Mayor Bloomberg took a bit of New York's soul

[marmar]

Mayor Bloomberg took a bit of New York's soul
The billionaire mayor is a series of pluses and minuses that never quite add up. Let's hope some of the city's funky grit returns

Teresa Wiltz
theguardian.com, Monday 30 December 2013


It's the eve of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's exodus from New York City's top office after three terms, and I have such mixed feelings about him. For me, the billionaire mayor is a series of pluses and minuses that never add up to a cohesive whole.

On the one hand, he's the man behind one of the few news outlets that's still pumping money into journalism. On the other hand, he seems to delight in dodging reporters' questions – or insulting them. I'm happy he snuffed out indoor smoking in the city, and as a health nut, I have to admit that I agree with him when it comes to trans fats and supersized sodas. I really appreciate Bloomberg's work lobbying for gun control, but I really, really loathe his unflagging endorsement of the stop-and-frisk police policy.

Sure, he built bike paths, erected shiny new skyscrapers and rocked out the High Line park on a refurbished railway track. Crime is down. Tourism is thriving. Small business got a boost from some of his initiatives.

But at the same time, close to half of New Yorkers are living at or below the poverty line. During Bloomberg's tenure, the homeless rates skyrocketed, creating what the New York Times has called "the most unequal metropolis in America". There are over 22,000 homeless children in the city, the highest number since the Great Depression. Walk through the city's Union Square early on a Sunday morning, and you have to tiptoe over rows upon rows of sleeping bodies. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/30/mayor-bloomberg-legacy-took-new-york-soul

[LiberalElite]

1. K&R Absoutely right nt

[xchrom]

2. du rec.