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| Alison Hirsh |
Ms. Hirsh, called a "radical leftist" by some media publications, wanted her former boss Mayor de Blasio to condemn the New York City Police Department for their "attacks" on City protesters and left her job after he would not do what she wanted. Chancellor Carranza quickly swooped her up, along with her $230,000 salary + benefits.
However, it seems that no one has actually seen her in person at Tweed the NYC DOE headquarters, and Ms. Hirsh has no experience working with schools, according to the NY POST.
sigh.
Betsy Combier
betsy.combier@gmail.com
Editor, Inside 3020-a Teacher Trials
NYC adviser on reopening allegedly hasn’t set foot in a school yet
Susan Edelman and Dean Balsimini, NY POST, Sept. 5, 2020
She’s apparently too cool for school.
New York City schools Chancellor Richard Carranza’s chief point person on reopening schools has yet to set foot in one, a source told The Post.
Alison Hirsh, who cut bait with Mayor de Blasio just nine months after joining City Hall as
a senior adviser for strategic planning, has been working remotely “the entire time” since getting the city Department of Education gig in June — and won’t even report to agency headquarters, the insider revealed.
“He [Carranza] brought her on to be the
senior adviser on school reopening even though she has no history of working with schools,” the source said. “The most senior person, the point person, refuses to come into Tweed [Courthouse, DOE HQ].”
It is unclear whether Hirsh has gone on any of the school walk-throughs to check whether they are fit for children and staff, or if she has any underlying health problems that would prevent her from being on-site.
Inspections of the city’s 1,600 schools began Aug. 25 and were supposed to be wrapped up Sept. 1.
“We will make sure that every school is fully inspected, every classroom is fully inspected,” de Blasio told reporters after unveiling an 11th-hour plan to inspect ventilation systems at schools to guard against coronavirus exposure.
Hirsh jumped ship at City Hall because she was ticked the mayor sided with the NYPD during a week of rioting, looting and often-raucous protests late May into June. But she kept her hefty $230,000 salary at the DOE.
Hirsh on Friday night referred any questions on her role in reopening to the DOE press office. The DOE would not answer whether Hirsh had visited or inspected any schools over the summer.
NEW YORK — A senior official in the de Blasio administration has left the mayor's office over his handling of recent protests across the city — the first departure of a high-ranking aide since the start of the demonstrations demanding police reform.
Senior adviser Alison Hirsh was so troubled by de Blasio’s near-unconditional defense of the NYPD amid incidents of violence against protesters, she decided to step down from the job she was hired for last fall, three sources familiar with her departure confirmed to POLITICO.
Hirsh will begin this week as a senior adviser to Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, focused on the complicated task of reopening public schools after the coronavirus forced a system-wide closure in March.
“I could not be prouder to join the amazing team at the Department of Education, particularly at this moment in history,” Hirsh, who will maintain her $230,000-a-year salary, said in a prepared statement. “As a working mother I feel this personally. Nothing is more important than the safe reopening of schools so kids can keep learning and parents can get back to work.”
Hirsh did not address de Blasio’s management of the protests in her statement, but those familiar with her decision said she had repeatedly challenged the NYPD’s tactics during staff meetings and calls with the mayor and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. She witnessed what she considered unnecessary force while monitoring a march in Brooklyn on May 30, when police shoved demonstrators and used pepper spray to subdue them, the sources said.
The mayor was unmoved by the account — and many others caught on video, which which he often says he has not seen. Later that same night
he defended the NYPD, including officers who drove a police car into a crowd of protesters who were tossing water bottles and traffic cones at the vehicle.
“Anyone who is a peaceful protester, it’s time to go home. The point’s been made,” he said during an impromptu interview on NY1 late that evening. He also said those particular officers “were trying to deal with an absolutely impossible situation” and blamed demonstrators for surrounding their car.
Hirsh — and many other past and present de Blasio staffers — were outraged by such a strong defense of police from a mayor who ran on a platform of reforming the NYPD and ending aggressive tactics toward black and Latino New Yorkers. In her Twitter bio, Hirsh describes herself as “anti-racist” and prior to joining the administration she was political director at the building service workers union that represents many low-income, black and Latino workers.
The mayor has sought to quell the uprising in recent days: Two officers were suspended on Saturday and in a staff call Sunday afternoon, he
promised more discipline would be meted out. He also said he believed officers’ lives were in danger from factions of demonstrators looting stores and looking to use the marches as an opportunity to create chaos.
Hundreds of former employees have signed an open letter to de Blasio and
marched from City Hall to Downtown Brooklyn on Monday in protest of his handling of the NYPD. They are calling for immediate reforms — some of which he has said he supports — and a cut to the department’s budget, which will be negotiated with the City Council in the coming weeks.
In a TV interview Tuesday morning, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams accused de Blasio of capitalizing on his biracial family for political gains. “He uses his proximity to blackness very often, but we don’t see a commensurate type of reform,” said Williams, who was once aligned with de Blasio.
