How to Get Something Fixed in NYC (Even If You’re Not an Expert)
+ Bootcamp Awards Party Date Change and the newest points submitted!
Save the (different!) date: Primary Bootcamp Awards Party
You’ll remember that Bootcampers that reach 70 points not only get a prize, but also an invitation to the awards ceremony. The awards ceremony will be the culmination of the NYC Primary Bootcamp– the big party at the end where we highlight everyone’s wins.🎉
I got feedback from Bootcampers that y’all need more time to log your points leading up to the primary election, and that it would be better to move the party to July. The races are just heating up and y’all are killing it with your Bootcamp actions, so I’m excited to move the party by a month so you can get even more points logged! New date: Saturday, July 12:
Saturday, July 12, 3 PM - 5 PM EDT
TALEA Beer Penn District, 160 W 32nd St
What to expect:
Prizes for all attendees + awards announcements for top point-getters
Shoutouts for MVPs that Learned, Built Community, and Influenced Politics
Inspiration from New Politics’ community of mission-driven changemakers
Delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on us, good vibes, and people who are committed to building a better New York City
If you’ve already reached 70 points, you’ve received your invite. For those still logging points, you’ll get your invite once you hit 70.
Change in NYC Starts Like This
Sometimes New York feels like a city of problems -- e-bikes on sidewalks, noise outside your window, trash everywhere. Most times, we just wait for someone else to deal with the issue.
But every now and then, a neighbor decides not to wait.
Peggy lives in Bed-Stuy. One day, she looked out her window and noticed something strange: a large piece of decorative molding on the building across the street was hanging at an alarming angle. It looked like it could fall at any moment.
Peggy isn’t an engineer, but she knew enough to know this wasn’t just cosmetic -- it was dangerous. So she tried to report it.
“I started by filing a ticket on the 311 app for an ‘unstable building,’ but that didn't feel like it communicated the problem accurately or expressed enough urgency,” she told me. “I started clicking around the Department of Buildings' website as well, but I couldn't find much, so I decided to call 311 instead. I spent about two hours total being bounced around to different departments before I finally left a message in a voicemail inbox at the Department of Buildings.”
She never got a call back.
But two days later, a sidewalk shed went up. A month after that, the molding was fully repaired!
Peggy’s takeaway: Just. Keep. Asking. Questions. Try different avenues to see what you can find out and what doors can be opened.
She put this lesson to work again this winter when her building lost heat and hot water for over a month in January and February. Y’all, this winter was cold! Over a month without heat?? Have you ever tried to wash your hair in cold water in the winter and then step out of the shower into a cold apartment? 🥶Humans are resilient, but that’s another level. Peggy’s landlord kept saying the problem was waiting on permits. So Peggy started contacting anyone she could think of: 311, the DOB, her city council member, state senator, borough president, and more.
This time, she heard back -- and it was her council member, Chi Ossé, that finally got things moving.
For both the loose molding and the heat, Peggy didn’t have a detailed playbook or secret contacts. She just kept asking questions, trying new doors, and refusing to let the issue drop.
“There wasn’t a straight answer,” she said. “So I turned over every stone to see what would work.”
That might be the most realistic definition of civic action in New York: not heroics, just persistence.
If you want a primer on researching city improvements, my friend Zach wrote this thoughtful piece about how he traced a delayed sidewalk fix all the way through city planning documents and the Parks Department website. It’s a great model for what to do if you want to investigate a project more thoroughly.
And don’t forget: it’s worth 10 points for reporting something to 311, and another 10 points for reporting something to the MTA via WhatsApp. Go even further and email your electeds (20 points) and attend a community board meeting to share about an issue (10 points)!
It’s not too late to sign up for the Bootcamp and start logging actions:
Complete Bootcamp Actions (here)
Check your points (Unreviewed Points here | Reviewed Points here)
A round of applause for Bootcampers who completed actions in the last week!
Shoutout to everyone who logged actions this past week– you’re making moves! Our city’s democracy is only as strong as our citizens’ engagement. Seeing so many of you jump in already is proof that New Yorkers are ready to show up, speak up, and shape what happens next.
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logged MY FAVORITE BOOTCAMP ACTION. He wrote a super helpful voter guide that not only gives his recs for mayor, comptroller, and Manhattan Borough President, he also breaks down why to leave Cuomo off your ballot.👏
attended a visioning session for the future of the West Side Highway and advocated in favor of a future West Side Highway that prioritizes people and bikes over car throughput!👏
also logged my fave action: she sent out her voter guide, reminded her readers to register to vote, and went above and beyond by offering her platform to others if they want to share their voter guides via her substack too. Now that’s influence. 💪👏
signed up for his community board’s newsletter and his city councilperson’s newsletter. As a result, he learned about and signed up for a tree guard building session that his councilperson Lincoln Restler is sponsoring!👏 Lynn came to the Primary Bootcamp Meetup last week and brought a friend, Pia, that serves on her local community board!
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logged a whole backlog of points, bringing his total to 145 🎉. It’s a good idea to log a ton of actions all in one go, since I don’t have a great way of publishing which actions each person has already logged😬. I’m working on it! But in the meantime, if you forget which ones you’ve already logged, just ask me! I’m at sachi.in.nyc@gmail.com.👏 Elita signed up for her city councilmember’s newsletter– now she’s staying in the loop on local decisions, budget updates, and what her rep is actually up to.
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found the bills that her city council member is sponsoring– doing the kind of homework most of us skip. Now she’s got a clearer picture of what her rep cares about, and where to push for more.👏
signed up for her community board’s newsletter and did her research on city council races.👏 Mars researched and formed opinions on who to vote for for Comptroller, City Council, and Brooklyn Borough President. Next up: she’s learning more about the candidates for NYC Public Advocate!
Again, it’s not too late to sign up for the Bootcamp and start logging actions:
Complete Bootcamp Actions (here)
Check your points (Unreviewed Points here | Reviewed Points here)
Next week: I’m hosting the NYC Civic Fair– see you there!
📆NYC Civic Fair
Tuesday, June 3, 6 PM - 8 PM at FABRIK Dumbo
Looking to get more involved at the local level—but not sure where to start? Join us for a Civic Fair connecting New Yorkers with local organizations tackling the city's biggest challenges—from housing and transportation to elections and streetscapes. Think of it like a career fair, but for community impact. Meet the people doing the work, explore causes you care about, and find the right place to lend your voice, skills, or time.💪
Groups in attendance will include:
Abundance New York
Climate Club Friends
Indivisible BK
Maximum New York
New Kings Democrats
New Liberals
Open New York
Open Plans
Regional Plan Association
Riders Alliance
Sunrise Movement NYC
Transportation Alternatives
and more!
Love the shoutouts for all of the bootcampers!! I attended an event led by Daniel Golliher of Maximum NY last night and met a fellow bootcamper there - hey Felix!
Maybe 2 other great "Learn" actions:
Learn about how the Mayor's office interacts with all of the other leaders and departments in the city gov (most of which are up for reelection this year). Daniel did an amazing job explaining how all of these roles intersect and I feel like I have a much better understanding of how our city government operates.
Do a deep dive on a subject that's important to you to learn how the Mayor can affect it. Last night's event gave an overview of Rent Regulation, which feels like this mysterious process full of secrets (and it sort of is 🤪). But now I have a much better understanding of what a "rent freeze" actually means and how realistic (or not) some candidates' campaign promises may be.