Mikey has opened up a 38-point lead on Freddy in tomorrow's NYC Mayoral election. Wouldn't it be cool if Mikey won by more percentage points than Freddy garners?
Mikey, Mikey, Mikey. What the hell? Whoever told you this was a good idea? Offering discounts to protestors to incent good behavior? First of all, I'm not so sure that the protestors give a damn about getting discounts and free magic markers from Kroll Office Products. I know that when I'm going out to do some protesting, office supplies are the first thing on my mind! "Hmm," I wonder to myself, "Where can I get some cheap index cards and ballpoint pens?"
Not to mention that the compliance is purely voluntary. There's absolutely no enforcement mechanism. Anyone can get the discount regardless of whether or not they obey the laws. So if you want to break a few windows and still get cheap index cards, not to mention meal discounts at Spoonbread (?), no one will stop you!
Yeah, this'll work. Fortunately, I don't actually think things are going to get out of hand anyway.
I wouldn't have thought it possible, but there is a city bureaucrat who is worse than Mikey! There's nothing wrong with being a comparison gainer.
Mikey strikes again.
The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University in Boston estimated the Republican convention will generate $184 million in economic activity, or about one-third less than the $260 million forecast by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
About 48,000 visitors are expected at the Republican convention at Manhattan's Madison Square Garden from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2. The study estimated the 4,800 delegates will each spend about $340 a day.
"Shrouding the convention is a veil of secrecy about how the mayor came up with his economic estimate and about security considerations that may ultimately force the closing of Pennsylvania Station and of roads in the vicinity of Madison Square Garden," study author John Barrett wrote.
So no one knows how Mikey derived his $260 million estimate. Excellent.
As for the potential closing of Penn Station, all I can say is "Duh"! Who didn't know that was a distinct possibility? And what will that ultimately cost the city in terms of lost business? One of the members of my staff commutes in from Long Island, which puts him into Penn Station to pick up the PATH train. He asked me several weeks ago if he could work from home the week of the convention. Of course, understanding how hideous the commute through Penn Station would be as a result of the necessary security, I told him yes. The firm for which I work is in the process of developing an overall policy for that week for people who commute in through Penn Station.
But it's even worse if you're from Boston.
Similar security arrangements in Boston for July's Democratic convention have caused much discontent. City officials recently said they would close major highways and commuter lines to protect the Fleet Center, an indoor sports arena above one of the city's main train stations.
The measures angered Bostonians because of the paralyzing impact they could have on local businesses and commuters.
The Suffolk University study found that the four-day event, originally touted as a way to attract money to Boston, will end up costing the city $34 million.
The security concerns in this day and age make hosting conventions in large cities just unpractical.
I realize that the NYC Mayoral election isn't until November 2005, but I wanted to express my early support for the potential re-election bid of incumbent Mike Bloomberg. I was pleased to see today's report that Bloomberg's approval rating has climbed to 47% from the 31% it was at last July. I hope this will inspire Bloomberg to run again and continue with the sterling leadership he has provided NYC since his election in November 2001.
Bloomberg took over a city in distress. He didn't have an easy job of it. Post-9/11 New York was suffering not just the emotional after-effects of the tragedy, but economic after-effects as well. Bloomberg dealt with the emotional toll in his usual warm manner, reaching out to New York citizens and making us feel like he was one of us. On the financial front, hard decisions had to be made, and Bloomberg wasn't afraid to make them. Any other mayor might have stopped at simply raising taxes, but not Mike Bloomberg. His visionary scheme to raise revenue by enforcing fines and tickets for offenses such as having one's phone number printed on one's awning and sitting on subway steps was nothing short of brilliant. Not to speak of his money-saving idea of cutting back recycling pickups in the outer boroughs. Bloomberg really thinks out of the box.
So it is for these reasons that I hereby dedicate this blog to Bloomberg. Go Mike go!
When I first read this headline - Poll: Ferrer Would Beat Bloomberg* - I was not surprised. I'd have bet that a NYC subway rat could beat Mikey in the 2005 mayoral election. But apparently there are, in fact, potential candidates who would lose to Mikey, were the election held today.
But the mayor would narrowly beat City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, with 39 percent saying they would choose Bloomberg and 37 percent saying they would vote for Miller, the poll found.
Voters said they would also pick Bloomberg over Comptroller William Thompson, City Councilman Charles Barron, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner and Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, the poll found.
What the hell? How could any of those people be worse than Mikey?
*For those who don't know, Fernando Ferrer is the Bronx Borough President.
