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Donovan Richards: “The police department excessively abuses their overtime.”

Featuring: Donovan Richards, Democratic | Borough President of Queens | New York

'The Middle Class Should Not Be A Bargaining Chip': Top NYC Dem Reacts To Mamdani's Tax Ultimatum

Published February 19, 2026 | Video Starts at 15:46

One of the things I always, as somebody who sat on the budget negotiating team in the council said, is we need to look at police overtime. You know, The police department excessively abuses their overtime. So could we look at cost savings there? The center for the Urban Future, I think, put out a plan today. Could we do parking permits in charge? (15:46–15:53)

CLAIM

Asserts that the police department is misusing overtime, implying potential cost savings.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Donovan Richards

“200,000 black New Yorkers left New York City over the last decade partially because of this affordability crisis.”
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“Could we put up more parking meters, which would generate close to 1.3 billion in revenue a year.”
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“We're paying five times the amount on property taxes than that owner [in Park Slope].”
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“Middle class homeowners, especially homeowners of color, have always borne the brunt of the unfair property tax system in the city.”
'The Middle Class Should Not Be A Bargaining Chip': Top NYC Dem Reacts To Mamdani's Tax Ultimatum | Uploaded February 19, 2026 | 00:53-01:07
“A homeowner in southeast Queens pays more taxes than some brownstone owner in Brooklyn whose property is worth $5 million.”
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“I was part of the property tax reform task force under the de Blasio administration.”
'The Middle Class Should Not Be A Bargaining Chip': Top NYC Dem Reacts To Mamdani's Tax Ultimatum | Uploaded February 19, 2026 | 01:19-01:25
“More than half of Queens residents are homeowners.”
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“We need to make sure that affordability is mixed in with not just rentals, but a pathway to affordable home ownership.”
'The Middle Class Should Not Be A Bargaining Chip': Top NYC Dem Reacts To Mamdani's Tax Ultimatum | Uploaded February 19, 2026 | 06:19-06:27
“We're working on [affordable homeownership opportunities] with the governor at the former Creedmoor site. 50 acres we're going to be…”
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“If this plan went through, this would be a deterrent for people to not be able to own homes.”
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“Tax liens and foreclosures [are] rising, especially in communities of color.”
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“This is a non starter. And I think you're starting to hear a lot of the political class...saying, no, no, no, no, no, no, this cannot, we…”
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“He made it clear that this is a nuclear option, that he absolutely does not want this to be, be the first option on the table.”
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“The governor just dropped 1.5 billion extra to the city.”
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“Originally [the budget gap] was 12 billion, a little bit over 12 billion. Then it comes down to 7. And then, you know, yesterday it came…”
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“Somebody in central Brooklyn or southeast Queens should not be paying more than some brownstone owner in Park Slope whose Brownstone is…”
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“He's sending a bill to Albany to examine this [property tax reform].”
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