NYC & NJ CLAIM VICTORY IN POLITICAL ARENA
By: Hope Wilkos, Monique Nolan Writer/Blogger
It was election time in particular states across the nation this week. From the reaction of those in the Northeast, it appears that a couple of the races finished with overwhelming results and a promise of good days ahead.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been the face of New York City for three consecutive terms. However, there is a new New York City leader marking triumph for the Democrats and his name is Bill De Blasio.
The politician coming in and the politician going out are like night and day, they really could not be on more opposite scales of the pendulum. Some public opinion has shown that Bloomberg favored policies geared to the rich and he has been identified as a billionaire himself. It is a city divided and others find that statement false and say they can easily relate to Bloomberg.
De Blasio is more of a ‘man for the people’, one that voters can identify with. He is part of a bi-racial family with two teenagers that have captured and captivated De Blasio supporters, standing behind their dad the entire way with energy and enthusiasm. The new Mayor-elect lives with his family in Brooklyn, an intimate closeness evident that many families can only dream about.
The clever campaign commercials featuring De Blasio’s son Dante, 15 years old, highlight his dad’s stance on the whole ‘stop & frisk’ issue. Dante’s afro has become a conversation point for New Yorkers across the city , including the topic of his comedy routine for Jon Stewart. De Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, is also non-traditional. She is a political activist who once identified herself as a lesbian before marrying her husband. She too is a huge supporter of her husband, standing behind him throughout the entire campaign. “The Smackdown” is the family’s famous trademark dance and we are sure to see many years of that original and creative dance adopted by the family.
De Blasio has not been in the spotlight before, even though his political career has already spanned 25 years as a Brooklyn City Councilman. He ran Hillary Clinton’s first United States Senate campaign. Winning this mayoral race has set a record as being the first Democratic mayor in two decades for the city of New York. He sincerely thanked his family and all his supporters who were the reason for his astounding win. He is a family man through and through putting family first. Bloomberg has promised to help with the transition so that it goes smoothly. De Blasio’s aspirations are admirable as he pledges to make New York City a comfortable home for those with money struggles, those that are poor. There are many challenges facing the new Mayor-Elect such as balancing the city budget and hopefully his constituents have the will to believe that things do not turn around overnight but with persistence and perseverance, it will happen and Bill De Blasio will be the man who will make it all happen. Although we welcome a new face, we must remember that Mayor Bloomberg did an excellent job at continuing to turn New York City around from where Rudy Giuliani left off making New York City a much safer place to live. De Blasio plans to let his wife assist in appointing his new administration. He has shown that diversity fuels success and we shall see very soon what this new mayor will do.
Another overwhelming winner for a second term was New Jersey Republican Governor, Chris Christie. His dynamic personality, love of his voters and his go-forward and conquer attitude have given him a leading edge over the rest. He received 60.5% of the vote over his Democratic challenger.
The Governor is eager to continue on with his work and finish the job that he began in his first term of office. There are rumors that we might see his next move be a run for the White House. He has a widespread appeal that is hard to mask as he loves his state of New Jersey almost as much as his family. He doesn’t take his job lightly and continues to tackle it with a passion.
Bill De Blasio and Chris Christie – a beginning of a new era of people serving the people.
PHOTO CREDITS: George Whylie, Maxine Nolan- Whylie
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