11/30
Mayor-elect Mike Bloomberg yesterday pledged to name his key staffers
within two weeks and said most would have government experience.
"You don't need more than one person as a total outsider. I fill
the bill for a total outsider." One of the names that has surfaced
for a deputy mayor or commissioner slot (perhaps head of the Community
Assistance Unit) is Assemblyman John Ravitz. Ravitz, in the Assembly
since 1990, had dropped out the Republican primary for mayor after
Bloomberg entered it. (New
York Post)
Bloomberg announced that he had appointed yet another large group,
made up mostly of elected officials, who he said would advise
him on practical issues in government. The group, which includes
several lawmakers and Borough President Guy V. Molinari of Staten
Island, will not formally guide him on appointments, he said,
but rather advise him on how to work with the State Legislature
and Washington. "There is a lot of knowledge here and I want to
take advantage of it," he said. (New
York Times)
Comptroller Alan Hevesi, 61, plans to make a bid for the state
equivalent of his current city job in the wake of his failed try
for mayor, his top political strategist Hank Morris said yesterday.
(New
York Post)
Contrary to repeated denials, Mark Green's mayoral campaign distributed
the controversial flyers linking the Rev. Al Sharpton to the candidacy
of Fernando Ferrer, sources told the Daily News. (Daily
News)
11/29
Who will stay and who will go? The jockeying for posts in the
Bloomberg administration continues. The Daily News today lists
four top Giuliani administration officials who will probably not
stay on after January: They are Administration for Children's
Services Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, who has rejected Mayor-elect
Bloomberg's offer to stay; budget director Adam Barsky, Consumer
Affairs Commissioner Jane Steiner Hoffman and Acting Buildings
Commissioner Ron Livian. Parks Commissioner Henry Stern is also
thought to be on his way out. On the other hand, Transportation
Commissioner Iris Weinshall is considered likely to remain in
her post. (Daily
News)
Joel Miele, the current commissioner of the Department of Environmental
Protection, is seeking to keep his job in the Bloomberg administration.
Environmental groups are mounting an effort to block the appointment
of Miele who, they charge, has not adequately protected the city's
watershed. They also dislike his managerial style. Bloomberg aides
would not comment on whether he was likely to keep Miele, but
Crain's New York Business has identified Miele as one of the commissioners
most likely to survive the transition. Robert F Kennedy, Jr.,
of the Riverkeeper environmental group said, "The reappointment
of Commissioner Miele would be a declaration of war by Mayor Bloomberg
upon New York's environmental community." (New
York Observer)
Many other high level officials in the Giuliani administration
would like to hold on to their jobs and are perplexed that they
have not heard from Michael Bloomberg or his aides. Bloomberg
has made it clear that people in the current administration would
not have the inside track for a job in his, although he has said
he would welcome resumes from them. (New
York Times)
A group of newly elected City Council members is sponsoring a
public debate for candidates for the post of City Council speaker.
The speaker is chosen by members of council and normally campaigning
for it goes on behind closed doors. The debate will take place
Wednesday, although the location has yet to be determined. (New
York Post)
11/28
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani ripped into the teachers' union yesterday,
accusing it of risking grave damage to the city for continuing
to seek a 22 percent wage increase even after the city's budget
has plunged into deficit following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
In response, Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation
of Teachers, accused Mr. Giuliani of exploiting the attacks to
avoid dealing with the call for higher wages. (New
York Times)
Salsa king Willie Colon, who made a strong showing in the race
for public advocate, has been "talking seriously" to Mayor-elect
Michael Bloomberg about joining the new administration, Colon
told The Post yesterday. Colon, whose star-power endorsement helped
Bloomberg snag a big chunk of the Latino vote, said he has not
been offered a specific post. But he said he is "seriously considering"
moving from canciones - songs - to City Hall and is mulling a
future run for office. Bloomberg spokesman Jerry Russo would not
comment on a possible Colon appointment. (New
York Post)
11/27
Mayor Rudy Giuliani said yesterday that he expects a large number
of his second- and third-level administrators to keep their jobs
in the Bloomberg administration. "Obviously there's a lot of talented
people in the Giuliani administration, and this transition team
will be looking at them," agreed Bloomberg spokesman Ed Skyler.
The mayor gets to appoint about 50 agency heads. There are as
many as 3,000 who serve at his pleasure. (NY
Post)
In the race for the Speaker of the City Council, two front-runners
- Angel Rodriguez of Brooklyn and Gifford Miller of Manhattan
- say they are nearing the magic number of 26 votes from his colleagues.
Backers of Rodriguez, 44, said he has 18 firm votes nailed down,
including his own and 10 others in the incoming Brooklyn delegation.
But supporters of Miller, 32, insisted Rodriguez has stalled and
that the race could go either way. "The pendulum shifts almost
daily," said Councilman-elect Joseph Addabbo of Queens. "I've
spoken to Democratic leaders and many of my colleagues, and nothing
right now is written in stone." (Daily
News)
The top ten things Rudy Giuliani will miss about being mayor,
according to his appearance on the David Letterman Show last night:
10. If I feel like sleeping in, I call a citywide snow
emergency.
9. Naming a street after someone is a great, inexpensive Christmas
gift.
8. If I want tickets to "The Producers," I just pick up the phone
- and four or five months later I get tickets to "The Producers."
7. The look on people's faces when they realize the key to the
city doesn't open a damn thing.
6. I'm double-parked right now - who's gonna tow me?
5. That smell in the subway. ... Call me crazy, but I've grown
to love it.
4. When someone catches a gator in Central Park, guess who gets
to keep it?
