I’m a staunch Democrat, and the only time I voted for a Republican in what was then 41 years of voting was during de Blasio’s first run for mayor. The only time I never voted for either candidate running for an office was when de Blasio ran for reelection. I’m continually incredulous re: how atrocious he is….among other huge negatives, his *wife* seems to be running the city and that’s no compliment. Further, we’re paying an obscene amount of money for her staff and yet she’s not a city employee! I’m also disgusted that de Blasio goes to his gym in Park Slope on nearly a daily basis. Not only does that require the time and expense of a police escort, but he’s setting a horrible example of contributing to air pollution and it also wastes a significant amount of time that could be spent governing our city. Whoops, I nearly forgot; de Blasio can hardly ever be bothered to go to City Hall anymore, since he prefers working from home. Also; he's heavily indebted to multiple real estate developers, of which at least some have committed criminal conduct and it’s suspected that the mayor is somehow mixed up in all of that. Then, there’s the issue of de Blasio’s chronic/significant tardiness and his frequent habit of making excuses. I've known young children who have a higher level of honesty and maturity.
de Blasio is *dreaming* if he thinks he has a chance of becoming president. Meanwhile, I hope he doesn't do any more damage to NYC before his mayoralty ends.
141
@Susan L. Good points, all. Plus, he seems intent on destroying Brooklyn Heights, as we've known it.
32
@Susan L.
At the very least, I'd like to see less homeless on the streets, ditto 'poop' - a crack down on subway panhandling and better subway service.
9
Whether you believe de Blasio should/ should not run for President while Mayor of NYC is independent of whether he is qualified. Most past presidents held public office while on the campaign trail for the presidency. Many of today’s contenders hold a public office while they campaign. And many of us look for promotions while performing current responsibilities. Many of the concerns listed are also independent of the Public office of the Mayor alone. New Yorker City is the best and yes, can always be better. But no place can ever be perfect for everyone all the time.
6
@West Side 215 - I love NYC too (generally) but it will never be "the best" until it can figure out a way to keep it from being well-known around the world as a dirty, trashy, garbage strewn place. Shocking that this doesn't even seem to matter to residents, let alone city government. I live in Murray Hill, and the condition of the sidewalks and street corners is truly appalling...not at all befitting of a "world class" city. Where's the willpower to fix that?!
4
Admittedly, I didn't vote for him the first time, but even so, I just can't believe what a disaster he's been as mayor. He began by expending his political capital on a widely unpopular attempt to ban horses in Central Park, a minor issue at best; then, a needless squabble with Cuomo that has poisoned his relationship. It's all been downhill from there. There is such widespread despair at city agencies. The fish stinks from the head. What really bothers me is that he's heedless of Pharaoh's dream — to husband resources and money in the boom years to help in the inevitable downturn. He'll leave a mess for his poor successor.
99
@HKGuy You got it exactly right! (Unfortunately)
2
The only upside to de Blasio's remaining tenure is that, between now and the 2020 election, NYC is going to be a living and breathing case study for the national electorate for how dangerous and callow socialism – including and emphasizing democrat socialism – is to productive and competitive societies...
And for anyone who wants to yammer about how great socialism is in a few Scandinavian countries – let me ask you socialism experts one simple math probability question...
Do you think any new run at socialism in the US is going to end up looking more like something currently being practiced in a few:
> Ethnically very-homogeneous countries – each with more natural resources than California and fewer people than Long Island
> NYC boroughs, including a couple on Long Island – and the public school system for the entire city
Even if the mayor were far more competent and far less self-absorbed than he actually is, there are a half-dozen fiscal/adjacent time-bombs – from pensions to infrastructure to Indian Point shutdown to homeless/afflicted/addicted to K-12 outcome quality to residential condo price collapses in the outerboros – that are at least a coin-flip to go off during his remaining time in office...
6
DeBlasio and his wife Chirlane McCray have squandered hundreds of millions, possibly billions, the supposed mental health initiative Thrive being a prime example of their utter incompetence, neither of them should be allowed to hold office of any sort. NYC will be much better off once they are ejected from Gracie Mansion.
10
DeBlasios and Cuomos don't just happen people. We elect them. Again. And Again. Overwhelmingly. Last November we "HAD" to vote for a corrupt governor because we couldn't entrust our state to an actress. The New York Times told us so.
Same with the mayor--didn't fulfill nearly any promises, but hey--This time he means it. The Times will continue to tap its toe and wag its finger. We will continue to write excoriating comments. And DeBlasio will run and win again in 2+ years.
Really? We don't have an alternative to corruption and a lazy part-timer from among the City Council or borough presidents? Then shame on us. It's not as great a city as we pretend.
7
I thought joggers and the NY Road Runners Club run the city....
If the NYT Editorial Board means who is governing New York City, well at the moment a political clown with aspirations of higher office, must he must already be smoking marijuana that he wants to legalize.....
4
I was an avid supporter of his mayoral candidacy, but have been sorely disappointed during his terms. He's always had his eye on the next office, never fully inhabiting the one he was elected for and far too enamored with the real estate lobby. Just no.
8
The government of the Big Apple these last 2 terms are being by run the political the mechanism pulling the strings of the so-called progressive Democrats like de Blasio, making endless promises like fixing the heating problem in NYCHA owned properties, but fail to make good on few.
Sadly their are many voters how will believe the likes of such politicians, like all the other progressive Democrats running in 2020 Presidential Election and by November 2020 voters will know these candidates' "talk is cheap" with their empty promises.
It is amazing how in New York they cannot even decide to pass a law on paper or plastic bags....
3
It is gobsmacking that de Blasio lacks the basic self-awareness to figure out that the thought of a de Blasio presidential candidacy literally makes people burst into laughter.
For you out-of-towners, here's all you need to know about Bill de Blasio: When he first ran for mayor, one of his campaign promises was that he would ban the horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.
Well, he didn't. Not for lack of trying. But because he lost that fight. The "horse lobby" as you might expect is not among the strongest special interests in NYC. Even so, a newly-elected mayor with political capital to burn couldn't get it done. Since then de Blasio has gone on to lose fights against the NYPD, Uber and others. He is simply not one to win a fight.
And of course, his handling of New York Public Housing has been shameful, especially for a "progressive." And while he's not in charge of the MTA, the city's commuters sure could've used a strong bully pulpit advocating for our subways over the past few years. He's been practically a mute on the subject.
I cannot wait until he is out of office. He's not the fascist that Giuliani was, which is a good thing, but man, he's the most incompetent mayor we've had since I've been in NYC.
10
As a former longtime resident of New York, I cannot help but wonder what skills and expertise Mr. DeBlasio believes he has that are so unique to validate his presidential ambitions at a time when there are already more than enough Democratic hopefuls. His lackluster performance as mayor is certainly not what this country needs in the fight to restore credible government at the federal level.
4
After six years in office, DeBlasio's only signature accomplishment of relocating the carriage horses in Central Park, (after failing to ban them) should vault him to national acclaim and office.
That's if the horses can vote.
4
While the small rural cities are imploding, the large megalopoleis (new plural I learned today -trusting the Web!) are exploding.
Why not put a triumvirat of women (triumfeminate?) at the top for a change?
We all are "flying higher and higher" without net or proper training and, perhaps, we should re-acquaint ourselves with the Icarus legend, especially as Climate Change is warming up in the background.
De Blasio cannot properly run the affairs of the city. How can he possibly think he could win the Presidency?
4
I'm puzzled at the comments criticizing de Blasio for subway issues. Governor Cuomo controls the MTA. He is responsible for the state of our subways.
1
The city provides a substantial portion of mass transit funding from its budget, city residents, like those of the surrounding counties, pay add-on fees/taxes for everything from auto registrations to cell phone bills to support the MTA, city police patrol the subways and the mayor has been an advocate and bully pulpit for the subways add busses for what seems like an eternity.
3
If all the people de Blasio has added to the NYC payrolls since he became mayor, and their families, voted for him, then he might even be elected a 3rd time, if he could pull it off.
3
The top three Times Picks give it all the energy and speak truth to point. I totally agree, DeBlasio was handed a silver spoon, he just had to feel the top positions.