It's been a while since I've posted an entry to the Mikey Watch category, but Michele brings something to my attention which is just crying out for another Mikey bashing fest. Mikey apparently wishes he could have written Dr. Atkins' obituary:
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is apparently a conspiracy theorist when it comes to the circumstances of Dr. Robert Atkins's death last April. Bloomie, it seems, ain't buying the story that the anti-carb diet guru died as a result of injuries sustained during a fall on an icy Manhattan street. During a lunchtime photo op yesterday at a Brooklyn firehouse, Bloomberg announced, "I don't believe that bullshit that [Atkins] dropped dead slipping on the sidewalk." The 61-year-old billionaire added that Atkins was "fat" and served "inedible" food at his Hamptons home when Bloomberg visited. The mayor's inference, of course, was that Atkins was actually felled by his meat-heavy diet, that his arteries were clogged with beef drippings.
Ah, Mikey, always the soul of class and wit. But it gets better. After NY1 aired Mikey's little gaffe, his spokesman blamed the media:
"It was a joke told at an off-the-record photo op," said Bloomberg spokesman Jordan Barowitz. "We congratulate New York 1 for their willingness to dispense with journalistic ethics in order to run a cheap story."
Well, as a former New York City resident, I congratulate Mikey for his willingness to dispense with class in order to tell a cheap joke about someone's death. And his apparent belief that people will believe that a photo op is off-the-record. Isn't a photo op, by definition, on-the-record? What kind of opportunity is an off-the-record photo?
You go, Mikey!
But a loss for those of us who feel our two-party system needs an overhaul. The quote that best sums up why I think our current system needs some major changes.
Democrat Norma Hart, a 73-year-old retired schools psychiatrist, said, "Some people think the party system is evil, but I don't. If there are no primaries, how would we know who was good?"
Yes, that's right, in what signals a death knell for critical thinking all over New York City, apparently we need to be told who's good. Heaven forfend we should have to actually research candidates' stances on issues and their backgrounds and, gasp, come to a decision for ourselves. It's so much easier when someone else can tell you who's good.
The trust in the parties to tell us who is good is naive, at best. Most primaries are reflections of who the power brokers in the parties want to see in office for their own reasons, not who is the best candidate.
It's seldom that I agree with Mikey on anything, but I'm right behind him on this one. The stranglehold that the two major parties have on this country is detrimental to it. They have become voices for special interest groups, bought by whomever can offer them the best deal. They'll sell out their base if they believe that another group can get them elected. These are not people out to represent our best interests, but to represent their own best interests. Doing away with party affiliations would be one way to at least make politics accessible to people who otherwise don't have a hope of getting on the ballot, because no party will support them.
First, let me say that I actually think this idea that Mikey is proposing would provide a good service to the millions of cell phone users in New York City. Dead spots are annoying and knowing where they are would be helpful. I'm not sure it's the best use of city resources, especially in a year when taxes went up so much to help cover the budget deficit, but I do think it will be helpful.
On to some general speculation. I've noticed that Mikey's presence in the news has diminished quite a bit over the last couple of months. He seems to be keeping something of a low profile. I'm beginning to think he might actually opt not to run for reelection in 2005, figuring that it is better to leave on your own than lose as an incumbent. If that is the case, I think it's a smart move on his part. He's not a dumb man, just a bad mayor.
I hate it when I agree with Mikey.
In June, the state's highest court ruled that New York City's 1.1 million schoolchildren were being denied a "sound basic education" by the current funding formula. The lawsuit — which the governor fought — was brought by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a coalition of parent and community groups.
Pataki's solution to this? Form a commission. Ah, but not just any commission.
The 16-member panel doesn't include members of his administration, New York City schools officials or the state legislature.
A commission to address the funding of New York City schools that doesn't include one New York City school official. Hmmm. Nevertheless, Mikey's take on it is one I absolutely agree with.
"We don't need another blue-ribbon panel to study a problem everybody knows exists," said Ed Skyler, a spokesman for Bloomberg.
What? You mean that our elected officials should just make decisions without studying an issue to death? Wow. It's crazy, but I like it.
When Michael Bloomberg talks about his goals as mayor he usually says, "over the next six years," -- implying that his re-election in 2005 is a foregone conclusion.
But Thursday, when asked if his education reforms would outlast his mayoralty, Bloomberg conjured a somewhat darker forecast for his political future.
"My hope is that we leave my successor in six years -- or four years or two years, whenever that is -- with a start on fixing a problem that has gone on for decades," he said.