3. Street vendors sell me counterfeit DVDs half-price.
2. The Yankees winning all those World Series? That was my idea.
1. The daily call from Letterman begging me to reopen strip clubs.
11/26
A profile of Michael Bloomberg concludes that he is a man with
two distinct sides, one jocular, brash and egocentric, the other
thoughtful, earnest and selfless. "For every story about Mr. Bloomberg
as the pushy center of his universe," the article says, "there
is one about Mr. Bloomberg as the unsung purveyor of good deeds
1*2 the good friend, the responsive boss, the generous philanthropist
and the loving son and father." (New
York Times)
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg and about a half dozen elected
officials will fly on Bloomberg's private jet today to Puerto
Rico and the Dominican Republic. Bloomberg is expected to visit
with families of those killed on American Airlines Flight 587,
which crashed in Belle Harbor two weeks ago, and to meet with
the Dominican president and the governor of Puerto Rico. (Newsday)
Even though virtually no unions endorsed him in his bid for mayor,
Michael Bloomberg is reaching out to New York unions. He has held
high-profile meetings with Randi Weingarten, head of the teachers
union, and Lee Saunders, the top official in District Council
37 which represents 125,000 municipal workers. Bloomberg also
held a private breakfast meeting with representatives from the
police and fire unions and appointed three union leaders to his
transition team. (Daily
News)
Outgoing City Council Speaker, and unsuccessful mayoral candidate,
Peter Vallone said in an interview that he will remain politically
active after he leaves office in January. Vallone said he will
raise money for a political action committee called VPAC that
could focus on trying to end term limits and on improving schools
in the city. He warned new council members that they must cooperate
on the city budget or face having the city's finances taken over
by a state board. (Newsday)
11/25
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg will continue giving to charity
after he becomes mayor and said he intends to avoid conflicts
of interest by delegating decisions on his charitable donations
to an independent panel. Bloomberg, a billionaire, gives about
$100 million a year to charity. (Daily
News)
11/24
Michael Bloomberg is planning a modest inauguration when he takes
the oath of office as New York City mayor on New Year£s Day. Although
the mayor-elect is known to enjoy lavish parties, this one will
be low-key, largely because of the World Trade Center tragedy
and the November 12 crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in the
Rockaways. (Daily
News)
11/22
Edward Skyler will become the youngest - and, perhaps, tallest
- mayoral press secretary in recent memory. Mayor-elect Michael
Bloomberg announced yesterday that his 28-year-old campaign spokesman,
6'4, will serve as his press secretary after he takes office on
January 1. Skyler worked in the Parks Department for four years
before joining Mayor Giuliani's press office in 1999. In the summer
of 2000, he left the city for Bloomberg LP's corporate communications
office, and then joined Bloomberg's campaign. (Daily
News)
Anonymous fliers are being distributed attacking Brooklyn Councilman
Angel Rodriguez, one of the leading contenders for the powerful
post being vacated at the end of the year by Peter Vallone. Sources
said the fliers had been circulating among members of the Working
Families Party and others close to another speaker candidate -
Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan). Miller said he knew nothing of the
fliers, but added it was appropriate every candidate's records
be examined. (New
York Post)
11/21
Mayor Giuliani has decided he doesn't want a role on the city-state
commission that will oversee downtown redevelopment, sources told
The Post yesterday. Giuliani will still name three people to the
newly created panel, which will also feature six appointees picked
by Gov. Pataki - one of whom could have been the mayor. (NY
Post)
Responding to the World Trade Center attacks, the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority has tapped Louis Anemone, the police
department's former top uniformed officer, to head a newly created
position of Director of Security, the MTA announced yesterday.
(Newsday)
Outgoing City Council Speaker Peter Vallone is hoping to raise
as much as $1 million in a highly unusual $5,000-a-ticket fund-raiser
just two weeks before leaving office. Aides said the money would
go toward establishing the "Vallone Political Action Committee,"
which would push to overturn term limits, eliminate the Board
of Education, and retain the public campaign-finance program.
(NY
Post)
11/20
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg named 56 people to his transition
team yesterday. The group includes two prominent labor leaders,
business executives, people with ties to the Giuliani administration
and New Yorkers from a variety of other fields. (New
York Times)
A complete list of transition team members (New
York Times)
11/19
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg will name a team of about 50 people
from business, academia and government to help him pull off a
"seamless" shift in government, according to Nathan Leventhal,
Bloomberg's transition chairman. Although Leventhal did not say
who would be on the panel, he did make it clear that anyone who
served on the team would not be eligible for a government post.
(Daily
News)
11/18
Unless the company that bears the name of Mayor-elect Michael
Bloomberg is sold, the city's Conflicts of Interest Board may
soon confront the stickiest conflict of interest problems ever
to come before a government body. (Daily
News)
Michael Bloomberg may be the richest person ever to hold office
in this country, surpassing the late Governor Nelson Rockefeller
and the Kennedys. (Daily
News)
Even though Michael Bloomberg has complied with city financial
disclosure laws, New Yorkers really do not know just how rich
their new mayor is. That is because the laws are designed to reveal
potential conflicts of interest, not to open a politician£s checkbook
to the view of the world. (Daily
News)
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg will remain on as chairman of the
board of Johns Hopkins University but will step down from boards
of 19 other non -profits. (New
York Post)
11/17
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Harold Levy
met for almost two hours but neither would say much about what
transpired during their discussions. Bloomberg said they did not
talk about whether Levy would stay on as chancellor, focusing
instead on the schools. Levy's contract expires in June. He has
not said whether he wants an extension, and Bloomberg has not
said whether he would like him to remain. (New
York Times)
After a two hour meeting with Schools Chancellor Harold Levy,
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg refused to say he would keep Levy
in his post. "I said during the campaign I would certainly consider
him if he wanted to stay, and would consider others," Bloomberg
said several hours after his lunch date with Levy. (Daily
News)
Calling themselves the "Fresh Democracy Council," 17 newly elected
members of the City Council have banded together in an effort
to strip some power from the office of City Council speaker and
make the City Council operate more like the U.S. Congress. Council
members will choose a new speaker in January. (New
York Post)
11/16
Mayor-elect Michael R. Bloomberg has invited Schools Chancellor
Harold O. Levy for a lunch today in what could be the first step
toward deciding Mr. Levy's future as the head of what is by far
the city's largest agency. The meeting comes at a time when the
chancellor's support has suffered some major setbacks. The Board
of Education president, Ninfa Segarra, has been hostile to Mr.