If he can't fill qualifying positions with people in NYC, how could he even think he could run for President. He's destroying (by neglect) what Bloomberg left as a clean, safer and more prosperous city.
He's allowing empty buildings to bring blight to the city like never before, he doesnt seem to have a handle on the vastness of the city, only allowing over development while not seeing the gem of a city he was handed to continuously improve.
Homelessness is increasing. People are leaving. His staff seems unprepared or rushed, unknowing when asking them pertinent questions.
Community Participation for projects should not be, when positions are allocated to do the work he's forcing the city to vote for in the discretionary spending. Things being paid for using these discretionary funds should be covered in capital sections of under-developed, utilized positions in the empty positions he's left unfilled. I feel with a closely qualified rather than leave empty.
2
This is why term limits are a bad idea. Potential Democratic opponents like Scott Stringer didn't run in 2017 since they figured that deBlasio would be out by 2021 and then there would be no incumbent. So diBlasio had only weak opposition for his 2nd run. As an aside, I believe that in the 2013 Democratic Primary, people voted for son Dante, but we got stuck with dad Bill.
3
de Blasio is a prime example of the fact that terminal narcissism and ineptitude are not limited to the godawful party of SCUMpf. He is an instructive warning to Democrats, Independents and fleeing Republicans to examine very carefully the multitude of self-enchanted, unrealistic, left-enchanted Democratic would-be Presidential candidates. The bottom line is expulsion of SCUMpf and investing hopes in the wrong candidate, with an agenda unacceptable to a national majority of voters and electoral college votes will destroy any chance of creating the very broad coalition of determined voters needed to do so.
3
Native Brooklynite but I have been on the west coast for 25 years--so if I'm too distant to be helpful, please move on.
That said, look at the fact that almost 20 people are now running for the Democratic nomination for President. And how many ran for NY Mayor in DeBlasio's first or second contest? He's the mayor you love to hate, and I understand why, but in an era where a young college grad could oust a longtime US Congressman from Queens, why oh why can't someone run for Mayor?
8
Were only non-performance of sworn duty a crime...
2
Billy needs to come back home and do the job he was overwhelmingly elected to do. We are sick and tired of these campaign stunts. He is not going anywhere in the polls and is mostly definitely not going to win the nomination, or even the New York primary. Enough.
6
Why does it matter? Politicians don’t run the city; business and real estate people do. If politicians were at all honest they would say so when they run for office. Yeah, you can elect me but I can’t do a darn thing about the homeless because I don’t own any land where I might put them. Can’t do much about anything else either.
5
@ JC
Any business person or real estate person who thinks that the current situation in nyc can continue is naive
I didn’t like Rudy but he correctly realized that crime and quality of life issues were destroying the city’s economy
4
The delusion that somehow DeBlasio is a good choice for national office is laughable. This is a man who took copious sums of cash in return for political favors. He names an anti-speeding initiative "vision zero", which is what he and his administration seem to have. And he says with a straight face that "affordability" in New York is a key goal of his. Only for Bill and his family is New York more affordable.
13
@ Jeff m
This communist lives in park slope
And has a net worth of 2.5
Million
5
In recent months I have seen many, many job postings from every major New York City government agency, and I have applied to many of them, even offering to volunteer my services (I am a NYC attorney) and I have not heard back from one of them.
I worked for the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement and the Commission to Combat Police Corruption, but since being fired for criticizing a shoddy investigation of police brutality involving tasering of a Black teenager in a precinct I have not been able to work in my field (government service).
In fact the NYC Department of Investigation used City resources to fight my unemployment insurance case (they lost). Instead of using City resources to provide cover for politicians who don't want to take on the tough issues, we should fill those ranks with people like me who want to work to improve our quality of life.
7
@ wbb
Your a whistleblower
Forget about government employment
Take your unemployment and go to Atlanta Miami Nashville Phoenix or San Diego and leave nyc behind
You deserve better
4
For your consideration:
- hundreds of millions lost to his not elected spouse;
- hundreds of millions lost at the housing authority;
- we don't hear anything anymore about the one time "greatest engineering" feat in the United States - the third and very needed water tunnel - that the mayor halted almost immediately upon taking office;
- the surplus left by Mayor Bloomberg that disappeared;
- the money that is coming from who knows where, currently being spent on television ads telling us what a great mayor we have;
Eight million (but falling fast) stories in the naked city - and no one asks how our city charter outlines the removal of this guy.
11
Expanding the #7 line, which allowed for the creation of Hudson Yards, was Bloomberg's idea. Like it or hate it, would you rather have useless rail yards that created no jobs and no tax revenue? This was the equivalent of Amazon.
Imagine de Blasio coming up with an idea like this. Not in a million years.
4
@ Erik
Now what a minute
The rail yards are MTA property and there are jobs there
You know as well as I do that Hudson yards wasn’t built without huge tax abatements
Finally the 7 ends at Hudson yards doesn’t connect to any other subway line and it’s obvious that it’s not going to New Jersey anytime soon
3
He is the one reason for the fall and decay of The Golden NYC of Guiliani/Bloomberg Eras.
If only the "New York"Times covered him the way they cover The President... the way the New York Post and New York Daily News does.
20
Will he even have enough support to qualify for the debates? Tulsi Gabbard passed the 65,000 donor threshold to qualify to appear at the primary debates-- does anyone think de Blasio will get there? That's roughly 1 in 100 NYC residents. I can't imagine a single one without some special interest donating to him.
6
Bloomberg left de Blasio a surplus that he went through in his 1st year as mayor.
de Blasio blew $800 million for his school renewal program and only 1/4 of schools showed minor improvements.
His" THRIVENYC" program spend $850 million and we don't know how effective the program is.
If de Blasio was elected President, the country would be in a depression after 6 months in office.
Like most progressive, he has ideas but don't know how to execute/implement them.
He is the worst NYC mayor in recent history since Dinkins.
26
@Richard I never in a million years thought i would ever see a worse Mayor Than Dinkins.
But if you live long enough youll see everything.
16
To say nothing of the mess he is making of education!
His plan to integrate less achieving student into the most challenging public schools is a nightmare.
These kids can never keep up with their much better prepared classmates who are among the brightest in the City.
Reverse discrimination of the highest order!
13
This comic editorial points out that De Blasio isn't doing his job very well. Actually, he's never done his job well, but it was the support of the NYT and other media which got him into office.
Egg on all their faces.
Tell me the name of a large American city which is well-run, not corrupt, has efficient transit, is not being bled white by the municipal unions, etc. I'm waiting....
14
@ sftaxpayer
Dallas
Houston
San Diego
Miami
Phoenix
3
Forgot to add Atlanta
2
@ el Barto
Forgot to add Nashville
1
DeBlasio inherited a strong city government after 12 years of Michael Bloomberg—and, the first term of Rudy Giuliani. Under DeBlasio, the city is dirtier, violent crime is up, and the city is losing the bonds of cohesion that developed especially after 9/11.
His plan to alter the successful admissions programs at the city’s elite high schools is a part of his effort to divide the city; and serves as a dagger aimed at the heart of the Asian American community—and other “first generation” immigrant communities. Indeed, if you look at the admissions patterns to these schools over the past 100 + years (Stuyvesant goes back to 1904), that has been their tradition of success. That is still true!! The African American students admitted to the incoming class at Stuyvesant, were also mostly first generation Americans whose parents came from Africa or the Caribbean.
He is the last person who should be running for President—an unsuccessful narcissist running against another from the same town.
77
@ REM
Look at the current crop of mayoral candidates
It’s going to take 20 years to fix this mess
Many feel that nyc is done
The sad part is that it didn’t have to happen
12
@REM
Violent crime in NYC is at historic lows:
https://www.amny.com/news/crime-stats-nyc-1.25268806
And just 7 out of 895 Stuyvesant offers for enrollment went to black students this year, which certainly indicates a racial issue with their admissions process:
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2019/03/22/de-blasio-segregation-specialized-high-schools-nyc/
5
@REM
Actually, there are patently significant differences between the two individuals: our president has accomplised some positive things for the nation.
5
I find it very depressing to think that a city as large and successful as NYC is so incredibly reliant on just one individual (Mayor) for the City to run well, or keep from running off the rails. What does this say about any huge organization that the removal of just one figure would cause the entire structure to lose performance effecting millions of people?
