New York City is the safest big city in America. Gentrification has taken over neighborhoods like Long Island City. Shady neighborhoods are now the exception, not the norm.

This can seem insane to anybody who lived here from the ’70s through ’90s. Those days, crime and instability were common. Trendy areas were once havens for drug use and poverty. Yet as time went on, much of NYC grew safer and prosperous.

Despite that, The New York Daily News reported in November that homicides and other violent crimes spiked in 2019. The New York Post reports an increase in subway crime as well: January 2019 saw 201 felonies, this January saw 261.

Homelessness in New York City is rising, as well. The New York Times reports a record-breaking rise in homelessness under Mayor de Blasio’s tenure.

Does anything come to mind? I may as well be describing NYC during the ’60s.

When cities seem to be approaching the worst, it is often part of a larger trend. This leads to a sense of despair. However, these trends are not inevitable. They are the results of specific policies from elected officials and appointed bureaucrats.

What we need to do is vote with our gut. I’m not asking for another Giuliani, champion of the oft-discredited Broken Windows theory. Nor do I want another Bloomberg, whose policies rose rents across the board. I am asking you to vote for someone with conviction, something the current mayor seems lacking in. De Blasio seems more focused on bettering his career, not the city.

The upcoming 2021 elections are offering promising picks, like Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Comptroller Scott Stringer. Many expect that de Blasio ally Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will also run. Maybe even former Presidential candidate, Andrew Yang.

I’m not asking you to vote for any specific candidate, and voting for anyone is better than staying home. Regardless, the remedy to this issue is to vote for someone who can inspire real change, and help us stay great.