Levy in recent months, and three of the six other members have
often echoed her antagonism. And Randi Weingarten, the teachers'
union president who was once Mr. Levy's strongest mainstay, has
indicated increasing disenchantment. Just yesterday, she complained
at a City Council meeting that there had been no educational movement
forward in the school system since the Sept. 11 attack. (New
York Times)
11/15
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg will go to Washington today for
a series of high-level meetings with administration and congressional
officials. Bloomberg, a Democrat who became a Republican to run
for mayor, has said his membership in the GOP will be an asset
in dealing with the Bush administration. However, he differs with
most Republicans in Washington on an array of issues. (Daily
News)
How will Bloomberg, the media company, cover Bloomberg, the mayor?
The news service managed to avoid any coverage of the boss during
his campaign but that will be impossible now that he is mayor.
So, says editor in chief Matt Winkler, the company may turn to
an ombudsman to independently analyze its coverage. (New
York Observer)
11/14
About three weeks ago, Raymond Kelly, who was officially introduced
by Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg as the next police commissioner
of New York, said he and his wife, Veronica, stood on the roof
of a building in Battery Park City, where they live. For the first
time, they took in the breadth of the destruction. Their neighborhood
was in ruins.Yesterday, in making the announcement that Mr. Kelly
will take the job, Mr. Bloomberg said that he would rely not only
on Mr. Kelly's service in New York, but also his eight years in
federal law enforcement positions in Washington. "His experience
is exactly what we need for police commissioner right now," he
said. "I think the police commissioner is perhaps the most important
appointment I will make." (New
York Times)
11/13
New York Police Department First Deputy Comissioner Joseph Dunne,
twice passed over for police commissioner, will retire Jan. 1,
the day Ray Kelly is expected to return to run the department.
(New
York Post)
Nearly six hours after an American Airlines jet plunged into
a Queens neighborhood, with Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Governor George
Pataki once again taking center stage in a tragedy, Mayor-elect
Michael Bloomberg emerged from his midtown offices and spoke briefly
with reporters before heading out to meet victims' families. Later
in the evening, he attended a vigil in Washington Heights. "We're
obviously experiencing another great tragedy here, and the hearts
of all New Yorkers go out to the families of those that were lost,"
he said.(Daily
News)
11/12
Raymond W. Kelly, who was New York City's 37th police commissioner,
under Mayor David N. Dinkins, has accepted Mayor-elect Michael
R. Bloomberg's offer to return to 1 Police Plaza as the city's
41st police commissioner, two people familiar with the transition
plan said yesterday. (NY
Times)
New York is "alive and well and open for business!" Mike Bloomberg
boomed in his reedy Boston accent after his improbable election
last week as the city' s 108th mayor. It was a strong and reassuring
line from the billionaire bon vivant, who got his job the New
York way-he bought it, with a staggering $70 million of his own
money. But in truth, like an all-night Korean grocery, the city
had never been closed in the first place, not even on September
11. And short of an atom bomb, it never will. (Newsweek)
Who can we expect to see in City Hall in two months? For starters,
there's Patti Harris and Kevin Sheekey. These two trusted campaign
advisers -- the pair he thanked in his Election Night speech --
are veteran Democrats who deliberately attracted minimal personal
attention, making them the most important political players in
New York you've never heard of. Harris, the well-connected, graciously
steely former Koch arts-staff member who disburses Bloomberg's
charitable millions, has been the office perfectionist who carefully
guards his image, from lining up meetings to working debate prep
to even approving brochure photos. Sheekey, the boyishly smooth
former Moynihan strategist hired by Bloomberg several years ago
to introduce him around Washington, was nicknamed "the invisible
man" by campaign staff for his role as the candidate's quiet,
ever-present shadow on the hustings. "Kevin and Patti were Mike's
eyes and ears," says Jonathan Capehart, former Daily News editorial
writer who was a Bloomberg policy adviser and speechwriter. "Nothing
happened on the campaign without them signing off." Now Harris
is rumored to be in line for a deputy mayor's job, and Sheekey
is likely to get an equally prominent post. (New
York Magazine)
"Memo" to the mayor-elect from experts giving advice about transportation,
housing, education, race relations and municipal labor unions.
(NY
Times)
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg has named Nathan Leventhal as his
transition chairman. Mr. Leventhal, who served as president of
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts from 1984 to 2000, is no
stranger to city government. After service in the Pentagon, the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the office of Sen.
Ted Kennedy, he served as chief of staff to Mayor John Lindsay,
deputy mayor to Mayor Ed Koch, and chairman of Mayor David Dinkins'
transition committee. (Crain's NY Business)
Michael Bloomberg will take longer and be more deliberate in
selecting his City Hall team than most incoming mayors, officials
close to the Republican mayor-elect say. But already, lists are
emerging of Giuliani administration officials who will stay at
least temporarily, led by Deputy Mayor Joe Lhota, and those who
could stay permanently if they wish. In addition, many of the
mayor-elect's close advisers are likely to assume key positions.
