First lady Chirlane McCray’s pet project to erect more city statues to women is a monumental failure, critics say.
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife started the effort two years ago — yet has chosen only one artist for a single monument so far.
A rep for McCray insists her boss’s She Built NYC effort had to be temporarily shelved because of the coronavirus, but critics note that construction restraints on the Big Apple amid the pandemic were lifted several months ago — and claim City Hall’s incompetence and scattered priorities are really to blame.
“There is no leadership, there is [no] follow-through. There’s no one at the helm,” City Councilman Mark Gjonaj (D-Bronx), a member of the body’s Committee on Cultural Affairs, griped to The Post.
Meanwhile, last month, de Blasio appointed his wife to yet another monumental effort — a racial justice task force, where she’ll be reviewing the fate of current city statues honoring figures tainted by slavery, including memorials to Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson — even as she struggles to address the first related project.
Seven historical female city figures, including groundbreaking politician Shirley Chisholm and legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday, were selected for monuments by She Built NYC last year. Fewer than 10 of the city’s 150 current statues honor women.
The city’s first lady is not paid for her work on either project and uses existing city employees for them.
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife started the effort two years ago — yet has chosen only one artist for a single monument so far.
A rep for McCray insists her boss’s She Built NYC effort had to be temporarily shelved because of the coronavirus, but critics note that construction restraints on the Big Apple amid the pandemic were lifted several months ago — and claim City Hall’s incompetence and scattered priorities are really to blame.
“There is no leadership, there is [no] follow-through. There’s no one at the helm,” City Councilman Mark Gjonaj (D-Bronx), a member of the body’s Committee on Cultural Affairs, griped to The Post.
Meanwhile, last month, de Blasio appointed his wife to yet another monumental effort — a racial justice task force, where she’ll be reviewing the fate of current city statues honoring figures tainted by slavery, including memorials to Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson — even as she struggles to address the first related project.
Seven historical female city figures, including groundbreaking politician Shirley Chisholm and legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday, were selected for monuments by She Built NYC last year. Fewer than 10 of the city’s 150 current statues honor women.
The city’s first lady is not paid for her work on either project and uses existing city employees for them.
