How's That Budget Coming Along, Especially DPW's?

On Wednesday afternoon -- in the first week of November, no less -- I came across a DPW crew of three maintaining the Riverfront Park.  One worker was on a riding mower cutting the grass and the others were blowing leaves with gasoline-powered blowers.  One of those workers was doing his best to blow leaves into the river (see above.)

24 hours later, this is what the lawn looked like.  

Leaf blowers, particularly the gas-powered variety, are horrible for our environment and for workers' lungs and ears.  The city should not be using them, certainly not for blowing leaves around, especially into the river.  Period.  Let's just make believe they don't exist, which they shouldn't.  Let's imagine we can't afford gasoline-powered leaf blowers, which we can't.