The mayor-elect's closest aide is Patti Harris, a former Koch
administration official who runs Mr. Bloomberg's corporate philanthropic
operations. She was a strategist for the campaign and has been
mentioned as a possible deputy mayor. Vincent Lapadula, a former
Giuliani aide who ran Mr. Bloomberg's field operations, is considered
a likely candidate for chief of staff. (Coincidentally, his roommate
is Anthony Carbonetti, Mr. Giuliani's chief of staff, who is expected
to follow the outgoing mayor.) Ed Skyler, who was a Giuliani press
aide before becoming Mr. Bloomberg's press secretary, will probably
be the mayoral press secretary. Other staffers who could land
City Hall posts include Kathleen Cudahy, a top policy adviser;
Bill Cunningham, a strategist and communications director; Kevin
Sheekey, Mr. Bloomberg's Washington political aide; and Jonathan
Capehart, a policy adviser. (Crain's NY Business)
11/11
Raymond Kelly has reportedly accepted the job of police commissioner,
though it has not been officially announced. (Newsday)
The story of Mr. Bloomberg's astonishing evolution from a first-time
and sometimes clumsy candidate to mayor-elect of the nation's
biggest and most complex city. There was a lot of luck. There
was a lot of money and high-priced strategy. And there was a lot
of Mr. Bloomberg being a hands-on manager who liked a good fight,
but who had imposed one cardinal rule about his campaign: he would
not sacrifice his good name to win the election. This triple combination
helped navigate the candidacy through a series of rocky moments
over five months of campaigning that might easily have sunk other
candidacies, and that nearly took his down as well. (New
York Times)
A glimpse at some of the 37 new members of the 51-seat City Council,
whose election last Tuesday marked the largest turnover in the
history of the body. For example: John C. Liu, a consultant at
PriceWaterhouseCoopers who was born in Taiwan, will become the
first Asian-American member of the Council, representing Flushing,
Queens. Hiram Monserrate, a Democratic district leader who is
a former New York City police officer, was elected as Queens's
first Hispanic Council member. He will represent Corona. Charles
Barron, who will represent East New York, Brooklyn, on the Council,
was once a member of the Black Panthers. There are children of
former council members, several clergy, and also a large number
of new members of accomplishment and experience. (New
York Times)
On Tuesday, Michael Bloomberg landed more than 60 percent of
the white vote in defeating Mark Green for mayor. It was the fourth
consecutive mayoral election in which the Republican received
more white votes than the Democrat. (Daily
News)
11/11
Police Commissioner Bernard B. Kerik, who supervised the New York
Police Department as historic crime reductions continued and coordinated
the city's response to a frightening new era of terrorism, had
twice before said that he would not continue in the job past New
Year's Day. But yesterday he made it official. After wavering
several weeks ago when he was asked to stay on by Michael R. Bloomberg,
the businessman who was elected mayor on Tuesday, Mr. Kerik said
yesterday that he had phoned Mr. Bloomberg on Thursday evening
to say that he was leaving. (New
York Times)
Highlights of Kerik's career as police commissioner. (Daily
News)
In a segment on "60 Minutes," a tearful Kerik, 46, tells of discovering
recently that his mother was a prostitute who abandoned him at
age 4, and may have been murdered. The commissioner discloses
in a memoir due out next week, "The Lost Son," that he fathered
an illegitimate child as a serviceman in South Korea in 1975 -
a family he later walked out on. (Daily
News)
The name mentioned most frequently as Michael Bloomberg's choice
for new police commissioner is that of Mr. Bloomberg's principal
adviser on criminal justice matters, Raymond W. Kelly. Mr. Kelly
served as commissioner in 1992 and 1993 under Mayor Dinkins, as
crime began to decline after a particularly bloody period in the
city's history. Mr. Kelly, who worked from 1994 to 2000 in a number
of senior federal law enforcement posts, is now the head of security
for Bear Stearns. While he would not comment on whether he was
interested in the appointment, Mr. Kelly described Mr. Bloomberg's
approach to criminal justice as "Giuliani Plus" - blending the
current mayor's successes in sharply reducing crime with improved
technologies and better community relations. (New
York Times)
Three days after the Democratic Party suffered a stunning defeat
in the New York City mayoral election, Judith Hope, the state
party chairwoman, announced she would resign Dec. 3. Party leaders
said last night that Herman Farrell, the Manhattan Democratic
chairman, was almost certain to replace her. Mr. Farrell was said
to have locked up the support of most Democratic leaders, and
did not face any immediate opposition. (New
York Times)
A significant defection of Hispanic voters from the Democratic
Party, coupled with stronger-than-expected showings among black
voters and white liberals, helped propel Michael R. Bloomberg
to victory in the mayoral election over Mark Green, according
to a statistical analysis of the voting patterns in Tuesday's
election. (New
York Times)
11/9
Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg met yesterday with major union leaders,
pledging to be a "champion" of all city workers but making no
promises about salary increases. (Daily
News)
Thomas Van Essen, who is praised the world over while routinely
booed by his own employees, says he will not seek reappointment
as fire commissioner. (NY
Times)
One of the most daunting tasks for Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg
will be rebuilding the morale of the devastated Fire Department.
(New
York Post)
From the day he began his long-shot campaign for mayor, Michael
Bloomberg knew that if he won Queens, he could win the city. He
was right. Republican Bloomberg defeated Democrat Mark Green by
about 40,000 votes. He won Queens, where Democrats outnumber Republicans
5 to 1, by nearly 50,000 votes. The Queens strategy helped Bloomberg
close Green's 16-point lead in two weeks and win Tuesday's election
by 3 percentage points. The only other borough Bloomberg won,
by a whopping 67,000 votes, was solidly Republican Staten Island.
(Daily
News)
Bloomberg toured a downtown office set aside for his transition
by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani - then said he probably won't use it
as his transition headquarters. He also said he "should not be
involved" in the selection of a new city Council Speaker; the
next speaker is expected to become the leading Democratic voice
of opposition in the still-Republican City Hall. He promised to
fulfill his campaign pledge to take mass transit (including taxis)
every day. He said he expects an informal atmosphere at City Hall,
where anyone can call him "Mike." (Newsday)
Michael Bloomberg says his administration knows what many black
New Yorkers think about police, and he wants to change that perception.
"To not acknowledge there's a problem doesn't make things better,"
Bloomberg said yesterday. "If there's a perception of [racial]
profiling - even if numbers don't support it - we must address
it." (Daily
News)
Less than 48 hours after his victory, Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg
last night did something Mayor Giuliani never wanted to do during
eight years in office - shook hands with the Rev. Al Sharpton.
(New
York Post)
It's no wonder Mike Bloomberg is passing up the chance to move
into Gracie Mansion: His Upper East Side townhouse makes the mayoral
residence look like a pauper's home. (New
York Post)
11/8
As New York City mayor, will Michael Bloomberg try to keep his
72 percent stake in Bloomberg LP, the financial and media empire
he built during the past two decades? If so, he might come into
conflict with the city's conflict of interest laws. (Newsday)
Michael Bloomberg is likely to appoint people from a variety
of backgrounds and with an array of political beliefs to his administration.
And, even though he pledged to follow the policies of the Giuliani
administration, he indicated that he would not necessarily try
to keep the mayor's top aides. Bloomberg, who plans to name a
transition team in the next few days, said he would like Police
Commissioner Bernard Kerik to stay on. Kerik says he is considering
the offer. (New
York Times)
Even though they are unlikely to remain for a full Bloomberg
administration, many top Giuliani aides say they would be prepared
to remain in office a few extra months to smooth the transition.
