the red hook
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New York has a new deGrominator...
Cool, calm, and capable,
KATHRYN GARCIA is plotting to win the mayoral race by George Fiala
N
oah Syndergaard is a great pitcher with the NY Mets. The even better pitcher is his teammate Jacob deGrom. He's said of deGrom: "That’s an evolution thing, and he’s gotten better every single year. Great signs, and shows you how hard he works.”
Focused, calm, and even-keeled are words that I have found that describe Kathryn Garcia, the former Sanitation Commissioner who is running for Mayor. That's what made me think of a comparison with one of the world's greatest baseball players.
mediation of the Red Hook ballfields. I wanted to know how the next administration could do better. Her answer was right to the point.
ter Sandy had to make sure that the city's water supply stayed operational.
As I wrote here last month, what Sportswriter Matt Ehalt once initially impressed me was an anwrote: swer she gave to my question in "Syndergaard has has an up-close an online candidate debate last view of deGrom's historic season, February. and is impressed with how de- Covering the Parks Department Grom's demeanor never changes. for this paper has been frustratWhether he's dominating or hav- ing as they plod through the reing an off night, deGrom is the same. He epitomizes consistency.
That's a 100 mph fastball resulting in a swinging strike.
city's new Commercial Waste Overhaul program, a plan developed under her watch which will reorganize garbage truck routes and reduce pollution. When the original report came back showing how many truck miles could be saved with the reorganization, she didn't believe it and asked her people to double check their figures. They did, it was correct, and she went forward and got it done. That's how government is supposed to work.
DeGrom said after quite a few starts this year that he can only concern himself with the things he can influence. Run support and errors are out of his control. "You can tell by the way he looks at the hitter and when he's on top of the mound, he’s going to throw each pitch with 110 percent conviction and he’s convinced whatever pitch he’s going to throw, he’s going to get that hitter out," Syndergaard said. "His demeanor on the mound is very calm, even-keeled. When things don’t go his way he can hunker down and focus more and prevent small, incremental things from happening."
Garcia was wearing a different uniform back in the 2018 season.
She doesn't boast about any of these things, and I'm looking for"I've had to deal with the city bu- ward to having a mayor where it's reaucracy myself. I will fix it, be- about the job, not the job holder. cause I know how it works." I've heard her talk about the
As the mayoral race tightens up, the other, formerly polite candidates are starting to heap insults and abuse on their opponents. Not Kathryn.
She sticks to her message, which is that she is best qualified, and a track record to prove it. What is unsaid is that she's got the intelligence and personality to be a great leader. People who've worked under her have told me so. She's not really politician, which Garcia told me that this is not is actually an asset. She will govtough stuff—she's asked ques- ern well as she has the skills to go tions and simply answers them. the distance. This is not hard for her because In the off-chance that she's asked she has done the work and has something she doesn't know, she real answers. doesn't try to wing it, she admits As she quietly reminds voters, that's something new to her and she's been the Chief Operating says she'll check into it. Officer of the city's Environmen- She's got nothing to prove - like tal Protection Agency, the Sani- deGrom, she's paid her dues tation Commissioner, and has and is quite ready for the major been called upon in emergencies leagues. to head NYCHA, run the COVID food program for the city, and af-