The problem isn't DeBlasio, the problem is that the City's government is set up to be overly dependent just one position (mayor) to run well. NYC is not Mayberry. NYC should be set up to even function well without a mayor if it had to.
5
Initially, was very hopeful about BDB.
Thought he would help protect neighborhoods from luxury real estate takeover (enabled by Bloomberg); ensure needed infrastructure (trash, transportation etc); and generally seek sensible functioning government.
In the beginning it seemed promising.
BDB appointed experienced commissioners, saved classic buildings that the NYPL was going to ruin, signed store-closed doors when air conditioning is on, initiated a study of traffic caused by Uber, etc.
But it started going downhill.
Disappointment has been transformed into anger.
Luxury real estate continues its tsunami takeover of NYC. Landlords rule - more buildings for billionaires, people pushed out, local stores closed and historic buildings destroyed.
The new "affordable" housing is hardly affordable and in any event much of it is time-limited (20-25 years depending on tax breaks)
There is garbage everywhere.
Transportation policy focused on bicycles instead of fighting for MTA bus and subway.
Current DOE chancellor problematic.
And much more.
Understand that running NYC is complicated and few easy solutions.
But seems that BDB has sold out...
12
@LS
How do you know a politician is lying?
His / Her lips are moving.
They will say anything to get elected. dB sold out long ago.
6
@LS
Why do you think there has been all the emphasis on bikes and bike lanes?
It’s a backhanded way to squeeze yet more $$ from drivers
@LS
The only job that bdb has ever had was being spokesman for the Sandinistas in the 1979
War in Nicaragua
1
Another of the many signs of our times, as big business, big banks and big governments harm the American people.
5
Mayor De Blasio can't possibly be considering a run for president. How would he get to the Park Slope Y for his daily workout?
13
I’m always leery of people who change their name. Call them what you want, but a bum is still a bum.
9
@Len319
So true. Warren Wilhelm? But presto chango Bill de Blasio and you're in like Flynn.
9
@Len319 He made up some story about his father being a dead beat, so he changed his last name to his mother's maiden name.
Don't know how he got from Warren to Bill. Anybody know?
6
Let's not forget he was a progressive pick. They seem to not care whether someone is able to actually deliver when they vote for someone. Adherence to ideology seems much more important to them.
13
@AACNY
Somehow the same can be said about Republicans who still haven't managed to deliver a viable alternative to the Affordable Health Care Act....Oh, and that wall.
3
Why is everybody complaining about DeBlasio? He wants a Green New Deal for NY. He has made NY the premier sanctuary city, offering free college education for illegal immigrants. If he hadn't, California might have cornered the market on illegal immigrants. His co-mayor, Mayor McCray, has led a successful $1 billion mental health initiative. Subways have never been better and he kept NYC from getting bullied by large corporations like Amazon. NYC never had it so good!
11
Why did nobody consider Nicole Malliotakis a positive candidate? Yes, she's young, but she had ideas, energy and ambition to do some good in this city. Oh, right, a Republican vote is a wasted vote here. To all you deBlasio voters, all I can say is 'elections have consequences'.
6
@ kareema
Because in nyc the Republican Party is dead and in the rest of ny state it’s on life support
@Kareena
Or Quinn? New Yorker's like to say they're liberal but when it really counts they're so predictable, but not in a good way.
3
@ Kareena
She voted with and for trump on many issues
He reminds me of a hard core Marxist professor that the university I attended, for some strange reason hired to teach some business school classes. Her lectures never had anything to do with the curriculum, and were largely devoted to continuous commentary that she was a have not when she was a child and that society should re-distribute wealth to eliminate any similar situations. The take away was that she wasn't doing her job, she pontificated to the class about her personal pet peeves and didn't cover the required testable material in the curriculum. A large percentage of the class didn't learn anything about the subject and ended up with poor grades or failed (some with street smarts knew better and independently did the work instead of getting taken in by the rap). Why the long tale? It is a perfect analogy to the way de Blasio manages NYC. If he was employed by a private business and delivered the kind of performance that he has, he would have been fired before the end of year one.
11
@Kevin
Let's face it, more than half our politicians wouldn't last a day in the private sector. Three day work weeks? Endless days off. I mean seriously those who don't want to work go into public service. Then they retire as millionaires with us footing the bill for their pensions and healthcare. Who has it better than a politician?
7
DeBlasio is showing his "true colors". Not actively engaged in the running of the City. Yet has plenty of time to explore his next ambition of being POTUS. Not a resume highlight with the voters in NYC.
12
We don't know if the mayor will read these comments, 95%+ of which are negative and/or downright hostile.
But if he does, they will have zero impact. Just shrug it off, get in the 3-limo escort to the Park Slope Y, be late for meetings, avoid City Hall, and just keep doing what he has been doing, which is not much.
16
Tell the Mayor to forget his delusions and tend to the greatest city in the world and try to end his childish spat with the Governor where both act like children. If you want to run for President resign as Mayor - NYC needs a full time person - besides you don’t have a chance and either way you won’t be on the ticket.
15
As an avid - maybe rabid - Democrat, I cannot wait for de Blasio to leave office. He has not been the mayor NYC needs and deserves. I'd even vote for a Republican* in the next election if he were to run again.
*Not a Trumpian Republican but one of the old mold who can be of service to NYC.
15
@ mike
The old days of fiscally conservative socially liberal republicans are gone and never coming back
1
deBlasio is, and has been, a worthless mayor. Name 5 things he's done that make the city better for everyone. Go ahead... He's in the pockets of everyone from builders to the Orthodox Jewish Rebbes, and the hansome cabs are still on Central Park South.
Had Bloomberg not done such a good job in his tenure at fixing the city and attracting business, we'd be a mess right now. Abe Beame, David Dinkins,...these are the names that come to mind to be grouped with deBlasio. Can't wait until he's gone.
16
@alocksley
Bloomie sold out New Yorkers to his developer friends. And dB was there to follow suit. Gladly.
3
Being black is not a skill and being white is not an achievement. You can insert whatever other identity markers you want in there. Who you are doesn't equal what you know and can do.
I will never again vote or support anybody who uses identity as a credential seeking elected office. Dedication, consistency, intelligence , skills, a good work ethic, knowledge and experience should the necessary qualifiers when running for office. This should also apply for other aspects of our life and society at large.
Case in point Mayor Bill De Blasio. Has who he is, or who his spouse or his children are, translated into an able administration or good governance? I think not.
This is something many avoid discussing or acknowledging, lest they be branded not morally pure or "woke" enough.
Virtue signalling is not a strategy to run on...
13
@loco73 Interesting that you focus on his multiracial family rather than his effectiveness in office. I guess it was gnawing at you all this time.
Interesting that you read what I posted and that is the conclusion you reached. Says more about what you are focused on.
10
I really hope the pendulum swings the other way with the next mayor. I am not registered with any political party and nearly always vote Democrat for president and congress, but at the local level I am more likely to vote Republican and I chose Lhota. I can't stand the social engineering with the public schools and the demonization of the police which has led to an overall decline in quality of life and order in the streets. An influx of homeless and drug addicts; an exodus of 40,000 New Yorkers to the 'burbs and beyond. Sounds like the 1970s all over again. New Yorkers don't like him as mayor and he has zero chance as president.
16
@ mn
Lhota was not an alternative
A nasty arrogant white ethnic masquerading as a technocrat
Look at what he did at the MTA ( sarcasm) he resigned before he could be fired and then returned to investment banking
2
As I recall it, candidate de Blasio was extolled on these very pages as he who would save the city. You should at least acknowledge your grave error.
24
Without active, committed leadership, this city has no hope of solving major issues that require coordination across departments.
For example, the alarming (and growing) loss of retail across the city and the resulting empty storefronts. This needs to be attacked on multiple levels, from commercial tax laws to building permits to sanitation regulations to labor rules.
It's a crisis that needs immediate and public attention from the mayor, but we hear nothing from him.
If he thinks he'll get my vote to let him take on national problems like healthcare and infrastructure that require even more complex management, fuggetaboutit.