(New
York Post)
Michael Bloomberg celebrated his victory in the mayoral election
by taking a whirlwind tour of the city yesterday and having breakfast
with Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, whose rift with
Democratic mayoral candidate Mark Green almost certainly helped
Bloomberg become mayor. (Daily
News)
City unions are cautiously optimistic about what they could expect
from a Bloomberg administration, even though the Bloomberg financial
information company is not unionized. The mayor-elect has said
he supports raises for police and teachers, who are working under
expired contracts. (Daily
News)
The day after Election Day was a bleak day for Democrats in New
York City, and many spent it casting about for whom to blame for
the party£s loss in the mayoral election. Party officials worried
about whether they could mount a credible challenge to Governor
George Pataki next year and about their future in a city where,
even though Democrats outnumber Republicans five to one, voters
have elected a Republican mayor in the last three elections.
Fernando Ferrer, who lost to Mark Green in a bitter runoff election
for the Democratic nomination, said Green had paid the price for
using "scurrilous" tactics in his runoff campaign with Ferrer.
Green associates, on the other hand, blamed Ferrer supporters,
particularly Bronx Democratic leader Roberto Ramirez, who led
attacks on Green and did not help his campaign. (New
York Times)
The Democratic loss in the mayoral election reveals deep fault
lines in the party and reflects the damage that can occur when
a white and a minority candidate battle, as Mark Green and Fernando
Ferrer did in the runoff election, and use racially tinged appeals.
In light of this, state Democratic Party chair Judith Hope called
on either state Controller Carl McCall, who is black, or former
U.S. Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo, who is white, to withdraw
from the 2002 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Neither candidate
said he would. (Daily
News)
Although a number of factors, including the World Trade Center
attack, contributed to Mark Green's defeat, he must assume some
of the blame, political experts said yesterday. Noting that the
Democrat had managed to squander a 16-point lead in the polls,
many faulted him for not reaching out to other Democrats and involving
them in his campaign. "It was Green's smug independent streak
that kept him from uniting the party after the runoff, and that's
largely why he lost," said Joseph Mercurio, a political consultant.
(Daily
News)
Now that the new mayor has been selected, city politicians are
beginning to make deals and negotiate over whom will hold what
is generally seen as the second most powerful job in city government:
City Council speaker. In that election, though, only 51 people,
the members of the council, vote. Gifford Miller of Manhattan
and Angel Rodriguez of Brooklyn are among the leading contenders
for the post. (Daily
News)
Many political insiders thought David Garth had lost his touch.
But the man who has played a role in mayoral elections since 1965
gave the Bloomberg campaign a key boost with the ad featuring
Mayor Giuliani. (New
York Post)
11/7
Michael Rubens Bloomberg, a self- made billionaire who set out
at the age of 59 to finance a new career in politics, was elected
the 108th mayor of New York City yesterday, as voters turned to
him to lead a city apprehensive about the loss of a popular mayor
and anxious about a future clouded by threats of terrorism and
economic turmoil. (New
York Times)
Millionaire. Helicopter pilot. Dad. Philanthropist. Movie producer.
Bachelor about town. Media mogul. Now, Mayor Bloomberg. (Daily
News)
There were not enough hands in the Democratic Party last night
for all the finger-pointing that surrounded Mark Green's loss
to Mike Bloomberg - the media mogul who was supposed to be a GOP
pushover. But high on many lists of who to blame for Green's failure
to deliver - after Green himself - were the Rev. Al Sharpton,
Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer and Bronx Democratic Party
chief Roberto Ramirez. (Daily
News)
Crises either lionize mayors or devour them. And there's been
no crisis more threatening to the city's vitality and future than
the aftermath of the attacks that brought down the World Trade
Center. In just two months, the staggering job of stabilizing
New York's economy and rebuilding lower Manhattan will fall to
the mayor-elect, Michael Bloomberg. (Daily
News)
Bloomberg made enough inroads with Latino voters and parlayed
a strong showing among whites to pull off a stunning upset, an
exit poll showed. Eight weeks after the terror of Sept. 11, Bloomberg
rode a wave of New Yorkers' concern over jobs and the economy,
issues that weighed more heavily on voters' decisions than crime,
terrorism and even education. In the Edison Media Research exit
poll the queried 2,036 voters, Green, the Democratic public advocate,
garnered 71 percent of the black vote to the Republican Bloomberg's
25 percent. (Newsday)
Columnist Joyce Purnick: How do you beat a man who can overwhelmingly
outspend you with his own money and has the backing of a politician
as universally admired as Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in his
day? How do you overcome ethnic and racial tensions, a reputation
for being less than lovable, the advantage that the tragedy of
Sept. 11 gave to a first-time candidate claiming his business
background as his strength? As Mark Green learned yesterday, you
don't. (New
York Times)
Columnist Michael Kramer: Everyone said it would be close, and
this time everyone was right."It's one thing to dodge a single
bullet from a Winchester," an aide to Mark Green said last night.
"It's another to dodge a stream from an Uzi - and we almost did."
Well, in politics, "almost" equals second place and second place
equals retirement - which is where Green is heading now that Mike
Bloomberg has been elected mayor. (Daily
News)
Mayor Giuliani's endorsement definitely gave Mike Bloomberg a
boost. (New
York Post)
Mike Bloomberg capitalized on Mayor Giuliani's enormous popularity,
simmering Democratic discontent, his business credentials - and
more than $50 million to get his message out. The attack on the
World Trade Center significantly shifted voter sentiment toward
the billionaire Republican media mogul, who made his entrepreneurial
experience a major selling point in an extremely well-financed
campaign. (New
York Post)
The trail of harshly negative TV and radio ads launched by Mark
Green and Michael Bloomberg will be remembered as some of the
most down-and-dirty the city has ever seen. (New
York Post)
A surprisingly big chunk of Mark Green's supporters in last month's
runoff dumped him yesterday for rival Mike Bloomberg, joined by
an even stronger wave of Hispanics who had backed Fernando Ferrer
in the Democratic race. (New
York Post)
The next mayor faces such daunting budget problems that some
people in government openly wonder - only half jokingly - why
anyone wants the job. "Why do you want to put yourself through
this?" asked one city councilman, referring to the grave decisions
facing the new mayor. (New
York Post)
Coming soon to a mayor near you: huge deficits, a private-sector
slowdown and a power struggle with the governor. And that's just
for starters. To keep parks tidy, streets clean and libraries
open, while meeting costly new obligations to protect public health
and security, the 108th mayor will be forced to scrimp and save,
painfully so. He'll also face resistance from unions forced to
do without large raises, a retirement outflow by police officers,
a shortage of experienced teachers, growing poverty, and heightened
pressures to raise taxes. As for reducing class sizes, building
affordable housing, and subsidizing new baseball and football
stadiums, forget about it. (Newsday)
Betsy Gotbaum ran for public advocate not as the outsider who
will stir things up but as the insider who can get things done.