I guess it finally dawned on Mikey that his really low approval rating might just mean that he won't be re-elected. Good man, Mikey. No one ever said you were stupid. Out of touch with reality, but not stupid.
Jay over at The Daily Rant brought to my attention that Mikey was telling people that a list of city shelters for those stranded by the massive power outage would be available on the city's website. Indeed, it's true. During this press conference (dial-up audio or high-speed audio), Mikey did say, in response to a question about shelters, that the list would be posted on the city's website. Hey, Mikey, internet access means power. No power, no internet access, no able to view website.
Fortunately he also said the list would be available on 311, the city's hotline. So people with access to wired phones could at least get the information.
The Sanitation Department will increase trash-basket pickups to help deal with the trash collecting on NYC streets. This is good news. Unfortunately this still does not address the reduction in recycling pickups I discussed earlier this week.
I can't resist pointing out this quote from Mikey.
Earlier yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg — when asked about reports of garbage piling up on the streets — blasted the Daily News, which reported that city residents should get used to large trash piles."What is really disturbing is that there are some newspapers that think what we should do is settle for a bad condition, if it exists," Bloomberg said. "Number one, it doesn't exist. And, number two, we have no intention of settling for it."
Actually, I doubt the Daily News was suggesting we should settle for it. I think it was suggesting, Mikey, that you wouldn't do anything about it. Fortunately the Daily News was proved partially wrong (as was I). Prove us 100% wrong - Restore recycling pickups too.
It is no surprise that Mikey's ratings have dropped to an all-time low of 24%. Unfortunately, like the trash on city streets, nobody is taking out the garbage. I wonder if the 24% approval comes from the rats, who must be the only ones pleased with the latest budget-cutting move - recyclables will now be picked up only every other week.
Those of you who are familiar with New York will understand the ramifications of this. The amount of trash produced in NYC is mind-boggling. Leaving it around to ferment in basements achieves nothing except allowing the city's already out-size rat population to grow even more. Then we'll have a public health hazard that will need to be dealt with, meaning more money will have to be spent on extermination. You see, these rats aren't your cute, friendly little rats that a cat can chase around and kill. These rats are bigger than cats. If you saw one move quickly, you might think a smallish dog had just run by. They also aren't your slink-around-by-night type of rats. The rats will be chasing the cats. In broad daylight.
Lovely. Just another reason I'm glad I moved out of the city.
Mikey must be the anti-Dale Carnegie. In his latest bid to prove that, in his case, you can't please any of the people any of the time, he offers a different standard for public drinking on Rockaway Beach than in Central and Prospect Parks.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said earlier yesterday that partygoers in the Rockaways should not be allowed to drink beer on the beach because "people are going to get drunk and go into the water and drown."
Well-behaved people should be allowed to drink wine at classical music concerts in city parks because "I don't know of anyone who's died in a tuba recently."
"People at Prospect Park...and Central Park...were behaving, and the police used their judgment and their discretion to enforce the laws in practical and common-sense ways," Bloomberg said.
While I certainly agree that the dangers of drinking and swimming are greater than the dangers of drinking and listening to the New York Philharmonic, I doubt Mikey even sensed the class bias inherent in his comments. So in Bizarro Mikey World, drinking while listening to classical music is okay, because, after all, classical music listeners are a high-tone, well-behaved lot. However, what indication was there that the people at the 9/11 fundraiser were misbehaving? And, when asked why they were enforcing the rules on Rockaway Beach, the police answered "The law is the law." Oddly, listeners of classical music are not exempt from that law either. So apparently it isn't just a matter of the police enforcing the laws in a practical, common-sense matter.
And in related news, this latest bit of Mikeyness has driven my brother from the minority to the majority - he now dislikes Mikey too. This despite the fact that my brother is not known for hanging out on Rockaway Beach knocking back a few cold ones. I guess I'll have to find something else to call him a freak about now.
We know the Mikey 24% administration doesn't balk at having cops ticket pregnant women resting on stairs or handing out $12,500 fines for awning violations. But, you think that former First Deputy Commissioner (of Police) Patrick Kelleher will get a ticket for fraudulently using paid spaces reserved for chiefs and inspectors? Me neither.
In a scheme that proves the City Council has half a brain (but no more than that), they have decided to put a six-month moratorium on enforcement of the stupid awning regulations previously discussed here. If they had a full brain, they would have simply voted to rescind the damn regulations. But I suppose half a brain is better than none.
