mayor Bill de Blasio, the fund has not kept pace. He said that a better measure of the funds success was the number of programs that it finances a number that has also fallen. All rights reserved. This seems laughingly obvious, except that this is Gotham and Mrs. Mayor may simply be fronting her programs principal beneficiaries the municipal unions and the nonprofits. In 2013, Chiara suffered from depression and drug use, which has since been addressed. TRUE All Along? On Wednesday, councilmembers were huffing that de Blasio has been showering his wife with tax dollars with embarrassing results. Sign up for our free email newsletter, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop. 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. The Thrive program, which had its budget raised to $250 million per year in 2019, has produced some underwhelming numbers in terms of how many people it impacts. 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. Theres no separation as a practical matter.. Some critics have said that Thrive focused too little on those with serious mental illnesses. Two Trees Management, a real estate developer that in 2015 donated $100,000 to the Campaign for One New York, gave $11,750 to the fund in April 2016, just weeks after Mr. de Blasio said he would shut down the Campaign for One New York. Activist, writer, loving partner of @BilldeBlasio. ThriveNYC website reveals $1.25B program's empty boasts - New York Post And people did equate mental illness with homelessness, which is so wrong, says McCray. I think theres added benefit. https://twitter.com/davej08/status/1101441406667771904, https://twitter.com/WNYGeek81/status/1101500859299627008, harshly assessed the program's effectiveness. Things happen. Chirlane Irene McCray (born November 29, 1954)[1] is an American writer, editor, and activist. 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. Certain communities and communities of color suffer more than other communities. [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. Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres criticized ThriveNYC, stating that there was "no evidence its working". This story has been shared 110,413 times. If theres a program thats been found to be effective, we should continue it.. .css-16c7pto-SnippetSignInLink{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;}Sign In, Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. #MyDayNYC pic.twitter.com/e8LWu8jxh9, Chirlane McCray (@NYCFirstLady) April 2, 2020. In 1972, she entered Wellesley College, where she found social acceptance for the first time. In several cases, donations to the fund coincided with city action on a particular project, though donors dispute any effort to curry favor with the administration. Think Stockholm syndrome, rolled into a big ball with the United Federation of Teachers. McCray added that she would not run for mayor of New York City. 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. In 1975, after earning her BA degree, Chirlane McCray attended the Radcliffe Publishing Course. [19] Since then, the Fund has focused on mental health, immigration, and youth workforce projects. Ms. McCray last stopped by in May 2017, Ms. Olson said. As the city pulls out of the pandemics fog, many of those critics point to what appears to be a growing number of homeless and mentally disturbed people wandering the streets and subways. Her performance left council members blinking. Fellow contender, City Councilman Antonio Reynoso (D-Brooklyn), slammed the spending. 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. Ms. McCray declined a request for a follow-up interview to discuss the funds activities in more detail. Chirlane McCray can't explain where the $850m in funding has gone after it was given to the organization she runs, ThriveNYC. They also mocked her, often contorting their mouths to make their lips look big. However, according to current and former employees in the Mayors office -- and public records --McCrays staff makes closer to $2 million. In 1979, she wrote a 5000-word article in Essence, a monthly lifestyle magazine with African-American women as its target. "This work is about the needs of the people of this city. As the City navigates unprecedented challenges triggered by the COVID-19 crisis, these public servants continue to show up everyday to deliver solutions that reach into every neighborhood and family, and we owe them a debt of gratitude, Caraway said. She worked as a speechwriter for New York City Mayor David Dinkins. 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. How about the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort six years, uncountable delays and billions of dollars later? Thereafter, she worked briefly for the public relation department of the City Group, but could not fit in. Mayoral Photography Office Nearly a third of New Yorkers may be out of work thanks to the. This story has been shared 132,852 times. 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. She now had her own staff and a larger role to play. That is, reversing Bloomberg administration plans to shut down 100 miserably malfunctioning schools, thus saving the jobs of barely competent teachers and administrators and shutting up small bands of noisy parents who loved the schools despite their failings. . That makes a robust roster of 14 staffers double the amount she had in 2018. 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. For, clearly, the objective cant be services. Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Chiara was born seven months after the wedding in December 1994. Chirlane McCray is an American activist, writer and poet. Once a white construction worker spit on her while she was riding a bike. They're homeless for other reasons.. Chirlane McCray - Wikipedia The couple donated $260,000, earmarked for Ms. McCrays mental health initiative, in 2015 and 2016. The Times added: "A spreadsheet of nearly 500 data points tracked by City Hall included almost none related to patient outcomes". 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. The program spearheaded by Chirlane McCray, wife of Mayor Bill de Blasio, has an annual budget of $250 million Chirlane McCray, shown at New York City Hall on Feb. 25, created ThriveNYC as a . The number of programs the fund supports has also declined, from 123 during Mr. de Blasios first year in office to 97 the next fiscal year. Theres no money for regular trash pickups or to maintain city parks, but Mayor Bill de Blasios wife enjoys a 14-member staff including a $70,000 videographer who captured her baking cookies during the pandemic. Chirlane McCray (@Chirlane) / Twitter McCray has a core team of eight staffers, according to a recent list provided to The Post following a Freedom of Information Law request filed in October 2019. By this fall, every public school will have at least one full-time social worker on hand or school-based mental health clinic, and when 911 calls are made for a mental health disturbance, EMTs are now accompanied by social workers police are often called in to assist. [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. [33] In 2012, when asked about her 1979 essay, she commented: "In the 1970s, I identified as a lesbian and wrote about it. Chirlane McCray's ThriveNYC has come under scrutiny following its creation in 2015. In December, the Simonses made another donation, of $250,000. 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? [8], When de Blasio became mayor, he hired publicist Rachel Noerdlinger to be McCray's chief of staff. [17] Later in 2014, Noerdlinger resigned her post following a series of controversies surrounding her behavior and that of persons close to her. In January 1, 2014, de Blasio was sworn in as the Mayor and with that McCray became the First Lady of New York City. He also made maximum contributions to Mr. de Blasios inaugural fund in 2013 and to his 2017 re-election campaign. Ron DeSantis. A spokesman for Mr. Fetner, Sam Spokony, said there was no link between the donations and the development project. 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. The other two are immigration and youth work force. On January 27, 2013, as her husband, Bill de Blasio, announced his candidacy for Mayor of New York City, Chirlane McCray took up a new role, accompanying him on his campaign. Early in her youth, Chirlane McCray identified herself as a lesbian and continued to do so till 1991 when she met her future husband, Bill de Blasio, at that time working as an aide to David Dinkins. 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. In 1974, she became a member of The Combahee River Collective, a Black feminist organization that looked into the issues relating specifically to the Black lesbians. But in the end, McCray insisted Tuesday, all the spending is to the benefit of every New Yorker. Besides the calls that Ms. McCray makes to donors, she has met with potential donors and hosted an annual Christmas fund-raiser at Gracie Mansion. There was little help from her parents, who had their own battles to fight. Chirlane always wanted kids, but it was a bit tough for her to adjust to the added responsibility and limited freedom. She also edited his speeches and helped in interviewing staffs. [3] She has also published poetry and worked in politics as a speechwriter. But that doesn't mean a hospital. [6][9] McCray met Bill de Blasio in 1991, when they both worked at New York City Hall for then Mayor David Dinkins. The First Lady has also been working with local leaders from municipalities across the country, part of the Cities Thrive Coalition. One of the main reasons we started Thrive was because of stigma. 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. 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. There's too much money in Chirlane McCray's hands - New York Post Photo by Spectrum News NY1. How much taxpayer money will the mayors wife pilfer before leaving office? [8], McCray enrolled at Wellesley College in 1972. A company representative, David Lombino, said Ms. McCray did not solicit the donation, which went to an internship program known as Ladders for Leaders. In January, Ms. McCray announced that the program would become its own office, which now has 21 employees with a $2 million office budget, according to Susan Herman, appointed to lead the office. The funds federal tax returns say that she spends only an hour a week on fund business. But very soon, she realized that publishing was not her cup of tea. 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. Another is a $143,000-a-year PR director whose job, by definition, is to boost her image, not to serve the public. And its only (your) money even if it is quite a lot of it. So, ipso presto, co-Mayor Bill coughed up enough cash to break a pack mules back and sent it off to co-Mayor Chirlane who then went forth to cure Gothams mental-illness problems. ", Sometimes you look at a headline like this and think: "that can't possibly be true.". 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. 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. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact
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