More than 150 CEOs have signed a letter to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, asking that he take action on public safety and other quality of life issues in the five boroughs. They argue that concerns about safety and cleanliness are hindering the city's economic recovery, referencing high rates of homelessness and unemployment across New York. The leaders banded together through the partnership for New York City, which represents over 1.5 million workers in the area. Scott Rechler, chairman and CEO of RXR Realty, joins "Squawk Box" to discuss. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi

New York City cannot count on financial assistance from Washington to help it recover from the coronavirus pandemic, RXR Realty CEO Scott Rechler told CNBC on Friday. Instead, the real estate executive said the city’s leadership needs to be proactive in charting a path forward despite its budgetary challenges.

“The answer can’t be, simply, that we’re waiting for the federal government to give us funding because it’s not just about money, it’s about management,” Rechler said on “Squawk Box.” “If our city was being managed better and things weren’t wasteful, people like me, who have the benefits of the city, have no problem paying more taxes to have a more vibrant, more equal city for everyone. But the concern right now is we don’t have leadership that’s managing the city effectively.”

Rechler was among a group of more than 150 business leaders — from Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon to Robin Hayes of JetBlue — who sent a letter to Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expressing concerns about the current condition of the country’s biggest city.

Published Thursday, the letter said there is “widespread anxiety over public safety, cleanliness and other quality of life issues that are contributing to deteriorating conditions in commercial districts and neighborhoods across the five boroughs.” It also read, “people will be slow to return unless their concerns about security and the livability of our communities are addressed quickly and with respect and fairness for our city’s diverse populations.”

De Blasio’s office, in a statement to CNBC, urged the business leaders to work with the mayor to lobby Albany for borrowing authorization to cover operating costs, as well as for federal stimulus. New York City has seen steep declines in tax revenue related to the pandemic and it has led to billions of dollars in budget cuts, including a more than $100 million cut to the city’s sanitation department, according to the New York Daily News.

Rechler — whose real estate firm has numerous properties across New York City, particularly in Manhattan — told CNBC he was concerned about the lack of direction from de Blasio’s administration over what it will do to address the challenges. “We don’t have a plan to build a better, brighter future for our city like we did post-9/11 and it’s eerily scary.”

Republican Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York City in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Billionaire businessman Mike Bloomberg succeeded Giuliani and was mayor from 2002 to 2013. Bloomberg, a lifelong Democrat, won City Hall as a Republican and later switched to be an independent. Bloomberg unsuccessfully ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

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