I figured out who the 24% of New Yorkers who think Mikey is doing a good job are - his alternate personalities. And my brother. Ah well. Fortunately Mikey isn't interesting enough for families to come to blows over. It's nothing more than me saying "You like Mikey? Freak."
It sure isn't police officers making up any of that 24%. Interviews with over 200 cops show that they're unhappy about Mikey's ticket quota summons performance measurement. Let's sum up: The police don't like him. The firemen don't like him. 76% of New Yorkers overall don't like him. And yet Mikey still thinks he's going to be reelected. At least he has his $5 billion net worth to fall back on.
Thanks Mom for sending me the article links.
Mikey 24% thinks he's going to be reelected in 2005! Mikey, Mikey, Mikey -- 24% approval rating. The worst approval rating in the history of approval ratings. 8% drop from a few weeks ago. People pissed off at receiving bizarre tickets. Cops telling people who get bizarre tickets to "Blame it on Bloomberg." Mikey, you are so not getting reelected.
Thanks to regular reader Justin for the barber/loitering ticket story.
"The mayor is making tough choices in tough times," Bloomberg spokesman Ed Skyler said on Friday. "Leadership is about doing what is right, not what is easy or popular."
If true, that would be good news for Mikey, because he sure ain't popular. Unfortunately for Mikey, however, Mr. Skyler leaves out one essential component of leadership - inspiring people to do what is right, rather than what is easy or popular. Mikey and inspiring are two words you wouldn't use in a sentence together without a "not" between them.
By that definition, Ed Koch was a leader. He did a lot of the same things Mikey is doing now (minus the ticketing pregnant women for sitting on subway steps kind of things), but he got New York City behind him. "Uncle" Ed, as he was affectionately known, went to the people and made his case. Most New Yorkers loved him. Mikey, on the other hand, sits in his office and just gives orders. When criticized, he falls back on the old "right, not easy or popular" schtick. Nobody is going to call Mikey "Uncle" or even "hey, Mayah!" He's just Mikey 24%.
Thanks to Andy for sending me the article.
...is a "summons performance measurement". But in a bit of political doublespeak, Mikey says that telling beat cops that their performance will be judged, in part, on how many summonses they write is not an informal quota. No quotas for New York City cops. Nope. Nothing to see here, folks. Just move right along.
I've heard this bit about the numbers before. Ostensibly it's true that parking tickets and moving violations are down, but that doesn't mean that other types of tickets aren't up. Notice the administration ignores discussing any other sort of ticket. Furthermore, the parking ticket and moving violation fees basically doubled, so even a 17% and 7% decrease in summonses respectively equates to some nice pocket change to the city coffers.
One of the downsides of moving to Jersey, I thought, was that I would no longer be able to stoke the flames of my fire of hatred for Mikey. After all, he won't be my problem any more, right? But it turns out, he will! Thanks to Mikey's smoking ban, people who used to party in New York City are now heading across the river to Hoboken to party. And I'm moving to Hoboken.
Having previously lived in Hoboken 12 years ago, I can assure you that even without the influx of additional partiers, Hoboken was always a party town with tons of people flocking there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, generally making finding parking more of a nightmare and making a lot of noise. Now it will be even worse, and I can blame Mikey for it! At least until Jim McGreevey decides to implement the same type of ban throughout New Jersey. But then, at least, I will have my very first reason to hate Jim McGreevey - taking away my reason to continue to hate Mikey. Ain't politics grand?
As much as I hate to say anything nice about Mikey, it is true that he has handled the death of Alberta Spruill very well. Unlike his predecessor, he accepted responsibility for her death to her family. But he put a kink in that when, not content to sit back and let others praise him for his handling of the case (like former Mayor Ed Koch), he had to come out and gracelessly state that he did a better job than any of his predecessors could have done. While that may be true, and Koch said as much, sometimes it's better to be gracious and not appear arrogant. Most of what he said would have been fine.
"The most important thing is to tell the public what happened, which isn't always done in government," Bloomberg said of the probe. "There's a natural inclination to hide the facts because somebody may have made a mistake ... If you make a mistake, stand up and say 'We made a mistake.'"
I completely agree with him on that. He is 100% right. The government should be more forthcoming when it screws up, rather than trying to deny it ever does so. If only he had left his remarks at that.
New York City bureaucracy at its finest. Due to some bizarre legislative "aging" law, New York City residents will be seeing two sales tax hikes. The .25 point state sales tax hike will take effect on Sunday, but the .125 point city sales tax hike will take effect later. The City Council approved the city sales tax hike yesterday, but apparently there is some law that states a bill must "age" for 5 working days before the Mayor can sign it, meaning Mikey can't sign it until next Wednesday. There is finger-pointing galore, with Mikey blaming the City Council for putting off approval, and the City Council blaming Mikey for not getting them the bill earlier. Although consumers won't mind waiting the extra week, merchants will now have to reprogram their POS machines twice.
