So let’s get this straight. Under Giuliani, a Republican, New York saw a renaissance that was likely unparalleled in its entire history. Under de Blasio, Yidden are locked out of their playgrounds and businesses. And you want people to “vote with [their] heads”. Obviously, one cannot blame de Blasio for COVID itself, but he gets all the blame, along with Cuomo – another Democrat – for the response. Meanwhile, Republican-led states are much further along the reopening trail than New York.
The idea that voting Republican is opting out of the system is defied by the afore-mentioned Giuliani (and subsequent Bloomberg) mayoralty. It may very well be that the next election sees a complete rejection of Democrat leadership in the city, in light of its gross failures.
Anything done for short-term interests is almost always fruitless, if not destructive, so painting a Democratic vote as the only way to get in the game is nothing but selling out the future for some sort of short-term advantage, while allowing things to come crashing down in the long run. Clearly a foolish strategy.
There is zero good reason to ever vote Democratic at this point in time. The only exception might be in a New Hampshire-like scenario, where a GOP candidate for sheriff is a twisted lunatic. Under normal circumstances, however, Democrats are horrendous at governance; they only ruin the places they oversee. You might want to look at the out-migration from California or the ruins of Portland and Minneapolis for direct evidence of the phenomenon.