Dear Commons Community,
For the past several weeks, the spotlight on the New York City mayoralty has focused mostly on Bill de Blasio as the mayor-elect. Current Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been largely silent now that de Blasio is making headlines as he starts making appointments of senior staff and department heads. Today’s Huffington Post, however, focuses on Bloomberg’s legacy as mayor. In a word, it is complicated. On the one hand:
“Bloomberg is now poised to leave office having dramatically reshaped the city, from its government to its skyline. He steered it through a series of crises, both natural and man-made, and his innovative public health policies appear to have added years to residents’ lives. The city has never been safer or cleaner, a teeming metropolis transformed into a must-see attraction for more than 50 million tourists a year.”
On the other hand:
“Bloomberg’s approach to governing as the billionaire businessman he is, employing hard data and the free market to drive much of the city’s renaissance, sometimes left him without an ability to connect with those who felt left behind. Income inequality grew during his years. The number of homeless has soared. And some ethnic and religious minorities complain that a steep drop in crime has come at the expense of their civil liberties.”
The article goes on to discuss gun control, smoking bans, new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets, stop and frisk, term limits, and income inequality.
The 71-year-old Bloomberg has said he will never again seek public office. He has vowed to not criticize de Blasio but made it clear he thinks the incoming mayor is inheriting a strong city. The article concluded:
“We still face great challenges and we always will,” Bloomberg said in a speech last week. “But I think it’s fair to say that we have never been better positioned to meet those challenges.”
My opinion is that he had twelve good years as mayor and deserves credit for making the city more attractive to tourists as well as to people who live and work here every day. On a number of social issues especially his lack of response to income inequality, stop and frisk, his relations with city workers, and a mediocre record at best on public education will be better addressed by the incoming mayor.
Tony
