Citizens starved of public service rave over viral NYC pothole repair video
There’s nothing sexier than pothole repairs. That’s perhaps the sentiment of New Yorkers who are excited about Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Pothole Blitz’ program.
A video from the NYC Department of Transportation, with three workers repairing a pothole in Queens, went viral on X. The post is captioned: “8,000 filled. on saturday alone.” The video also encouraged New Yorkers to report their potholes on nyc.gov/fixmypothole. Needless to say, it’s an effective way of encouraging civic participation.
According to Mamdani’s X post, the Pothole Blitz program will be “repairing a week’s worth of potholes in a single day.”
Needless to say, social media fawned over the program.
One X user wrote, “MAMDANI GOT NYC DOT FILLING EVERY POT HOLE IN NEW YORK CITY!!! WHO DOING IT LIKE HIM?”
Another social media user posted, “your public-private partnership could never.”
Social media users have also been tagging Mamdani to report potholes. One poster even begged NYC’s Department of Transportation to “come to Houston.” But why are people clamoring over pothole repairs?
Show and tell
As one user puts it, “Zohran has internalized a rule of politics too many Dems have forgotten: You can’t assume people know about the good things you’re doing! You have to tell them about it, over and over again.”
In this day and age, information flows like water. People are overwhelmed with information on a day-to-day basis. Informing constituents about government programs and progressive moves is crucial so that people associate the achievements—or at least, their impression of the achievements—with the ruling administration. Repairing potholes seems like a small act, but it’s a daily nuisance that any commuter around the world dreads to encounter.
Seeing those potholes on streets for years with no repair in sight fosters a sense of abandonment by government. But showing that filling potholes at record speed is possible—utilizing social media to publicize the accomplishment—will make it difficult for New Yorkers to forget. It’s the government’s way of reassuring its citizens that there is a functioning institution that concerns itself with the average person’s concerns.
Unless someone is politically involved or active, most citizens won’t remember previous accomplishments made by officials unless they’ve made several headlines. But in the extremely diluted media landscape, it would be difficult to stand out. After all, who can compete with the absurd headlines about the president that come out nearly everyday?
Getting things done is the best political endorsement
According to a paper published in the National Library of Medicine, being moved or angered can drive a partisan voter to increase support for their chosen political party. However, it does little to persuade voters on the other side of the political aisle. But what if voters are shown results of projects and programs on a regular basis? Instead of thinking about elections as an isolated event, politicians should think ahead and repeatedly advertise the results. Perhaps by then, it would be easier to plead for reelection.
In short, the best way to win people over is by showing results. Politicians can have several achievements during their term, but it would be a great error not to sufficiently advertise these. People freaking out over filled potholes isn’t an overreaction. Rather, it’s an indication that people have the appetite for a government that they can easily reach out to. They want a government that can heed their daily concerns and act on them.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