It worked. Gotbaum, the only major-party candidate running for
the office, won easily Tuesday. Early returns showed her with
87 percent of the vote. (Newsday)
The City Council is in for a new look. Thanks largely to term
limits, 38 of 51 Council seats were on the ballot in yesterday's
election, making way for the biggest change since the City Charter
revision added 16 seats in 1991. (Daily
News)
New Yorkers who went to the polls yesterday to vote in City Council
races were participating in an election that, because of new term
limit laws, brought about the most sweeping changes in the Council
since the five boroughs came together more than 100 years ago
to form modern New York City. (New
York Times)
Voters approved all five of the City Charter revision proposals
on the ballot yesterday by wide margins and passed a proposal
to make the language of the State Constitution gender-neutral.
(New
York Times)
There had been predictions of mayhem: broken machines, overwhelming
lines, Florida-like chaos. But when voters finally made it to
the polls yesterday for the city's general election, they found
only a few sporadic glitches. The most serious seemed to be the
ballot itself, which left many voters struggling, behind the curtains,
to locate levers corresponding to a group of City Charter proposals.
All in all, at first glance, not a bad day for those who had envisioned
the worst and sounded a steady drumbeat of electoral doom. (New
York Times)
Misprints in polling machines left some Bronx voters scratching
their heads, but Board of Elections officials said that overall,
yesterday's voting brought no more problems than usual. Some machines
in areas that included Riverdale, Fordham and the South Bronx
had a variety of errors in the printing of proposals on gun safety
and children's services. (Daily
News)
11/7
Michael Rubens Bloomberg, a self- made billionaire who set out
at the age of 59 to finance a new career in politics, was elected
the 108th mayor of New York City yesterday, as voters turned to
him to lead a city apprehensive about the loss of a popular mayor
and anxious about a future clouded by threats of terrorism and
economic turmoil. (New
York Times)
Millionaire. Helicopter pilot. Dad. Philanthropist. Movie producer.
Bachelor about town. Media mogul. Now, Mayor Bloomberg. (Daily
News)
There were not enough hands in the Democratic Party last night
for all the finger-pointing that surrounded Mark Green's loss
to Mike Bloomberg - the media mogul who was supposed to be a GOP
pushover. But high on many lists of who to blame for Green's failure
to deliver - after Green himself - were the Rev. Al Sharpton,
Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer and Bronx Democratic Party
chief Roberto Ramirez. (Daily
News)
Crises either lionize mayors or devour them. And there's been
no crisis more threatening to the city's vitality and future than
the aftermath of the attacks that brought down the World Trade
Center. In just two months, the staggering job of stabilizing
New York's economy and rebuilding lower Manhattan will fall to
the mayor-elect, Michael Bloomberg. (Daily
News)
Bloomberg made enough inroads with Latino voters and parlayed
a strong showing among whites to pull off a stunning upset, an
exit poll showed. Eight weeks after the terror of Sept. 11, Bloomberg
rode a wave of New Yorkers' concern over jobs and the economy,
issues that weighed more heavily on voters' decisions than crime,
terrorism and even education. In the Edison Media Research exit
poll the queried 2,036 voters, Green, the Democratic public advocate,
garnered 71 percent of the black vote to the Republican Bloomberg's
25 percent. (Newsday)
Columnist Joyce Purnick: How do you beat a man who can overwhelmingly
outspend you with his own money and has the backing of a politician
as universally admired as Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in his
day? How do you overcome ethnic and racial tensions, a reputation
for being less than lovable, the advantage that the tragedy of
Sept. 11 gave to a first-time candidate claiming his business
background as his strength? As Mark Green learned yesterday, you
don't. (New
York Times)
Columnist Michael Kramer: Everyone said it would be close, and
this time everyone was right."It's one thing to dodge a single
bullet from a Winchester," an aide to Mark Green said last night.
"It's another to dodge a stream from an Uzi - and we almost did."
Well, in politics, "almost" equals second place and second place
equals retirement - which is where Green is heading now that Mike
Bloomberg has been elected mayor. (Daily
News)
Mayor Giuliani's endorsement definitely gave Mike Bloomberg a
boost. (New
York Post)
Mike Bloomberg capitalized on Mayor Giuliani's enormous popularity,
simmering Democratic discontent, his business credentials - and
more than $50 million to get his message out. The attack on the
World Trade Center significantly shifted voter sentiment toward
the billionaire Republican media mogul, who made his entrepreneurial
experience a major selling point in an extremely well-financed
campaign. (New
York Post)
The trail of harshly negative TV and radio ads launched by Mark
Green and Michael Bloomberg will be remembered as some of the
most down-and-dirty the city has ever seen. (New
York Post)
A surprisingly big chunk of Mark Green's supporters in last month's
runoff dumped him yesterday for rival Mike Bloomberg, joined by
an even stronger wave of Hispanics who had backed Fernando Ferrer
in the Democratic race. (New
York Post)
The next mayor faces such daunting budget problems that some
people in government openly wonder - only half jokingly - why
anyone wants the job. "Why do you want to put yourself through
this?" asked one city councilman, referring to the grave decisions
facing the new mayor. (New
York Post)
Coming soon to a mayor near you: huge deficits, a private-sector
slowdown and a power struggle with the governor. And that's just
for starters. To keep parks tidy, streets clean and libraries
open, while meeting costly new obligations to protect public health
and security, the 108th mayor will be forced to scrimp and save,
painfully so. He'll also face resistance from unions forced to
do without large raises, a retirement outflow by police officers,
a shortage of experienced teachers, growing poverty, and heightened
pressures to raise taxes. As for reducing class sizes, building
affordable housing, and subsidizing new baseball and football
stadiums, forget about it. (Newsday)
Betsy Gotbaum ran for public advocate not as the outsider who
will stir things up but as the insider who can get things done.