14
@Elizabeth A
Alot of those empty storefronts are due to the greed by the landlords forcing long time occupants out. I detest the guy but you can't blame him for that. He's a hack, always was always will be. I'm sure many complaining about the guy voted fro him. Hope they're happy with that choice. He's a liberal/Dem version of Bone Spurs. What a joke.
7
@Margo Channing But if our tax laws incentivize landlords to leave storefronts vacant, then it IS a problem he can take action on. And many tenants cite factors beyond rent: signage and sanitation issues, for example. Sometimes it's the accumulation of small hits to the bottom line that force a shop owner to give up and shut down.
6
@ Elizabeth A
As much as I’d like to blame bdb
A lot of the problem is amazon and chain stores
If memory serves, the NYT enthusiastically endorsed his candidacy both times. Maybe this should be a wake-up call to you, dear Editorial Board, that substance is perhaps more important than empty posturing and identity politics.
30
Who runs NY?
The real estate industry.
14
Filthy streets, homeless people laying on the sidewalks, a constant increase in "fees, permits, penalties..." that continue to burden the working people, unacceptable public transportation problems, continued problematic schools...let him become president and you will get a two-for-one: he'll destroy the Democratic Party and the country, both at the same time.
22
Daily round trip to Brooklyn to work out? The Tale of Two Boroughs!
Running for President? Fugetaboutit!
11
It is remarkable New Yorkers voted this man in for a second term.
17
@Charlie
It was astonishing they voted for him at all, had they done their homework thy would have figured out he was a lightweight from day one.
4
Based on his approach to the post of mayor, I would expect a President DiBlasio to careless and sloppy, finding himself in similar messes to Bill Clinton's Travelgate.
5
We miss Mayor Bloomberg. De Blasio is a disaster. He is as capable progressive mayor as Trump is a patriotic president.
26
Christine Quinn would have done a much better job. But before Trump vs Hillary, New Yorkers decided they didn't want a woman with experience who was a bit caustic and instead decided to go with the guy who had little experience. How did that work out?
10
Big cities tend to have big problems. New York (city) tends to be compared to places like London, Paris, etc and come off very badly in the comparison , but they are capitols of their nations and NYC isn't ... it isn't even the capitol of its state.
Fairer comparisons are LA, Chicago, Houston ... and they all have big problems too.
Mayors of all of these big cities tend to have a run and then be booted out and reviled because they are unable to wave magic wands and fix big problems for ungovernable constituencies.
Can you think of a Mayor of one of those cities who got out with reputation intact? Bloomberg is the only one who comes to my mind.
All that being said, I agree that de Blasio is looking increasingly light-weight and the idea that he could get nominated for the Presidency is just plain delusional.
But NYC's big problems are all 800 lb gorillas. Take the jails problem: the decision to close Ryker's Island creates the nightmare of siting, building, and manning prisons in each borough ... why would anybody think that would be easy? Or guaranteed to succeed?
Transportation has become a nightmare; why is anyone surprised?
Public housing may be the worst problem -- you want to take that on? What's your solution?
25
@Lee Harrison. Plus, in addition to fixing all the 800 lb gorilla problems, the mayor must make the city affordable for everyone as well.
2
@Lee Harrison as the Daughter of a Police Officer, My Father taught me to be very afraid and avoid eye contact with the Mayor at all costs.
2
@Lee Harrison Houston largely likes Annise Parker, even though her subpoena of sermons was incredibly idiotic and wrong. She hit her term limit and now we got, ugh, Sylvester Turner.
2
Is this a joke? The City is running, but there is no one in charge. We have an arrogant, incompetent, corrupt mayor with astounding visions of grandeur. A permanent absence would be just fine.
14
Wasn't this person elected into office by everyone on this board?
10
Calling Mayor Pete to the rescue!!!! Seriously! This smart young man could teach Bill a thing or two cause he's done a thing or two, or 1000+.
He mentored the Mayor of Austin for 5 years and he now supports Pete's candidacy. That's how you do it Bill!
3
De Blasio is a disgrace.
15
I just watched De Blasio on "Morning Joe" discussing NYC's Green Project. The appearance was obviously for the purpose of getting face time preceding his announcement to enter the Democratic primary. Previous NYC Mayors (John Lindsay, Rudy Guiliani) who thought they should be President ended up on the electoral scrap heap.
6
Let's be honest...Bill De Blasio has been a disappointment as Mayor of New York City. The promise he came with into office has been largely misspent and remains unfulfilled. Worse, over the past few months he has been missing in action, an empty suit, as he has espoused ambition for higher office.
This could have not come at a more inopportune and auspicious time, as New York is facing ever increasing challenges (not that those ever really went away) in terms of a resurgent crime level, a public transit crisis, lack of affordable housing, increasing inequality and distribution of wealth and resources, lack of stable and gainful employment.
Add to that an overburdened almost to the breaking point shelter system accompanied by an increase in homelessness, a loosing battle with mental health, addiction/overdosing deaths (opioid epidemic in full swing).
Bill De Blasio's rhetoric and above mentioned potential never really matched with his ability to actually govern and lead. He came in with much promise, but as is the case with so many leaders these days, he and his administration didn't live up to the hype.
De Blasio is also a case-in-study of what happens when an elected official, especially a progressive one, choses to focus on identity politics and satisfying every group he tried to cater to, instead of focusing on ideas and solutions meant to help all.
30
Bill de Blasio is seriously considering a presidential run? I thought that was a joke. Like an SNL skit or something.
Anyway, I'll admit good help is hard to find. The hiring process for government work in particular is tedious even for low paying positions. Many of the positions are laughably low paying too. Then you have de Blasio himself.
Not many people want to make the effort to step into dysfunctional city offices when they don't see a future with de Blasio. Trump suffers from the same problem in his administration. No one worth hiring wants the job.
That makes formal procedures like confirmations perilous and time consuming. Trump and de Blasio clearly don't want to bother with effort either. However, it's a disturbing trend to witness politicians shirking the responsibility altogether. There's not even an appearance of effort.
And yet, they expect to be reelected or even promoted for ignoring important aspects of their jobs. They should both be headed to the unemployment line or worse. I hope voters help send them there and quickly.
15
I wouldn’t entirely blame the Mayor. It is hard to find good people who want to work for the relatively speaking piddling salaries that Public Sector Agency Commissioners receive. For example, the Commissioner of DOITT, (Information and Technology) receives $225,000. What would that person make working for Google, Amazon, or Apple? Add a zero or two. The Uniformed Agencies are different as those heads usually come up through the ranks. But how do you even find a decent place to live? There was a story about a Commissioner that was recruited from a southern State who lived in what we would call a mansion. The best he afford here was some semidetached house way out in Queens.
26
"The best he afford here was some semidetached house way out in Queens."
And what is wrong with that?
Perhaps more commissioners need to reside in the boroughs and see what the majority of New Yorkers must put up with.
21
@Patrick
$225K? Where do I sign up?!
20
@Patrick Give me that "piddling" $225,000, and I'll show you my unending work ethic, something the mayor lacks.
11
Very frustrating. As someone who would like to see a strong, forward-looking leader run the city, de Blasio seems to have so little interest in the basic mechanics of governing. And it shows. The city's streets are as dirty as any time in the past 20 years; he's made little effort to press Albany on fixing the subways; developers are given carte blanche to build however they please; and he's put forward a disastrous plan for building a six-lane highway on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
The latter plan especially shows that de Blasio is either unable or unwilling to put forward a single modern solution for the city's creaking infrastructure. And without functioning agencies that can shepherd through big projects, things will continue to go from bad to worse.
164
@Brian if only we could impeach
2
@Brian This is an In The Field Real Life test case showing how a more Progressive Government would work in the real world outside of a Text Book
4
@Brian I agree. Streets are dirtier than many years past. Why does he constantly fight with Gov. There must be better way to handle that problem than fighting all the time.
2
Mayor de Blasio has been a disaster for the lower and middle class of our city. I was an avid supporter during his first run for Mayor. He pretended to be a populist fighting for the little guys, with a particular emphasis on affordable housing. Ha!
182
De Blasio hasn't any hope of running for President. Nor should he. He has a record of doing the minimum of work, with no new ideas at all to initiate. i voted for him twice. i felt I had to.
I think there's a psychological problem which is subtle but definitely there. At first I thought he was just a typical sash and tiara politician, "Look at me I won a contest!"
