Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Bill de Blasio

Bill de Blasio

  • De Blasio's Record on Poverty and Inequality

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    Mayor de Blasio at an announcement (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    This article is part of a series on Mayor de Blasio's first term record as he seeks reelection this fall, in partnership with WNYC radio and City Limits. Find all pieces of the series here.

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  • Where Mayor De Blasio Must Take Vision Zero Next

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    Mayor de Blasio and Vision Zero (photo via DOT)


    Vision Zero is a singularly successful legacy project for Mayor Bill de Blasio. It would be more successful if his safety projects were decoupled from parochial interests.

    In 2011, Transportation Alternatives and the Drum Major Institute published Vision Zero: How Safer Streets in New York City Can Save More Than 100 Lives a Year, the first Vision Zero report in the

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  • More Than 400 City Workers Have Utilized De Blasio Paid Parental Leave Policy

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    De Blasio signs parental leave order, Jan. 2016 (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    In the nearly two years since Mayor Bill de Blasio made six weeks of paid parental leave available to about 20,000 city employees, more than 400 have taken advantage of the added benefit.

    The number through September 30 was 436 individuals, including an almost even split among men (203) and women (221), according to city data (12 who have utilized the program were “unknown” in terms of gender). The policy, announced by de

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  • City Council Members, with Notable Exceptions, Send Letter to MTA Supporting De Blasio Tax Plan

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    De Blasio on the train (Edwin J. Torres/Mayor's Office)


    Amid an ongoing feud -- between the Mayor Bill de Blasio on one side and Governor Andrew Cuomo and the MTA on the other -- over funding for mass transit infrastructure in New York City, 27 New York City Council Members on Thursday announced support for the mayor’s proposal to tax wealthy New Yorkers to raise money for subway and bus improvements.

    The mayor has pitched a tax increase on the top-most earners in the city as part of his “Fair Fix” plan, which would raise about $700

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  • De Blasio's Record on Jobs and The Economy

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    De Blasio at a business ribbon-cutting (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    This article is part of a series on Mayor de Blasio's first term record as he seeks reelection this fall, in partnership with WNYC radio and City Limits. Find all pieces of the series here.

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    In the four years since Mayor Bill de Blasio took

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  • De Blasio’s Record on Ethics and Transparency

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayor's Office)


    This article is part of a series on Mayor de Blasio's first term record as he seeks reelection this fall, in partnership with WNYC radio and City Limits. Find all pieces of the series here.

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  • Top City Electeds Skip Letter Wooing Amazon

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    One World Trade Center lit up orange for Amazon (photo via NYC EDC)


    New York is laying out the red carpet to entice online retail giant Amazon to locate its new corporate headquarters in the state. Governor Andrew Cuomo promised a slew of incentives to support four official proposals from different regions that were submitted to the company on Wednesday, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lit up the city in orange at night as a fawning branding appeal.

    New York City’s own ...

  • Key to Affordable Housing Development, Vacant Lots Remain Source of Controversy

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    On 43rd Street in Far Rockaway, Queens, sit five adjacent, vacant lots. Cordoned off by a chained-link, gray metal fence, the lots—owned by the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation (HPD)—are covered in weeds and garbage. They are “eyesores for the community,” said Alexis Smallwood, a local community organizer, in an interview with Gotham Gazette. “Vacant lots should be used for community spaces or real affordable housing.”

    These five lots are examples of the hundreds the Department of Housing and Preservation (HPD) could utilize for affordable housing. Since issuing an audit and fuller report in early

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  • Who will be at the second mayoral debate?

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    Debate #1 (photo: @NYCVotes)


    By most accounts, the first general election mayoral debate was at best minimally helpful in providing voters a substantive exchange of ideas among the three candidates on stage, each competing to lead the city of 8.5 million people and an $85 billion budget for the next four years.

    Outbursts and interruptions by audience members and candidate Bo Dietl made for a raucous and rowdy atmosphere where the policy positions of Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat seeking reelection, and Nicole

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  • City Hall Pushes Back on Proposal that Hits Core Tension of Housing Plan

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    City Hall ralliers with Metro-IAF-NY (photo: @NYCComptroller)


    Thousands of New Yorkers, many of them residents of public housing, braved the rain on Monday, October 9, to rally outside City Hall to push Mayor Bill de Blasio to adopt a new direction for his affordable housing plan. Their alternative proposal, which had been presented by the leading advocates to the mayor ten days prior, calls for a radical investment in building new housing for low-income families, especially seniors, which critics say has

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  • Amid Health Care Funding Fights, Cuomo Explores Special Session

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    Gov. Cuomo with top health and budget aides (photo: Kevin P. Coughlin/Governor's Office)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo has been floating the idea of a special legislative session to address federal cuts to the state’s health care programs, as well as other concerns that have developed, since the state budget was agreed to in April.

    In that budget, Cuomo pushed to include and won a provision granting him nearly unilateral power to adjust the state’s financial plan mid-year in the event of at least $800 million in federal cuts to the state. In April, the governor

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  • Debate Showcases Sharp Differences Among Mayoral Candidates on Transit, Congestion

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    De Blasio on the subway (photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayor's Office)


    The first general election mayoral debate, held Tuesday, was often devoid of substance amid repeated interruptions of a restive audience and candidates who seemed more interested in scoring political points than talking policy. Mayor Bill de Blasio regularly retreated to stump speech talking points as his opponents, Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis and retired NYPD detective Bo Dietl, attacked him over and over again. Malliotakis offered up a few policy proposals while Dietl

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Analyzing the First General Election Mayoral Debate

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    October 11, 2017 - Max & Murphy: Analyzing the First General Election Mayoral Debate

    debate stage277The morning after the first mayoral debate of the general election -- featuring candidates Bill de Blasio,

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  • Post-Debate, Malliotakis Clarifies Some Stances, Promises Plans to Come

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    Assemblymember Malliotakis (photo: @NMalliotakis)


    During the first general election mayoral debate on Tuesday night, the substance was often overshadowed by the yelling, whether from the crowd or the candidates, especially Bo Dietl. Nevertheless, there were a series of policy-oriented questions posed to the candidates and multiple instances where responses from Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat seeking re-election, and Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican Assembly member, were vague or significantly insufficient.

