Issue #4
Christmas 2001
 |
 |
 |
Our New Mayor by Gerry Krownstein The era of Rudy Giuliani is ending, and the mayoralty of Michael Blumberg is about to begin. With a Republican mayor succeeding another for the first time in New York history, what can we expect?
The early signs are extremely encouraging. Rather than waiting until his inauguration to begin the process of building relationships, Mayor-elect Blumberg has been reaching out to those groups ignored, or even shunned, by his predecessor. The Blumberg transition team is heavy on experience and light on ideology. It even includes a person anathemized by Giuliani: the head of the Teacher's Union.
Republicans are beginning to complain that Blumberg is filling offices with too many Democrats. In reality, Blumberg seems to be behaving as the experienced corporate manager that he is; he is filling the jobs with the best people he can find, unafraid that he will either be overshadowed by them or unable to set their agendas. The tasks facing him once he takes office are so difficult to accomplish and so complex in nature that any other method of selection of his key aides would be suicidal.
Black community leaders have commented publicly that Blumberg has made significant efforts to open a dialogue with them, something Giuliani (with his philosophy of "my way or the highway") was unable or unwilling to do. Congressional leaders have also been on the receiving end of early Blumberg visits; he realizes that equitable financial treatment of the city by the state and federal governments is critical in this time of economic stress.
If he continues the way he has begun, the Blumberg administration will be more diverse, more open, and probably more productive than the Giuliani administration. The new mayor needs to hold on to his early positive notices by continuing to be available to those whose opinions differ from his; by acting as if he realizes that New York has five boroughs, not just one; by valuing the city employees who have proven so stalwart in the current post-9/11 period; and by establishing policies that encourage the retention of existing businesses and the establishment of new ones throughout the city, rather than squandering city funds and prime real estate on sports stadiums and other giveaways.
And if he wants to be known as a quality of life mayor, he merely has to get rid of those incredibly annoying taxicab "buckle your seatbelts" recordings. Please.
Click on underlined by-lines for the author’s home page.
New York Stringer is published by NYStringer.com. For all communications, contact David Katz, Editor and Publisher, at david@nystringer.c om
All content copyright 2002 by nystringer.com