But it's grown worse. That was just narcissism. Now he's delusional. He appears not to recognize he took a job at all and thinks he was elected "Role Model in Chief". As if simply being a likable multi-cultural dad from Park Slope were enough to make him not only a great mayor but now President.
Those around him need to take the gloves off. He needs to wake up to the fact that being a nice guy doesn't make him a good leader — it's simply not enough, worse still, it invites disaster in a place so complicated in which so many citizens lead delicate lives of balance depend upon the proper functioning of the state.
265
@Arthur That is one of the best comments I have ever read
15
@Arthur
[[As if simply being a likable multi-cultural dad from Park Slope were enough to make him not only a great mayor but now President.]]
God bless you. You've summed it up perfectly.
34
@Arthur
I don't find him all that likable.
24
Our no-show, do-nothing mayor. Gets to the office in the late morning after his police security detail drive him from the East 80s to Park Slope in Brooklyn for his daily workout and back to Manhattan. Says he runs the city by phone when he's away. Negative editorials don't faze him. Very low poll numbers. He simply doesn't care. Thinks he's a national-level "progressive." Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren would eat him alive. I wish he would resign and go away. The Governor can call for a special election.
318
@Tom This comment is the perfect follow up to this editorial. A do-nothing mayor who wants to play presidential candidate. Gimme a break.
19
@Tom...and what about deBlasio's wife who's been given a $250 million mental health dept to manage...first, it's outright nepotism - but one really wonders if she has the background to handle such big program..
38
@Cathy
Not quite accurate about the insane ThriveNYC program that Ms. de Blasio 'runs'.. Not $250 million...It's $1 BILLION spent over the past 3-1/2 years!
And has mental illness treatment in the city improved? Walk the streets or take the subway and you'll see....a complete disaster and both de Blasio's have no answers as to its effectiveness.
32
Some Progressive! He did not even endorse Bernie Sanders in 2016.
8
Look at the number of homeless in the city. There are more homeless lining streets in Union Square and Upper West Side than any other time before. Indeed, who is running NYC City?
13
I moved from NYC 10 years ago to Miami. I cannot tell if NYC has changed or if my tolerance of things has diminished. When I return to the city, homeless people seem to abound, subways are crowded with people defecting and urinating, traffic seems worse, the smell of pot is everywhere, taxes are higher, traffic worse. It’s no longer up to me as a voter to determine whether this administration is improving the city but my (subjective view) is that it is a city in decline. Somehow the Bloomberg years see like Camelot
23
@Chris
I suspect John Lindsay would have approved of deBlasio's way of governing. They are cut from the same cloth.
Real Estate lackey Bill de Blasio has been a failure as a mayor and will be a failure as a presidential candidate- unless perhaps, if he runs on the Republican ticket.
Let's consider: NYC has a rising homeless population. Mr. De Blasio presides over the most segregated school system in the country. Crime in the city is up. Income disparity in NYC is wider than in any other city in North America. His "Broken Windows" policy disproportionately targets the poor and people of color.
Mr. de Blasio is a mayor that would make Donald Trump proud.
6
I miss Bloomberg. He had the wisdom and humility not to run for President even though he would have done a better job than most. Maybe we can have him back as mayor.
35
@Sandi - Yes, come back Mike!
1
President? Doesn't first have to figure out how to be an effective mayor?
16
The city is filthy. I am asked for money on every subway ride at least once, and frequently in the street (I give it often because I know the situation, but still it's a terrible sign). I am embarrassed when I look at the city through tourists' eyes. Boarding an Amtrak train in chaotic Penn Station, after having ridden in the filthy subways, I spoke to a woman from Boston. I told her I grew up here and the city hasn't looked this bad since the 70s. It's our own version of letting Notre Dame fall apart. Our wonderful city looks horrible and desperately needs someone to take care of it as it should be taken care of. Chaotic construction sites on every sidewalk that often look unsafe, causing pedestrians to constantly cross the street. Everyone I encounter seems demoralized. If ever there was time for new mayoral leadership to emerge, from either party, it is now. It just needs to be someone qualified to run the complex organism that is New York City and who wants to do that very job.
I think we have often had Republican mayors because this is not an ideological job--it's really a managerial one. I always thought it was a mistake that people privileged Di Blasio's ideology over his managerial experience.
35
I am curious, has this man ever worked in the private sector? Does he have any idea what it takes to run a city like NYC?
This man is going on a "national tour to trumpet his accomplishments and proposals."
This is the man who went to Germany to berate the office of the presidency immediately after one of NYC"S Finest, a policewoman, was murdered.
This is a man touting what he has accomplished.
Let's see: a crumbling city infrastructure, a hobbled subway system, lawsuits against him that, once again, the constituents must pay. Prosecutions and indictments of those all around him. His 2 SUV's that he needs to get him to his gym in Brooklyn? (There is so much more. But, why bother.)
According to The Wealth Record "Bill de Blasio has a net worth of over $2.5 million. The wealth has been created in his career as a politician."
Then, as the NYT suggested "he cast himself as an aspiring Robin Hood".
Maybe he is testing the marijuana before legalizing it.
It is apparent that it is NOT Bill de Blasio, who is running this city. He is in it for the money.
17
@ bsb
He has NEVER had a real job
2
I for one am not listening to all of this negative talk about Bill De Blasio.
I want him to run.
I will make my own decision based on his campaign performance.
He couldn't possibly be worse than the current New Yorker in the White House.
1
de Blasio should just stay here and try to run the city. I would give him a D as mayor as I believe he has lost interest in the job and is just biding time. As for president, if that is his plan he is just kidding himself and wasting money. For that I give him 0% chance if winning.
10
@Thomas Renner
If he's lost interest then he should do the right thing and step down instead of stealing from the public by way of his salary. Let somebody else do the job, and he should take his wife off the payroll as well. Let's see how far he'd get in the private sector. I'd give him 10 minutes.
3
@ Margo Channing
Ha I’d give him 5
My boss said he’s a useless commie pinko am wondering if he isn’t wrong
Two decades of progress squandered by this administration. I take the L train everyday. Rampant fare evasion, graffiti that was a rare site now returning, aggressive panhandlers and homeless making whole subway cars unusable and for this privilege weve had taxes and fees go through the roof! What has happened to this city? I am going to come out and say it. I am voting Republican next election. I have had enough!
13
A CEO who left this percentage of C-suite roles unfilled, with key personnel wearing multiple hats and running functions about which they know little to nothing would be FIRED!!!! So, we should be just as incensed by deB as we are by Trump - no one is above the requirements of good governance. These jobs serve at the pleasure and will of the people, who generally get what they deserve. Let's be more "discriminating" the next time around, shall we?
9
Do not compare de Blasio to Trump. Trump delivers despite everything. De Blasio barely shows up.
10
@AACNY
Yes. Trump delivers everything to the über-wealthy and corporate elite.
6
@N. Smith
Much like deBlasio, he sold out New Yorkers to his developer donors, quality of life at near zero. Lindsay would be proud.
@Margo Channing
Sorry. Lindsay was before my time -- But Bloomberg sold out New Yorkers to his mega-rich developer friends too....And we're still paying for it.
When it comes down to this comment board de Blasio is batting 1.000, every single comment is critical or highly critical of this do nothing know nothing worst mayor in my lifetime so called progressive. Affordable housing, homelessness, education, Thrive, and his Vison Zero initiative are either a failure or show modest results.
Zero vision is more like it.
16
New Yorkers have the Mayor they deserve. They elected him twice.
17
@ matt
He had no serious competition
Lhota the first time
Nicky the second
Betrayer of the middle class working families. He sold out NY to real estate moguls under the guise of affordable housing. There is no planning for infrastructure, schools while Brooklyn, Queens are being over developed.
Keep your eyes peeled on his funders.
10
I'd like the have a recall election.
8
DeBlasio spends approximately three hours working out at the Prospect Park YMCA every morning. Taxpayers pay for half a dozen security officers (minimum) to idle, wait, and then hover around the premises for even longer so that DeBlasio can sweep in and camp out for the morning, inconveniencing us working folks. He definitely has the time to identify talent to lead our city. It's not a surprise to discover in this article that he also lacks follow-through and responsible leadership. It's outrageous and audacious, and I can't believe the NY Times doesn't report on it.