I was thinking last night that one good thing might come out of Mikey "32% approval rating" Bloomberg's one term as mayor. Some of these ridiculous bureaucratic laws are coming to light, and maybe after he's out of office, they'll be repealed.
In his never-ending quest to make New York City a less attractive place to live and visit, Mikey is having the police write summons for minor quality-of-life infractions. The two latest idiocies occurred when an Israeli tourist was fined $50 for taking up more than one seat on a nearly empty subway and a pregnant woman was fined $50 for resting on a subway stairwell. Lenore Skenazy of The Daily News comes up with a list of other infractions she'd like to see tickets handed out for, all of which sound better to me than the real examples. Meanwhile, I can't wait until 2005, when New Yorkers will be saying "Mikey, we hardly knew ye, but what we did know was more than enough."
Tip from Solly Ezekiel.
Okay, I've spent enough time bashing Mikey on this blog, and undoubtedly will return to bashing him in due course. However, I must give credit where it is due. There is one thing Mikey has done that I approve of - Pressured the City Council to trim its budget. In a time when 2,000 municipal workers were just laid off, there is just no good reason for the following.
Nearly three dozen staff members earn more than elected council members' base annual salary of $90,000. Four aides to Miller each earn $160,000, including the legislative counsel, land use division chief, general counsel and chief of staff.There are also three $140,000 deputy chiefs of staff, a $120,000 senior adviser to Miller and a district-based Miller aide who gets $99,000 a year. Twenty-three central staffers are assigned to Miller alone.
Three attorneys were hired as consultants even though the council has at least 26 attorneys on its legal staff. CUNY professor John Mollenkopf got a $50,000 contract for redistricting assistance. In another consulting deal, Eric Lane, a Hofstra University law professor and an expert on the City Charter, was hired for $80,000 for one year as "special counsel to the speaker."
Council members get $240,000 each for staff and rent and are allowed to set staff salaries themselves. Some have hired their own press secretaries despite a 12-person council public affairs office in City Hall. Its director, Policano, earns $140,000.
If we are closing firehouses and reducing garbage pickups in Queens to once a week, I think City Council staffers need to make some sacrifices too.
More reasons to hate Mad Mike. The city is now fining businesses with awnings that have too many words. One gym in Brooklyn received a $12,500 fine for having the club's logo and phone number on his awning. The horror! A logo and phone number on the awning. But that's just Mikey, preferring to do the right thing instead of being popular. Sure, the right thing would have been to rescind the idiotic 1961 zoning ordinance that prohibits having a logo and phone number on an awning, but we're now living in Bizarro-Mikey-City, where doing the right thing equals whatever enters Mikey's head.
"You just cannot stop and let the terrorists win and go into a room and duct-tape the doors and windows," he said at a nationally televised news conference. "Go about your business. The city is safe."
Ah yes, we should just go about our business despite the massive police presence on the streets. "Nothing to see here, folks, just move right along. Pay no attention to the cop behind the curtain in front of your face. They're just here for decor. Really. Honest. " You know, it was way better when he was the CEO of a large media conglomerate. We didn't have to hear him speak then.
It's the Find a Nickname for Mayor Bloomberg Contest! Yes, Mayor Bloomberg has been making such an ass of himself, that I think we need a good nickname for him. Details of Bloomberg's idiocy:
1. Suggesting that people pick up strangers in order to meet the 4 person per vehicle minimum in case of a transit strike. When asked whether this might be dangerous, Mad Mike basically said that it wouldn't be so bad, because traffic would be slow-moving. Yeah, Mike, whatever you say.
2. No more turning onto or off of major avenues except for designated Thru streets weekdays from 10 am to 6 pm. Well, Mikey thinks that it's not his job to be popular, but to do the right thing. Okay, Mikey, prove it. Ban deliveries during rush hours instead. That would do some good. This policy hasn't helped a damn thing.
3. Boycotting the Columbus Day Parade because they wouldn't let stars from the Sopranos march at the head of it with him. Yeah, sticking up for the glory marching rights of a few actors is more important than officiating at a major parade for the city that elected you. Must be more of that not being popular thing.
Those are just a few examples. So help me come up with a nickname for Mike Bloomberg that fits.
