De Blasio claims converting parking to outdoor dining saved 100K jobs

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday defended his administration’s move to convert 8,550 parking spots into outdoor seating for restaurants amid COVID-19, insisting the “open restaurants” program has saved businesses and jobs.

“My message is we saved 100,000 jobs,” Hizzoner said during a press briefing broadcast from City Hall when asked about the lost parking spots. “And we need to keep saving those jobs, we’re doing great on our recovery but we’ve still got a ways to go.”