    On issues like school

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  • De Blasio, Malliotakis & Dietl Engage in Raucous Mayoral Debate

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    the first general election mayoral debate (photo: @NYCVotes)


    The first mayoral debate of the general election verged on the brink of chaos for the better part of 90 minutes as Mayor Bill de Blasio faced challengers Nicole Malliotakis and Bo Dietl in front of a raucous, disruptive audience at the Symphony Space on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Tuesday.

    While attacks flew throughout the night, largely from Malliotakis and Dietl toward de Blasio, on more substantive matters, the debate was largely a two-person contest, between de

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  • 5 Things to Watch at The First General Election Mayoral Debate

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    (Edwin J. Torres/Mayor's Office)


    Get the popcorn. There’s a general election debate in the race for Mayor of New York City on Tuesday night. It promises to be a spirited affair with competing ideas, styles, and personalities among the three candidates participating.

    Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, and two of his six challengers -- Republican Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis and independent Bo Dietl -- will debate at 7 p.m. Tuesday, the first of two such televised contests between now and Election Day, November 7. The debate will be

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  • Pushing New Affordable Housing Plan, Activists Plan Massive City Hall Rally

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     De Blasio unveils his housing plan (photo: Ed Reed)


    As elected officials and candidates march in the annual Columbus Day parade on Monday, a separate gathering of members of church congregations, senior centers, schools, and homeowners associations will convene outside City Hall to present an affordable housing plan that they believe is a viable alternative to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s current program.

    The coalition of Metro Industrial Areas Foundation and East Brooklyn Congregations plans to lead 5,000 people in the rally on Monday to push the

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  • What’s The [DATA] Point? 4, with Greg David

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    What's The Data Point? Episode 14 - 4, with Greg David of Crain’s New York[You can download What's The [Data] Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

    For this episode of the podcast, we were joined by Greg David of Crain’s New York to discuss his recent in-depth article on Mayor Bill de Blasio and de Blasio's record as mayor. Just a few weeks ahead of Election Day, when de Blasio will either be given a second term or not, it was the perfect time to discuss de Blasio's record on the city's

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  • James Defends Approach to De Blasio, Outlines Second Term Priorities

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    Public Advocate James (photo: @NYCProgressives)


    Public Advocate Letitia James, a Democrat running for a second term, is facing a challenge from Republican candidate J.C. Polanco, who believes James has done little to hold accountable a mayor who aligns closely with her own politics. But James, an outspoken former litigator, has her defense ready as the two move toward a televised debate on October 16.

    During a recent ...

  • Can Redevelopment of the Bedford Union Armory Be Saved?

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    Rendering of the Bedford Union Armory via BFC Partners


    A land use proposal to redevelop the 138,000-square-foot, publicly-owned Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights to create a mix of different types of housing and a state-of-the-art recreation center has seen successive setbacks in recent months. As proposed, the project has been rejected by community advocates, the local community board, the local City Council member, Laurie Cumbo, and the borough president, Eric Adams, all of whom believe the project should include more affordable

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  • Malliotakis’ Legislative Record Reflects Conservative Base

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    Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis (photo: Malliotakis for Mayor via Facebook)


    As state Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis attempts to unseat Mayor Bill de Blasio in November, the Republican from Staten Island faces the ongoing challenge of striking the right tone to appeal to a citywide electorate dominated by Democrats without alienating her more conservative base.

    That base, exemplified by the district Malliotakis has represented in Albany for seven years, has led her to accumulate a legislative record

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  • Good News and Bad News for Malliotakis' Mayoral Campaign

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    Nicole Malliotakis (via Facebook)


    It’s been a bittersweet week for Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis, a sitting Assemblymember from Staten Island, who is seeking to unseat Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio.

    While Malliotakis will have a major infusion of funds to get her message out and build her low name recognition across the five boroughs, she will also have to compete, at least for one important night, with the louder voice of a third mayoral candidate who threatens to debilitate

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  • The Mayoral Money Race as the General Election Heats Up

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    Bo Dietl (photo: @BoDietl)


    Six weeks from now, on November 7, New Yorkers will head to the polls to decide whether to renew the contract of Mayor Bill de Blasio, or if they want new leadership from one of the incumbent Democrat’s opponents in the general election.

    The latest mayoral race poll, from NBC 4 New York/Marist, was released on September 19 and

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  • Experts Analyze Mayor De Blasio's Jobs Plan

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    Mayor de Blasio and Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen (photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayor's Office)


    An expert panel convened at The New School on Wednesday by the Center for An Urban Future delved into Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to create 100,000 “good-paying” jobs in the next ten years, discussing the challenges of growing the city’s economy while ensuring that New Yorkers are its beneficiaries.

    The mayor’s “...

  • As Incident Reports Rise, City Officials Seek New Answers to Combat Domestic Violence

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    De Blasio & others announce new measures (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Increases in reports of domestic violence have gotten the attention New York City officials, from Mayor Bill de Blasio to the NYPD to members of the City Council. The de Blasio administration has taken a series of steps to address the problem and is promising more; while new legislation is expected to soon pass in the City Council.

    On Monday, the Council’s Committee on Courts and Legal Services will hold an oversight hearing on

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