Let’s keep it a buck: New York City is going through it right now. Rents are through the roof, the trains are a mess, and they’re shutting down our public libraries on Sundays because of "budget cuts." But if you want to know where your elected officials were this week, they weren’t grinding at City Hall trying to fix the block. Nah, they were down in Coney Island at Maimonides Park, putting on custom jerseys, running the bases, and playing softball like everything is sweet. The City Council beat Mayor Eric Adams’ team 11-9, but out here in the real world, the people are still taking the L.

This whole softball game is wild when you look at what’s actually happening in our neighborhoods. We’re staring down a June 30 deadline for a massive $111.6 billion budget, and the Mayor and the City Council are acting like it's summer camp. They’re arguing over $58 million for libraries—money that keeps safe spaces open for our kids on the weekends—but then they want us to cheer because they raised $50,000 for charity at a baseball game. That’s chump change. It’s a performative photo-op to make them look good while they make backroom deals that hurt the community.

On the field, you had Mayor Eric Adams pitching, trying to show off his athletic side, while Council big-shots like Justin Brannan from Brooklyn and Joe Borelli from Staten Island were out there high-fiving. It’s crazy how these politicians can go on TV and act like they’re fighting tooth and nail for the people, but then they get on the field and play grab-ass like best friends. It shows you that at the end of the day, politics to them is just a game, but for us, it’s real life.

The budget cuts aren't a game. When you cut funding for libraries and parks, you’re cutting the only safe spots some of these kids have after school. The City Parks Foundation does good work, but a $50,000 check isn’t going to replace the millions of dollars being stripped away from community centers and youth programs in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. The people who need these services the most are the ones getting left on the bench.

Historically, these politicians have always used these little sports events to make themselves look like "men of the people." They want you to think they’re just like us because they can swing a bat or throw a ball. But regular New Yorkers can’t just walk out on their jobs in the middle of a crisis to play softball on a professional field. If a regular working-class person didn't finish their job on time, they’d get fired. But these suits can let the budget drag on while they take a beach day in Coney Island.

The Independent Budget Office (IBO) has been putting out reports showing that the city actually has extra tax revenue they could be using to keep our libraries and schools fully funded. But instead of doing the right thing and putting that money back into the community, they’re playing political chicken. The Mayor wants to keep the pockets tight, and the Council wants to act like they’re fighting, but at the end of the day, they always end up compromising on the backs of working-class Black and Brown folks.

After the game, they all stood at home plate, smiled for the cameras, and handed out a trophy. But nobody’s giving a trophy to the single mother who has to figure out where to take her kids on Saturday because the local library is locked up. It’s time for these politicians to stop playing games, put down the bats, and start delivering for the people who actually keep this city running.

Sources: * New York City Council: https://council.nyc.gov * City of New York Office of the Mayor: https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor * New York City Independent Budget Office: https://www.ibo.nyc.ny.us * City Parks Foundation: https://cityparksfoundation.org