It worked. Gotbaum, the only major-party candidate running for
the office, won easily Tuesday. Early returns showed her with
87 percent of the vote. (Newsday)
The City Council is in for a new look. Thanks largely to term
limits, 38 of 51 Council seats were on the ballot in yesterday's
election, making way for the biggest change since the City Charter
revision added 16 seats in 1991. (Daily
News)
New Yorkers who went to the polls yesterday to vote in City Council
races were participating in an election that, because of new term
limit laws, brought about the most sweeping changes in the Council
since the five boroughs came together more than 100 years ago
to form modern New York City. (New
York Times)
Voters approved all five of the City Charter revision proposals
on the ballot yesterday by wide margins and passed a proposal
to make the language of the State Constitution gender-neutral.
(New
York Times)
There had been predictions of mayhem: broken machines, overwhelming
lines, Florida-like chaos. But when voters finally made it to
the polls yesterday for the city's general election, they found
only a few sporadic glitches. The most serious seemed to be the
ballot itself, which left many voters struggling, behind the curtains,
to locate levers corresponding to a group of City Charter proposals.
All in all, at first glance, not a bad day for those who had envisioned
the worst and sounded a steady drumbeat of electoral doom. (New
York Times)
Misprints in polling machines left some Bronx voters scratching
their heads, but Board of Elections officials said that overall,
yesterday's voting brought no more problems than usual. Some machines
in areas that included Riverdale, Fordham and the South Bronx
had a variety of errors in the printing of proposals on gun safety
and children's services. (Daily
News)
11/6
The New York Times repeats its endorsements: Mark Green for mayor,
and on the six ballot proposals: 1. Yes to making the State Constitution
gender-neutral. 2 to 6. No to these five proposals, which are
unnecessary changes to the City Charter. (New
York Times)
The Daily News endorsements: Michael Bloomberg for mayor, yes
on all the city charter proposals except the third one, about
the Human Rights Commission. (Daily
News)
The New York Post endorses neither candidate for mayor. "Neither
man comes close to filling Rudy Giuliani's shoes - and Giuliani-esque
leadership is precisely what New York needs just now." (New
York Post)
Newsday endorses Mark Green for mayor, yes to making the State
Constitution gender-neutral, yes on charter revision proposal
1 (Children's Services) and 5 (Public Safety), no on the rest.
(Newsday)
Crains New York Business endorsed Mark Green for mayor.
For other endorsements, scroll through the past month of Campaign
Trail on Searchlight on Campaign 2001
Included in the flurry of campaign literature mailed to voters
over the last several days was a postcard from the city's Charter
Revision Commission. The postcard, which features a picture of
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani shaking hands with a firefighter, is
meant to remind voters that there are five proposals on the ballot
today, and to educate them about what those proposals are, an
"educational campaign" required by law, commission officials say.
But some groups have questioned whether that mailing crosses the
line into advocacy of the proposals.The city, which uses taxpayer
money to pay for the required education effort, is not allowed
to advocate for or against reforms to the charter, reforms that
the mayor has called for. (New
York Times)
Mark Green and Michael R. Bloomberg yesterday completed the final
day of a contest for mayor that both sides said had turned unexpectedly
whisker-close. Mr. Bloomberg campaigned at the side of Mayor Rudolph
W. Giuliani, whose support has proved critical to his candidacy,
while Mr. Green campaigned with Kennedys and former President
Clinton, and released a harsh advertisement that recounted charges
made against Mr. Bloomberg in a sexual harassment suit. (New
York Times)
Infuriated by "despicable and racist" campaign literature, the
Rev. Al Sharpton refused late last night to endorse Democratic
mayoral candidate Mark Green - but backed off his threat to call
for a black boycott of today's election. (Daily
News)
11/5
The contest between Mark Green and Michael R. Bloomberg hurtled
through a brutal and expensive final weekend yesterday. Mr. Green
took to the pulpits of black churches in Brooklyn to accuse Mr.
Bloomberg of insensitivity toward black and female New Yorkers.
Mr. Bloomberg filled the airwaves with television advertisements
warning that Mr. Green would "tear apart City Hall" if elected.
With the campaign down to its final hours - and a series of polls
showing the two men essentially tied, with a huge number of voters
still undecided - the candidates and their aides moved through
the day to diminish their opponent. (New
York Times)
11/4
Bloomberg and Green on education, labor, taxes and budgeting,
security and policing. (New
York Times)
The Daily News endorses Michael Bloomberg for mayor: "Bloomberg
is tough and independent, just as a New York mayor must be. He
is smart. He is accomplished. And he will bring to City Hall the
kind of fresh ideas and perspective that this moment of devastating
crisis demands. Bloomberg's opponent, Mark Green, has many attractive
attributes. He has shown himself to be a serious candidate with
serious ideas. Perhaps, in ordinary times, he would be an acceptable
choice. But in this extraordinary time, Bloomberg is the candidate
with the right skills." (Daily
News)
Newsday endorses Mark Green for mayor. "Green seems to have learned
plenty and to be more ready for the task than Bloomberg. He ran
his campaign not as a paleo-liberal this time, but as a reformer
and a moderate. He brought William Bratton, the former police
commissioner who helped revolutionize the NYPD's crime-fighting
tactics, into his fold. So now, Green not only has a long record
as a police critic, he also has the support of most city police
unions. At the same time - to our relief - he has preached during
the campaign that the United Federation of Teachers must trade
work-rule flexibility for pay increases. As a result, the teachers
didn't support him during the primaries. Neither did city workers
in District Council 37 or the hospital workers in Local 1199.
