Being mayor is sort of a tricky job. People want government to stay out of their way so that they can conduct business unimpeded by regulations. Then, when an emergency hits, they are expected to marshal all of the forces at their disposal to eliminate or, at least, to mitigate the problem. This week, mayors of two different cities exemplify how different responses may affect long-term destinies.
As the Mayor of New York, Mike Bloomberg has watched his faint presidential prospects drift away in this week’s snowstorm. Bloomberg, as we all know, is the owner of a vast media entertainment and financial empire. As such, those in the media world who seek his approval have referred to him as Mayor Mike and avidly and eagerly supported his political ambitions. However, this week may have shattered his dim hopes.
Bloomberg advised the people of NYC to keep their cars off of the streets, take public transportation, and permit snowplows and emergency crews to clear the roads as quickly as possible. However, the city was ill-prepared to deal with an emergency like this; buses have crashed and blocked streets, there are videos of tow trucks towing snow plow equipment out of drifts, and he apparently decided to concentrate most of snow removal on Manhattan, allowing the rest of the city to weather the storm alone. As criticism from the public mounted, he responded petulantly that ‘The world has not come to an end.’
Not far away, the Mayor of Newark, Cory Booker, has seen his fortunes go in the opposite direction. He has encouraged residents to use different social media tools, such as Twitter and Facebook, for people to notify city departments of problems; sometimes, he has gotten involved himself. The people contacted him, and he responded by personally sending crews to different areas of the city and by doing things like shoveling snow himself to clear trapped cars. When a person told him that she couldn’t get out of her home to buy diapers, he showed up an hour later with the diapers.
Booker has shown himself, at least in this case, to be the prototype of a modern politician, using 21st century communications and a hands-on policy to show the residents that he is available and willing to help them. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him eventually seek either a statewide office, or migrate to DC. Bloomberg, on the other hand, might have to spend another $100 million or so just to rejuvenate his reputation after this debacle.
December 29th, 2010 at 8:23 am
I agree that the City’s response to this storm has been lame – and yes, I am sitting in the middle of it. But to compare the two mayors is like comparing apples to some sort of very tiny fruit. NYC has a population of 9 million, plus millions of daily commuters, three commuter rail lines coming in and out, the NYC subway and the PATH from Jersey, buses aplenty and two major airports. Newark is basically a suburb of NYC.
December 29th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Obviously, NYC hgas more people than Newark, TA. But Bloomberg continually treats Manhattan differently than the other boroughs, at least according to a friend who lives in Brooklyn. Since he is a creature of Manhattan, I guess that’s to be expected.
While it may seem like a valid argument that NYC has a lot more people, my guess is that they also have more snow removal equipment; wouldn’t economies of scale lead us to believe that NYC should deal with situations like this better than a smaller town?
I’m guessing that mayor mike didn’t care about drivers since he probably has never driven a car.
December 29th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Oh, we deal with it better than most small towns, believe me. The burbs are still stuck in their homes and I hear the store shelves are bare. As to the favoritism shown to Manhattan, it’s partially true. Manhattan is easier to clear than the boroughs, to be sure. It’s geographically smaller, fewer parked cars on many streets, etc. But, it’s also the hub of commerce and capitalism, so really needs to be done first. Rough on small business when Bob’s Books of Brooklyn can’t open, rough on us all when it’s the NY Stock Exchange.
December 29th, 2010 at 9:30 am
I’d be willing to bet that the small towns in upstate NY were hardly impeded at all by this. I lived in NW NY for a number of years, and those cities and towns were prepared, no matter how much snow we got. The only time I remember Rochester shutting down was during an ice storm.
I remember decades ago (I think it was) Dinkins said that NYC was ungovernable. I didn’t believe it then; I don’t believe it now.
If they just cleared around Wall St. or around Times Square, I guess I could play along. But much of Manhattan is just as residential as Brooklyn. I just hope Brooklyn was able to plow in front of Peter Lugar’s (as my mouth drools in memory).
December 29th, 2010 at 10:23 am
Thanks a lot. Now I won’t rest until I go all the way to Brooklyn for steak.
December 29th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Maybe if Bloomberg wasn’t taxing salt, there would be plenty to spread around and melt all that snow.
I know! It’s a different sort of salt. Bloomberg has been a lousy mayor. He’s still riding the fumes of success that Guiliani created.
December 29th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Gotta call you on that one. Rudy was BRILLIANT in the days after 9/11 but other than that was not a very popular mayor. His “clean up the city” efforts resulted in Times Square being sold to Disney… with the rest of the city not far behind. Way too many formerly unique neighborhoods have now been overrun by Starbucks et. al. thanks to his “BID,” Business Improvement District, contracts. Little guys all got pushed out, we now have high-end chain cosmetic stores, bankes, and on most corners you can see at least three Starbucks. Bloomberg is well liked here. He’s well respected in the biz community, gets the pulse of NY and has just enough of a FU attitude to fit right in here.