18
I've lived long enough to see a second criminal President and a second Mayor run for President. All of these stories had or will have unhappy endings.
1
Trump and DeBlasio are two sides of the same coin - nefarious, lazy, cynical etc. etc. Their current political positions are strictly viewed by them as vehicles to advance their "brands" and accumulate personal $.
10
Don't worry the city run's itself. Hey, there must be employment stipulation of NYC Pols in office: Running for an office other than in NYC, resign from office. PERIOD.
4
Based on the shenanigans with inappropriate high rises being given exemptions and public subsidies, the question is whose money is running the city. It is not just the Trump administration that is corrupt and divorced from the public interest.
5
His "Wokeness" will go down as one of the worst mayors in NYC's history. He can claim success for: angering subway commuters in failing to make serious progress with repairs and maintenance; alienating the Police Department, attempting (maybe succeeding) in lowering entry requirements for the top City schools so his wife will see how "progressive" her husband is as diversity takes a back seat to competence; allowing realtors to run amuck and destroy the skyline with 60 story pencil buildings that will make NYC look like a set from "Blade Runner"; etc., etc., etc.
In sum, he is a nauseating, pontificating failure who should do himself, and the rest of the country, a big favor: forget the campaign trail and try to salvage something positive to point to with the remainder of his term.
30
@Jon well-said, spot on.
3
de Blasio has as much chance of being nominated for President as the Moon leaving Earth's orbit next week. His mayoralty has been "meh" at best, and now he's "running for President"? He doesn't even make low end of the "B" team list for the vice-presidency. What is it with these people?
12
The fault lies, firstly with New York voters including the Editorial board that recommended him over his opponents both in the primary and the general. Secondly, with prosecutors like Bharara who gave him a free pass on corruption
15
Welcome to our world. New Jersey experienced the same phenomenon when Chris Christie made his run. To paraphrase the Asbury Park Press, NYC is already deBlasio's rear view mirror. Alas, the only advice we can give you is to beware of GWB closures and empty beaches.
3
Can we get Bloomberg back as a mayor, please? Pretty please?
14
So how do NYC residents now compare deBlasio to Bloomberg?
2
@TDurk
No comparison - Bloomberg actually got things done
9
@TDurk Bloomberg was terrific and he would make a terrific president. There is no comparison.
6
@mn
Bloomberg also helped himself to a third term without so much as a Referendum.
Democracy seems to be on the losing side these days.
2
DeBlasio is the second mayor in a row that goes to a Yankees game to root for the Red Sox. Go New York!
3
It's taken The Times this long to recognize DeBlasio for what he is a do nothing liberal political hack?
He spent more time trying to remove carriage horses from the city, so his real estate buddies could buy the property than governing.
He's been a disaster from day 1. We should all be grateful his term is almost up. Bloomberg left the city in a strong economic position.
De Blasio gave away the shop in concessions to labor, not to mention the $300 million plus squandered on his wife's idea of mental health assistance. He has zero national presence beyond the rest of the country wondering how he even got elected.
21
Third Generation New Yorker here. Allow me to introduce you folks on the campaign trail to our mayor, Bill de Blasio; a bumbling, lazy, narcissist whose ineptitude and cluelessness know no bounds. An utterly corrupt hack who somehow escaped prosecution for a notorious "pay to play" political machine where he used a foundation he kept at arms length as a personal piggy bank. This corruption has continued throughout his run, most recently bubbling up when it was revealed he was allowing slumlords direct access to his homeless housing program and allowing them to significantly overvalue the value of their buildings which he authorized the city to purchase as "pay back" for their support. This Mayor personally solicited large donations from developers and others who had pending or soon-to-be-pending business with his office. The man has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in my lifetime yet he somehow considers himself ready for prime time. The man has never found a battle, no matter how small, he could not lose. The most recent catastrophe was his total bungling of the Amazon HQ2 relocation which could have provide 25,000 high paying jobs and over 18 Billion to city coffers. After expending considerable effort wooing them with over 3 Billion in tax incentive, this fool then felt he could shake down Amazon and force neutrality on them in regards to Unionization telling his cronies "don't worry, Amazon will come around" Well, they didn't come around. They went away.
15
Quality of life in NYC is on the decline at an alarming rate and improvement is nowhere in site. The Mayor is far too entwined with developers and big money. His tale of two cities is now a very bad joke. The city needs help not a Mayor trying to establish a national presence.
11
1% is running New York always have always will
1
Who's running New York? City Council speaker Corey Johnson. And the city is far better off for it.
2
What on earth makes De Blasio think he has a chance at the presidency?
5
But how 'bout that whatchmacallit at Hudson Yards!
2
@ thebigmancat
It looks like something out of Dubai or Singapore is only for the ultra rich and at the end of the day is nothing more than a mall and climbing tower
No thanks
1
NYCHA is an example of this so called Mayor's leadership style.rats frolic on
the stoves where human beings prepare
their food, children play in courtyards
filled with refuse and needles( I live less
than two blocks away from one of these
God awful projects and have seen what
I am describing. President! really?
I wouldn't elect him city dog catcher.
9
There is one Person/Subject that both Donald Trump and Hilllary Clinton agree that America is better off without.
This corrupt, ineffective disaster of a Mayor
8
We don't need to run for president. We don't want him
2
This man, elected twice by a small minority of the city's eligible voters, is an incompetent narcissist. The worst mayor we have ever had. Compared to him, Lindsay was fiscally responsible and Dinkins was an an effective manager. Every time an issue arises, it's someone else's fault. Always. Has he ever taken responsibility for mistakes? The Post ran an editorial yesterday asking why the mayor ducks questions about his administration's utter lack of ethics. It's pay to play with Bill de Blasio. I hope he throws hit hat in the ring for the Democratic nomination. Let the rest of the country see what New York City has been saddled with since 2014.
10
Given his pick for NYC school chancellor – folks would've been a lot better off if he'd left that job vacant, too...
11
Good answer?
"No one."
Please, please resign, Mr. de Blasio, and let the city be run by someone who actually cares.
12
If you look at the jobs that are unfilled they are all "lighting rod" jobs -- the kind that end up leaving whoever is foolish enough to take job a smoldering pile of destruction.
3
"Do-Nothing" DeBlasio tries to be all things to all people and in reality he's nothing to anyone. I can't even stand the sight of the man anymore, what with so many things that he SHOULD be doing and that he's PAID to do but cares nothing about. Homelessness, Riker's Island, NYCHA - the list is endless and yet he pretends to care when he puts on his "mayor face" and his little cap and talks "tough". What a laughing stock the man is, he who was elected to govern the city and doesn't care one iota about getting the job done correctly. The man is a total loser, if ever there was one and the sooner he goes back to Park Slope, the sooner we'll stop paying for his police escort to take him from Gracie Mansion to his favorite health club on those days when he's actually in town.
9
@ManhattanWilliam my sentiments exactly.
2
Meanwhile, we're riding the most disgusting anti-hygienic subway in any civilized country.
And this is NYC.
Enough said.
11
He is the worst Mayor of my lifetime and we have to get more involved as voters to stop total incompetents like DiBlasio from getting elected in low turnout elections.
That he has the delusions to think after doing a terrible job as Mayor he can run for President only adds to our current national nightmare. He travels the country saying "progressive" ten times a minute and thinks that qualifies him to run for President. I am sorry but he is AWFUL
10
@Zenster
Low voting turnouts are a result of New York being a one-party (Democrat) town.....folks don't feel the need to turnout because their are few alternatives....so in the end they get what their ideology allows them to have...
5
DiBlasio is a perpetually unfinished person. His odd personal history (note his father's suicide which is never mentioned despite how he and his wife pop and shine about mental wellness), his decision to change his name, is connected with an unfounded egoism that rises to Narcissism.
His head is so gassed up with delusions of grandeur that he presses on with a manic pursuit of higher office while City government becomes more and more unwound.
Like clowns at a village festival, he and his wife wear costumes of a King and Queen at events like Halloween and the annual Coney Island Mermaid parade.
They wave off questions of how they squandered a billion dollars on a mental health initiative with no metrics, and no provable results.
