#ThriveNYC is recruiting new staff despite city’s hiring freeze

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First Lady Chirlane McCray speaks about the ThriveNYC program
Deidre Schoo / Mayoral Photo Office

First Lady Chirlane McCray’s embattled ThriveNYC mental-health program is recruiting new staff– despite Mayor Bill de Blasio’s hiring freeze on municipal employees — and warnings of layoffs for 22,000 city workers because of the $9 billion budget hole left by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Mental Health Service Corps is hiring! Spread the word!” McCray tweeted Thursday.

The workforce development program — which was rebooted last year after initial mismanagement — is holding a virtual job fair for social workers on July 23. It is one of several programs under the ThriveNYC plan, which was expected to cost the city $1.25 billion since its inception.

De Blasio claims only COVID-19 jobs are exempt from the hiring freeze, but the ThriveNYC flyer makes no mention of the pandemic.

“Corps members are offered a three-year fellowship to deliver mental health services in high-need locations within the H H system,” said Christopher Miller, a spokesman for the city’s public hospital system, NYC Health Hospitals.

“ThriveNYC provides programmatic oversight,” he said. “H H is not subject to the City’s hiring freeze because it is not a city agency, it’s a public benefit corporation. H H considers Mental Health Service Corps members to be essential health care workers and is working to fill vacancies in this program.”

There are currently 54 Corps members. H H is offering $60,000 salaries plus a “competitive benefits package” to six new staffers.

Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) slammed the carve-out for the mental-health plan.

“The hiring freeze clearly doesn’t apply to the un-elected, anointed bureaucrat named Chirlane McCray. The amount of conflicts of interest and nepotism by this mayor and his wife is disturbing, and allowing this gross abuse of power needs to end,” Holden said.

McCray is mulling a run for Brooklyn Borough President. Critics have accused the mayor and his wife of using city resources to boost her political future.

De Blasio has said he’ll have to put 22,000 public employees out of work — including frontline workers like cops and doctors — if the federal or state governments don’t provide a bailout by this fall.

In May Holden and his colleagues ripped de Blasio’s willingness to sacrifice the jobs of city cops, doctors and teachers before slashing funding from ThriveNYC.

“I understand it’s a pet project, but there needs to be equity across the system,” Queens Democratic Councilwoman Adrienne Adams said at the time.

ThriveNYC ultimately survived the budget process with just $12 million in cuts.