In a statement, de Blasio called Hirsh “an invaluable adviser during one of the toughest times our city has ever faced.”
The Department of Education is making two other staffing changes: Chief of Staff Edie Sharp will become chief strategy officer, and Mary Wall will replace her, City Hall spokesperson Freddi Goldstein said.
As public opinion coalesces around the view that at least some police reforms are needed, radical leftists and their allies in the press are capitalizing on the surge in public resentment toward the police to push a radical agenda
Meanwhile, President Trump effectively plays right into their hands by doubling down on his attacks on demonstrators (demonstrators who even Trump has at times defended).
We've tried to highlight examples of this as the Minneapolis City Council "committed" on Sunday to dismantling the city's police department and building a new "public safety" department in its place, while NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and "mayor in waiting" Comptroller Scott Stringer have called for siphoning more than $1 billion in funding from the NYPD and shifting it to social and youth services. When the protest movement started, it was a backlash against police brutality, a problem that has plagued the public for decades, and has been increasingly spotlighted in the age of cellphone video cameras that have ushered in a new age of accountability.
Police Unions and entrenched interests have continued to reflexively resist reform (after all, that's what public employee unions are designed to do, unless the "reform" somehow lessens their memberships responsibilities or increases their compensation); meanwhile, radical leftists have pushed to move the goalposts, calling for the all-out abolition of police. 10 years ago, this would be unimaginable. Yet, here we are.
Anybody with an ounce of common sense can probably imagine some less-than-desirable consequences to abolishing police departments. But in a sign of just how removed the far-left truly is from the perspective of the ordinary American moderate, consider this: Alison Hirsh,, a senior advisor to NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, just left his office in protest over his treatment of the NYPD.
Hirsch wasn't fired for criticizing her boss; instead, she's being transferred to another city department and will retain her cushy $200k+ salary and generous city benefits (including a taxpayer-funded pension).
According to Politico, Hirsh was "offended" by de Blasio's "defense" of the police when he warned peaceful demonstrators to disperse during one of the early protests, claiming that "your point has been made."
Hirsh did not address de Blasio’s management of the protests in her statement, but those familiar with her decision said she had repeatedly challenged the NYPD’s tactics during staff meetings and calls with the mayor and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. She witnessed what she considered unnecessary force while monitoring a march in Brooklyn on May 30, when police shoved demonstrators and used pepper spray to subdue them, the sources said.
The mayor was unmoved by the account — and many others caught on video, which he often says he has not seen. Later that same night he defended the NYPD, including officers who drove a police car into a crowd of protesters who were tossing water bottles and traffic cones at the vehicle.
"Anyone who is a peaceful protester, it’s time to go home. The point’s been made,” he said during an impromptu interview on NY1 late that evening. He also said those particular officers “were trying to deal with an absolutely impossible situation” and blamed demonstrators for surrounding their car.
Hirsh — and many other past and present de Blasio staffers — were outraged by such a strong defense of police from a mayor who ran on a platform of reforming the NYPD and ending aggressive tactics toward black and Latino New Yorkers. In her Twitter bio, Hirsh describes herself as “anti-racist” and prior to joining the administration she was political director at the building service workers union that represents many low-income, black and Latino workers.
It's just another example of how the radical left sees reality through a very, very different lens than both moderate Democrats, and conservatives alike.
Office of the Mayor, September 9, 2019
Hirsh, who led fights to secure paid sick leave and a $15 minimum wage, brings wealth of organizing, planning and communications experience
NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio today appointed
Alison Hirsh Senior Advisor for Strategic Planning. In this role, Hirsh will serve as a member of the Mayor’s Senior Cabinet and provide strategic guidance to the Mayor on a wide range of priorities, as well as develop long-term planning for the Administration. Hirsh will help the Mayor design his vision, policies and agenda. She will begin in mid-October.
“Alison is one of the most respected people in the fight for progressive ideals in this City,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Her hard work and dedication have proven unmatched as she’s helped secure win after win for New Yorkers. I’m thrilled she’ll be joining our team as we continue to build upon our progressive agenda.”
“I am excited to take on this challenging next step for me and my career,” said Alison Hirsh. “This administration has spent the last six years delivering on a wide array of progressive ideals and it’s an honor to get to help shape what’s to come. I am grateful that the Mayor is giving me this opportunity to serve the people of New York City and to get important work done, and I'm looking forward to joining the team at City Hall.”
Hirsh brings nearly two decades of experience fighting for progressive priorities in labor, advocacy and government. She spent the last 12 years at 32BJ SEIU, most recently as Vice President and Political Director. She led and organized on campaigns including the Fight for 15, Fair Workweek legislation and prevailing wage protections. Hirsh formerly served as Policy & Legislative Director for the New York League of Conservation Voters, where she helped lead the first campaign for congestion pricing and the landmark Solid Waste Management Plan that helped confront decades of environmental racism.
She was raised in Baltimore, MD, and has a degree in Religion from Columbia University. She sits on the board of Avodah, an organization which connects young Jewish professionals with opportunities in the social justice field.
