A NEW YEAR, A NEW MAYOR
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
The new mayor of New York City was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. Bill de Blasio has that determined and attitude and a strong passion for his city and that is exactly what is needed in a leadership position such as the one that he is beginning to now tackle. His political career had its real beginning when he served as campaign manager for Hillary Clinton in 2000 when she ran for U.S. Senator of New York and won.
The challenges are coming much sooner than Bill de Blasio probably could have imagined. Just a day after he took office, New York City became blanketed in a coat of ice cold snow chilling millions of people right to the core. Making sure that the city did not become paralyzed was one of the first responsibilities put upon the new mayor. It appears that Mayor Bill de Blasio did just fine and gets a big thumbs up for the way he handled the situation.
The de Blasio family is your typical middle-class family living in Brooklyn in a 3 bedroom/1 bath row house. As Mayor, he has chosen to live at his home there. Challenging the system and returning New York City to equal economic levels that will satisfy all spectrums of society will require a dedicated plan and plenty of strategy. With Mayor Bloomberg leaving office, although the city is much safer and cleaner, economic inequality is an evident by-product of his political term.
Mayor de Blasio is considered progressive and in his campaign for election, he only proposed one tax increase which will be levied to support universal pre-kindergarten. He will have a more diversified cabinet then Bloomberg did. So far, Lilliam Barrios-Paoli has been appointed as deputy mayor for health and human services, Gladys Carrion is to be child welfare commissioner and Carmen Farina is the new schools chancellor. Zachary W. Carter has become his corporation counsel, a former black prosecutor.
The chapter continues on numerous expired labor contracts that Mayor Bloomberg left behind and de Blasio will have to determine in his negotiations which will work best for his city.
De Blasio is New York City’s 109th mayor. The official oath of office was administered by former President Bill Clinton. De Blasio was quoted during his inaugural speech as saying, “Our march to keep the promise of New York alive for the next generation – it begins today. Today we commit to a new progressive direction in New York. And that same progressive impulse has written our city’s history. It’s in our DNA. ” The swearing in took place in front of close to 5,000 people on the steps of City Hall. Actresses Cynthia Nixon and Susan Sarandon were spotted in the crowd. Although it was bitter cold, it didn’t keep the excited crowd away.
The Mayor’s priorities appear to be in place; expanding the city’s paid sick leave law, forcing large developers to build more affordable housing, reforming the controversial police tactic of stop & frisk that is believed to lead to racial profiling and offering universal access to pre-kindergarten and after-school programs.
Also leaving office with Mayor Bloomberg is Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, successful in his post but often the center of controversy. Bill Bratton succeeds him.
This is the first time that a Democrat takes office since 1993. New Yorkers are not characterized by their patience which is an even greater reason for Bill de Blasio to prove himself as quickly as possible and win the overwhelming trust of his constituents.
PHOTO CREDITS: George Whylie / Maxine Nolan
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