That's the great thing about being NYC. That 10% of people funding everything are not the typical two or three hundred thousand a year guys that pay taxes in other cities. They are billionaires, most of whom are not even in real estate, who own skyscrapers, or the leases, all over Manhattan. Oftentimes just for vanity, or even just bragging rights over their wife's brother's skyscrapers. (I'm serious. This happened, I was there. And it was at that point I decided some people just had too much money.)

When money like that is available to a city, you end up with infrastructure projects of the scale NYC has, the ability to tell your state "thanks but no thanks", Oh, and police departments with intelligence units that outstrip the capabilities of the intelligence apparatus in most Asian and South American nations.

The average american has no frame of reference for the kind of wealth at the disposal of NYC. I say, let them fix all the potholes. Regular people may as well get something out of it.

The richest city on the planet can't afford to fill potholes?

people typically only complain about them when they have caused damage to their vehicle. lazy evaluation of maintenance is more expensive in the long run.