A collection of topical political cartoons from various artists curated by the Brooklyn Eagle editorial staff.

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The Jaguars, composed of eight and nine year olds, defeated the Titletown Titans from Georgia 13-7 in Orlando Dec. 13.

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The Met’s Costume Institute also announced on Tuesday that it will be reviving what it called a longstanding tradition of a “host committee.”

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Another group of New Yorkers are in favor of congestion pricing and calling on President Donald Trump to leave the program alone, according to a new independent survey released on Monday.

According to a poll of registered voters in New York by research firm Morning Consult, New Yorkers are experiencing faster commutes and less traffic in the first four weeks of congestion pricing in Manhattan. Though Trump has historically spoken out against congestion pricing, leaving the future of the controversial tolling program in question, the poll suggests that New Yorkers want him to leave it alone.

In fact, six in 10 (59%) of the 1,203 voters surveyed said that the president should allow congestion pricing to continue. The poll also showed that a majority of metro area residents outside NYC agree congestion pricing has reduced traffic. Congestion pricing charges a base toll of $9 to enter Manhattan south of and including 60th Street.

At the same time, subway ridership in NYC has increased since congestion pricing started on Jan. 5.

Per the survey, three in four voters who regularly commute into the congestion relief zone report that there has been less traffic in the area.

Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director at the Riders Alliance, said he is not surprised at the poll’s findings. 

“If you’ve seen congestion relief up close, you know it works,” he said. “If you have skin in the game, you know the toll is a worthwhile investment in your precious time. Decongesting America’s worst gridlock is already much more popular with many more people than skeptics thought possible. Congestion relief is immensely successful and wins over everyone who pays attention.”

The poll’s findings showed there is strong agreement (39% agree vs. 27% disagree) that congestion pricing has led to faster commutes into and out of Manhattan and that congestion pricing has led to faster commutes inside Manhattan (41% agree vs. 26% disagree).

Samantha Carestia of Staten Island does not often commute into Manhattan but noticed a difference in traffic when she went there last month. 

“I will say I don’t go to the city much, but I drove twice in January to Madison Square Garden, and it was a breeze,” she said. 

The Trump factor

When asked whether President Trump’s decision on congestion pricing would affect their view of the president, half said it would have no impact either way. 

Additionally, two in 10 voters said they would have a more favorable view, one in six said they would have a less favorable view, and the rest were undecided. 

Overall, support for congestion remains steady. The poll showed that there are higher levels of support among adults who drive into the congestion pricing zone a few times per week or more (66% support vs. 32% oppose), adults who drive into the area at least a few times per month (51% support vs. 46% oppose), adults who take public transit at least a few times each week (47% support vs.  45% oppose), and Manhattan residents (57% support vs. 36% oppose).

Meanwhile, not every New York driver is on the congestion pricing bandwagon, especially those who live in public transportation deserts, such as Linda Portnoy-Moleta from Staten Island.  

“It costs people from Staten Island too much money to go to work,” she said. “Public transportation is not an option. It’s a money grab once again.” 

Every day, New Yorkers work hard to build a better future for themselves and their families. They want a chance to get ahead, to buy a home, pay for college, and save for retirement. We know that in order to make New York City the best place on the globe to raise a family, we need the best jobs on the globe. And we need to keep money in the pockets of working-class New Yorkers. 

That is why from day one of this administration, we have made it a priority to make sure opportunity reaches every borough, block, and neighborhood. We have gone to work to deliver for New Yorkers every day, everywhere — and our efforts are working. Unemployment is down across all demographic groups since we entered office. And in the last three years, we have done my favorite thing: break records. From a record number of new small businesses, to record amounts of affordable housing being created, to record investments in minority- and women-owned businesses, our economy is booming. 

Just last week, we announced that we set another record: For the eighth time since we took office, this administration broke the all-time jobs record in our city. New data released by the New York state Department of Labor shows we have an all-time high of 4,770,981 total jobs in the five boroughs.

But if you had picked up a newspaper or watched your evening news, you probably wouldn’t have known that because this announcement was not covered. Instead, all week, newspapers covered false and ridiculous rumors that had no basis in reality. I’ve said it over and over again, I’m not stepping down, I’m stepping up, and I will continue to deliver for the millions of New Yorkers that rely on our administration to continue to deliver for them.

But to get back to what matters to New Yorkers, while our jobs numbers show the strength of our economy, we know that our shared prosperity must continue to hit every zip code. We know that a job is more than a paycheck, it’s the bedrock of the American Dream, and a chance to prosper here in the greatest city in the world. We are going to keep that dream going strong by building a pipeline to ensure our young people and disadvantaged communities are on pathways to training opportunities and sustainable, full-time jobs. We are closing the gap and bringing jobs directly to the communities still facing unemployment.  

And New York City will continue to lead the way and win the race to unleash new jobs in emerging sectors, from life sciences and health care to tech and artificial intelligence. Last week, our administration announced a report that outlined a series of findings, recommendations, and actions to secure New York City’s position as the premier Applied Artificial Intelligence capital of the world. These smart, forward-looking investments will ensure New York City is at the forefront of an emerging sector and help create the jobs of tomorrow, starting today.

This week, we are kicking off “Jobs Week” by launching our “Race for Space” plan, a comprehensive strategy to revitalize our commercial office sector, attract the best companies across the country and the globe, advance an ambitious goal of 50 million square feet of total leasing by 2025, and, most importantly, create thousands of jobs for hard-working New Yorkers.

And this tax season, we are working to ensure no dollar earned is left behind by working-class New Yorkers and their families. Qualified New Yorkers can file their taxes for free across the five boroughs through our “NYC Free Tax Prep” initiative. We want New Yorkers to get their fair share, because we know that every dollar counts for working-class people and their families.
New Yorkers can visit nyc.gov/taxprep to schedule an appointment at a NYC Free Tax Prep location.

New Yorkers should know that I, and this administration, are committed to continuing to deliver for you every day, everywhere. The tabloids spreading rumor, distortion, and distraction have always been the loudest and refused to report on how much this administration has done for New Yorkers. But we will continue to drown out the noise by answering with a chorus of action. 

No matter what challenges we face, I promise New Yorkers that no one will fight harder for your family than I will. I’m committed to this city. I love this city and all that it represents. I am an ordinary, dyslexic, hard-working, blue-collar mayor. As someone raised by a single mother who worked several jobs to support our family, I know the struggle many are still unfortunately facing. That is what drives our administration to make sure that hard-working New Yorkers can get the chances I was given to get ahead. 

Together, our administration is going to put New Yorkers back to work, continue to grow our economy, ensure that prosperity touches every zip code, and make New York City the best place to raise a family.