He is the lapdog of Big Real Estate, and chases after the approval of the NYPD like an eager puppy. No credibility left.
If he resigned tomorrow it would have no negative impact on the City.
12
De Blasio is the guy the NYT endorsed. Now they are complaining.
The rest of us have been complaining for years of his and his wife’s excessive spending and little in the way of accomplishments. Now he thinks he has a chance to be President. The guy is completely out of touch.
11
Much as I would enjoy piling on with the rest of you, the fact is that he is a mediocre mayor of an ungovernable city filled with people who are never satisfied.
4
Worst mayor in living memory.
11
Another egomaniac!
2
NYT did not hold BdB accountable when he was running for mayor, a man with a nonexistent track record. He is an arrogant moralist with dubious integrity who, on countless issues from campaign finance to the environment, exemplifies, 'do as I say, not as I do.'
15
Worst Mayor in NYC history.
7
I am ashamed of my fellow New Yorkers for electing this self-serving bozo twice. He has not shown an ounce of caring aside from the initial kindergarten for 4 year olds which was almost a fait accompli anyway. From his first real estate interest backed attack on the Central Park horses, he has been nothing but self serving interest in promoting his family's interests, as if we actually care about Chirlane. He is an appalling waste of space. He keeps All About Al Charleton close at all times. Look at the architectural mess NYC has turned into under his control. Blame his supporters too who now run for cover and distance. What a disgrace.
12
Being from NJ maybe I shouldn't comment, but this guy bugs me to no end ... He just doesn't care about being mayor of NYC.
10
If De Blasio really wants to run for President of the United States, he should understand that this manner of running one of the world's major cities will not inspire confidence. Also, it will give any and all opponents he would face plenty of ammunition. This is just plain stupid.
3
@Rudy Flameng
Perhaps you haven't noticed, but we've already got "just plain stupid" in the White House.
2
De Blasio = Trump of the Left
4
Maybe a recall petition would snap him out of this idiocy?
3
de Blasio was elected Mayor despite having any substantial top level administrative experience. Usually people learn on the job, but now in his second term, his executive abilities have actually declined. So at this point it’s simply flat-out incompetence, coupled with deep personal denial about the extent of his capabilities.
22
At a holiday Seder this past weekend I almost choked on my brisket while hearing two recently retired NYC teachers wax on how wonderful he is. A little gentle probing revealed that their opinion is based almost entirely on the fact that once in office he gave them a cushy contract, with minimal concessions and including retroactive raises that positively impacted their already generous pensions. Something Bloomberg had resisted for three years.
Oh and icing on the cake: he installed Carmen Farina as Schools Chancellor and wasn’t Christine Quinn, who had supporting the closing of St Vincent’s.
19
Who's running New York City? Good question indeed.
But regardless of how many positions are still vacant under Bill de Blasio, and how absent from the record he is himself, my best guess is that big money and real estate interests run New York City, because they're the only ones thriving as everyone else has to dig a little deeper in their pockets just to get on a bus or a train.
And speaking of the bus and train, the city doesn't even run them either.
21
With all the policy and procedure of city jobs, how exactly is the head of OEM working months after he was fired?
In my experience in the private sector, when we terminate someone's employment, we stop paying them and don't let them keep wearing their uniform.
Isn't there even more liability in having a head of the OEM who was fired (for mishandling an emergency) than one who is an acting one?
6
How does the Chief Integration Officer of schools have a budget of $24 billion?
11
@Dan That is the estimated budget for the Department of Education.
1
As an upstater i'm somewhat of an anomaly; I love NYC. It is disturbing to watch the slow motion decline under the most incompetent big city Mayor in America. Upstate residents should also be concerned because of the vital role NYC plays in the state's economy. His run for President exemplifies the old adage; "a mans reach should not exceed his grasp"
60
@vdicerbo
See also Peer Principle. He defines it.
Would that every city had a media outlet like the NYTimes that is willing to investigate and publicize where government falls down.
Great and useful article.
We take our public officials to task, and that is one of the roles of the media, but in truth, since private boardrooms run most of everything, I hope there is more of this research looking at how private industry is failing us as well.
The NYTimes is a leader, it inspires journalism students across America.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
23
I don't understand why my fellow Democrats voted this guy into office. I could smell "disaster" from the second he announced his candidacy. I voted for his Republican opponent each time. (It beats me why the Republicans show so little interest in local races. A good candidate could have had a chance against de Blasio, especially the second time.) When I tried to warn other Democrats, they responded with, "I want a progressive in office." But so-called "progressives" simply don't know how to govern.
45
@Rex Nimbus
To say that you're painting with a broad brush is an understatement.
2
@Rex Nimbus don't forget the influence of the powerful NYSUT teacher's union in re-electing this disaster. Despite spending over $20k per student, our public schools are dysfunctional, teachers aren't allowed to discipline disruptive and sometimes violent kids, new charters can't start up because the city won't give them vacant school space --all brought to you courtesy of Big Bill and the nefarious NYSUT.
5
@Rex Nimbus We didn't have much of a choice. In the second election, the woman from Staten Island, Malliotakis, was pretty far to the right -- she voted for Trump, and had a number of positions that put her firmly in the Trump-y camp. Hopefully we'll have a better choice in 2021.
12
Posturing seems more important than performance not just in NYC government, but across the board in American government. Dysfunction is the new normal. Hard to pin it all on just one guy, even in one city. Government has bitten off more than its handlers can chew.
27
Who's running the city? The real estate and construction giants.
79
This elitist hatred of real estate development and construction on the far left is irrational. The parts of the city closest to transit and jobs should be built up more. We need more construction of all types. It provides working class people with jobs. It increases the supply of housing, offices, and warehouses. Doesn’t matter whether it’s high end or low income, more supply means lower rents overall. The NIMBY claim that more building increases rents is laughable. If the neighborhood is gentrifying, rents are going up irregardless. More supply means a higher vacancy rate and landlords with less pricing power. Those of us who were actually here during the bad old days of the 70’s/80’s, find all these building restrictions and historic districts just absurd.
Even de Blasio knows he needs developers to create more jobs, property, and wealth. It’s what the city heavily taxes to provide all the general services and welfare programs that most liberals just take for granted.
20
@H
The comment you are calling "elitist" didn't oppose construction per se. It opposed a situation in which ordinary citizens get no say about development while real estate and construction interests get to do pretty much whatever they want. You apparently think democracy is elitist while plutocracy is not. Interesting.
And there is no such word as "irregardless" (yes, this is an elitist comment).
7
@H - Who put the "H" in Hudson Yards? Let's start with that irrational, expensive, soul-destroying real estate development, and work our way down from there...maybe a "can you even believe it?!" chat about replacing a perfectly fine modern skyscraper (Union Carbide) with a newer, taller, shinier real estate trophy?
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Who's running New York? The Mayor's real estate buddies, that's who. Development and tenant harassment has exploded. Now, the City Council is talking about doing something, well, that train has left the station. And the Mayor's "affordable" housing policy? Two words: Rivington House!
On another subject, the subways, I never understood why the Mayor and the Governor haven't taken Andy Byford's $30 billion ten year plan and split it right down the middle between the City and the State. It would be worth it, and I'm sure at least in the City people would support it. Come on, let's get it done!
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@Robert Rivington House was an underutilized nursing home, not any form of affordable housing.
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@Robert -- the problem for both BdB and Cuomo is that the subways don't have a constituency that fills their campaign coffers. The real-estate developers do. WallSt. does. The teachers union and several others are also politically powerful and important.
But the average Joe who rides the subway isnext to irrelevant to both of them, even though they vote. And Cuomo needs to deal with the majority of New York State voters who put zero value on the NYC subways.
A few years ago Cuomo took money out of the subway funds to pay for a ski area up in the Adirondacks. Does it get more in-your-face than that?
Cynthia Nixon did the citizens of NYC a favor by embarrassing Cuomo about the state of the subways. Now it's on his radar, but he wants it fixed fast and cheap, and he's not interested in anyone telling him it can't be.
I don't think transportation can be fixed in NYC without MAJOR governmental and structural changes that gore a long list of powerful sacred cows ... so they are most unlikely to happen.
The root of the problem is really that development interests run the city, and transportation is something that the developers need so they can make money, but they have always managed to make other people pay for it.