These are good signs. They mean that Green, if elected, would
owe these groups little. While Green's past life as a noisy liberal
gadfly has hardly inspired our confidence, we think he has matured
as a politician. As for Bloomberg, while he is intellectually
agile and astonishingly savvy about local issues, he's still not
ready to turn pro. Not in this league. Not at this time. If New
Yorkers were to elect him next week, they would have to give him
maybe a year to hit his stride as a politician. The city cannot
afford to wait." (Newsday)
Already conducting the priciest campaign in New York State history,
Bloomberg looks certain to spend more than $50 million of his
own money in the race for City Hall. The billionaire businessman
has spent more than $24 million for advertising, $4.6 million
for polls and $1.5 million for 15 different campaign consultant.
Put another way, Bloomberg will pay out enough of his own money
to build two new elementary schools in Queens or to match the
city's median family income of $50,600 for nearly 9,000 families.
(Newsday)
11/3
Republican Michael Bloomberg and Democrat Mark Green bounded yesterday
into the final weekend of the mayoral race on an avalanche of
blistering new attack ads and mailings. One of Bloomberg's new
ads, targeting white voters, paints New York as a safer, more
prosperous city, adding, "Every step of the way Mark Green attacked
and criticized the changes ... He'll tear apart Mayor Giuliani's
City Hall, turn our city back." Green's harsh new ad paints his
billionaire rival as out of step with New Yorkers. It asks, "Does
Bloomberg care about equal rights?" and seizes on remarks by Bloomberg
that public school kids "have personal hygiene problems," and
that sanitation workers have more dangerous jobs than cops and
firefighters. (Daily
News)
According to the latest New York Times poll, Mark Green, a Democrat,
is supported by 42 percent of those most likely to vote and Michael
Bloomberg, a Republican, by 37 percent. The difference is not
statistically significant. About 20 percent are undecided - an
unusually high figure for this late in the contest. (New
York Times)
A "Unity Dinner" for Mark Green's mayoral campaign did not quite
live up to its billing last night. Leading Hispanic officials,
including Fernando Ferrer, boycotted the event to show their continuing
anger and suspicion over tactics used in the runoff election between
Mr. Green and Mr. Ferrer, the Bronx borough president. (New
York Times)
11/2
Mark Green and Michael Bloomberg debated last night for the last
time in the mayoral race, clashing repeatedly over their qualifications
and battling over campaign tactics, education policy and even
their personalities. For much of the 60 minutes, they fought over
whether Green's record of public service or Bloomberg's resume
building a global business are what the city needs to recover
from the economic damage caused by the World Trade Center collapse.
"My opponent has not had any experience in managing a large organization,
in leading a large number of people, in setting large budgets,
in actually doing things," said Bloomberg, a billionaire Republican
making his first run for office. "My rival hasn't spent one minute
in public life," Green, the city's public advocate, said. He added,
"You don't understand the city by spending a lot of private dollars
in an election year." (Daily
News) (New
York Times)
Mayoral hopeful Mark Green began rolling out the big guns yesterday,
stumping with former President Bill Clinton in Harlem as part
of a massive end-of-campaign push to rally Democrats to his candidacy.
As part of the strategy, the Democratic National Committee will
showcase Green tomorrow by having him deliver the party's nationally
broadcast response to President Bush's weekly Saturday radio address.
(Daily
News)
Michael Bloomberg was endorsed by both former Governor Hugh Carey
and former Mayor Ed Koch. The Democrats said they endorsed Bloomberg,
a Republican, partly because of their distaste for the media mogul's
Democratic rival, Mark Green. (Daily
News)
Four aides to Mark Green met with top Brooklyn Democrats and
discussed strategies for highlighting Fernando Ferrer's link to
the Rev. Al Sharpton, a week before the Green-Ferrer mayoral runoff.
Several participants said the meeting focused on how to galvanize
Jewish voters for Green by highlighting Ferrer's relationship
to Sharpton, who is reviled by many Jews. (Daily
News)
11/1
In an interview with the New York Times, Republican mayoral candidate
Michael Bloomberg said that the financial crisis facing the city
is serious but can be managed and that private business, not government
aid, is key to how well New York weathers it. The Republican mayoral
hopeful stressed his experience as an entrepreneur. He said he
was surprised that he had been so harshly criticized for spending
millions of his own money to win the election and for some of
his verbal missteps. (New
York Times)
Attacks and endorsements continued to mark the mayoral campaign
yesterday. Michael Bloomberg attacked rival Mark Green for not
disclosing who is working for his campaign and reacted angrily
to charges surfacing about his response to an allegation of a
rape at his company a few years ago. Green, meanwhile, won the
support of Bronx Democratic leader Roberto Ramirez, who had been
key to the unsuccessful mayoral bid by Fernando Ferrer, and announced
he was borrowing $1 million to finance a last minute television
ad blitz. (New
York Times)
Michael Bloomberg has asked Bernard Kerik to remain on as police
commissioner if Bloomberg is elected mayor. Kerik had previously
said he would leave office when Mayor Rudolph Giuliani does, but
sources told the Post that he is "seriously leaning toward" accepting
the offer from Bloomberg. (New
York Post)
The Detectives' Endowment Association and two unions representing
Port Authority police yesterday announced their support for Mark
Green, giving the Democratic mayoral candidate the support of
virtually all the major uniformed law enforcement unions except
the one representing corrections officers. (Daily
News)
Michael Bloomberg has sent thousands of Hispanic voters a glossy
mailing featuring a picture of Bronx Borough President and unsuccessful
mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer. The leaflets have reportedly
angered aides to Ferrer, who fought a bitter runoff campaign with
Democratic mayoral candidate Mark Green but is now supporting
Green. (New
York Post)
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg strongly defended his decision
not to release to his complete tax returns, saying his opponents
had released their returns because "they don't make anything."
Bloomberg previously said that disclosing the exact dollar figures
in his tax return would jeopardize his privately held financial
communications firm. (Daily
News)
Michael Bloomberg has spent $41 million for his mayoral bid so
far, buying television advertising but also giving money and loaning
office space to political organizations that back his candidacy.
The outpouring of funds has alarmed some Democrats who say the
Democratic National Committee has been slow to spend money to
support Mark Green. But now, with a week to go before Election
Day, Green may finally be getting some help. (New
York Observer)
The highly competitive race for the City Council from the 32nd
District in Queens pits the son of a late U.S. representative
against a former City Council aide. (New
York Times)
October Campaign Trail