Now that game isn't working.
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Another problem with the Mayor's national ambitions is that a competitive campaign requires lots of money. New York City residents need to wonder whether the Mayor will be compromising the interests of the City in order to raise campaign cash from the side of his tale of two cities that he claimed to be advocating against.
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Ambitions may run high, and the prospect of helping escape the corrupt prison Trump is running is important. But not at the cost of abandoning the mayor's role of running a city the size of New York. To some of us, it smacks as irresponsible, given that there are too many things being neglected...and requiring extra work and dedication to update and serve it's population. Needless to say, the one that knows this first hand is Mr. de Blasio himself.
14
It’s not all that bad provided you don’t enter buildings or homes, take taxis, use technology, emergency services, schools (especially integrated ones), file any civilian complaints, or demand any measurable degree of integrity.
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DeBlasio campaigned against a Tale of Two Cities. He has successfully delivered us one city overwhelmed by vagrancy and a steadily declining population.
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Very little is different between Trump and Diblasio. Both way out of their league and chasing out the best in public service. The impacts will be felt for at least a generation
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Who's running NYC? Whoever chased out Amazon and its giant pile of money is making the big decisions.
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@Alan
Bezos was just playing everyone. Just notice that he has chosen not open another headquarters at all. He wanted to see how far NY would go to please him. He asked for more than he got in Virginia.
Remember, Amazon paid no federal taxes, and yet he wants more breaks from NY?
I doubt if there was ever truly 40,000 openings. I'm willing to bet many of those jobs have already pledged to current employees who were willing to transfer. Did you think the building would be completely empty when it opened. Someone has to be there to start things.
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@cl. Smart, smart.
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@cl
The whole exercise was "playing everyone", but this does not change that letting all of that income walk out the door is very costly.
It does not matter if Amazon hires transfer employees or Martians to sit at an office and make a giant salary, it will greatly benefit whatever city that happens in. Even if Amazon itself pays zero taxes, its employees all pay taxes on not only their income but on everything else they spend on.
For a place so desperate for tax revenue that there are calls for it to get into the marijuana business, this was a huge and likely avoidable loss.
2
Granted, I was a manager of a far less complex organization as running NYC or USA, but, my little organization of 250 employees, I showed up early in the morning and stayed late at night, with a secretary who scheduled bathroom breaks for me...and we have a President, Congress members, mayors, just taking weekends, weeks, and now months off...what was I doing wrong...
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@Amanda Jones
Agree totally. It's apparent to me that a standard of work expected of office holders, and an overseer like an inspector general is required, to ensure elected officials actually do at least a modicum of real work, which they don't do now.
@Amanda Jones You were working hard and caring about your product. Pshaw! What silliness! I mean, clearly, what use is an excellent work ethic in a country that increasingly encourages laziness and ignorance in its leaders?
@Amanda Jones Just wait till Socialism takes over! You can forget about any productivity, just more handouts
1
Wow, what a place we live in. A governor who doesn't care, and a mayor who doesn't show up for work. Given all that, it's amazing that most things are still working, if only occasionally and just so.
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@Pete in Downtown
I don't much care for Gov. Cuomo, but you can'r say he doesn't care. Unlike di Blasio, he does show up for work. Big Bill can't even been found for days on end.
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@Pete in Downtown And of course, the crowning glory of a President who doesn't think, doesn't care, and doesn't work. Woo hoo!!
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Also a failure in handling the Amazon fiasco. As mayor, it’s was his job to keep the local politicians and community folks in the loop and get their buy-in. He is oblivious to many of his responsibilities.
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@Jim
It would only been a fiasco if we actually lost jobs. As it is we are no worse off than we were before. and Jeff Bezos is just happy not to many any corporate taxes.
I avoid shopping with Amazon as much as possible, which is almost always.
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Nice article. It underscores what most New Yorkers understand, which is that the Mayor couldn't manage his way out of a paper sack. No wonder he is reported to seldom meet with his cabinet. He doesn't have one.
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Once someone gets presidential fever, their constituents suffer because everything they do or don't do is calculated against a national backdrop and they are usually AWOL from actual governance. Exhibits A, B and, C: de Blasio, Christie, and Cuomo, and its no coincidence that they all hail from the rats nest of the .01%. None of them are particularly capable, at least two of the three are extremely nasty people, and they all come off, to those who know them best, the voters, as abject frauds. Christie can't even get a job now as a cable repair man, and Cuomo and de Blasio, the two faux-gressives are fighting over the same Wall Street and REBNY dollars for their abortive 2020 forays. The notion that any small-bore donors would support their campaigns is ludicrous. If all the New Yorkers who found affordable housing under de Blasio each kicked in $10, he'd have $150 in his campaign chest.
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@stan continople
Like that faux-gressives label.
And the band played on.
18
The editorial headline "Who's Running New York City?" was asked before--but not in regard to vacant City agency heads. When John Vliet Lindsay was Mayor, a pin appeared asking "Who's Running New York City, Lindsay or Price?" referring to Robert Price, his campaign manager, who became the powerful deputy mayor in charge of operations and ran most things. More recently with New York's current Mayor de Blasio, there was a pin in his first year asking "Who's Running New York City, Chirlane [McCray--his wife] or [Al] Sharpton?"
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De Blasio has lot in common with Trump besides his refusal to fill agency positions, which is the kind of incompetence and chaos Trump fosters as president.
De Blaiso is nothing but another con man, more than happy to advocate any progressive social policy as long as it doesn't cost the wealthy, and particularly his scandalously wealthy real estate donors, a penny.
Most Trumpian was how de Blasio went to every news outlet he could find and lied, saying impartial expert testimony was untrue all because NYCHA officials' had dared to give sworn testimony before the City Council in 2018 of how NYCHA tenants were at risk of freezing to death after being in the cold for weeks on end because de Blasio was not bothering to even try to repair building heating systems.
We all know that things got so much worse thanks to de Blasio that he's effectively sold the residents of City Housing to Trump and Ben Carson just so he doesn't have to deal with the mess he made. Big surprise, Ben Carson has just announced that he and Trump intend to throw all families living in NYCHA public housing onto the street if they cannot produce sufficient documentation of residency.
Add to this de Blasio being at the center of bribery and corruption scandals, and his emails revealing how corrupt and vindictive he is, and it's nearly impossible to see the difference between him and Trump. Why anyone would even consider voting for this guy for anything at this point, let alone president, is a mystery.
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@Robert B I'd take Trump in a heartbeat to whip NYC into shape - no comparison with DeBlasio whatsoever
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@ Cathy
Name me two things trump did that benefitted nyc and I don’t mean trump tower
“Don’t blame me, I voted for Lhota”
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@C
Yup. Lhota came back to run the transit system. That turned out very well.
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@cl
For free...and there is little anyone can do without a proper budget
1
Everything the mayor does or attempts to do is designed to hurt the middle class of this city. He's not doing such a great job for the poor either. But the Real Estate moguls love him.
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@ Asher
They love him because he has out building permits like candy and there is little to no oversight
That’s why there have been so many construction accidents and deaths
1
Another egoist running agencies into the ground, wasting taxpayer money on boondoggles like THRIVE, allowing landlords to evict tenants replacing them with homeless people at a rate of almost $4,000 per month for apartments. This obscene situation runs longtime tenants from their homes, and overburdens neighborhoods like the UWS with facilities filling to the brim with formerly homeless, often mentally ill, drug addicted, who then panhandle for change. This combined with the plethora of vacant storefronts is reminiscent of the 1970’s.
Enough with DeBlasio and his vanity project wife.
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If the mayor thinks he can more than 1% of the vote in the Iowa caucus or New Hampshire primary, he is delusional. Democrats around the country know what New York City Democrats think of him. And it's not pretty.
145
de Blasio's self-image is telling him he's a legitimate contender for President? Wow, just wow.
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@Brad - never mind his self-image. How about his version of NYC? Things haven't been this bad here since the 1980s. And I heard there's been an exodus of 40,000 people since he became mayor. He's done a horrendous job. Plus he's all about identity politics and social engineering (see public schools) and Americans are sick of this.
5
I had very high hopes for BdB's administration. He seems to have lost interest.
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