Results tagged “bloomberg”

Business owners did their best yesterday to scare off Council members mulling a bill that would require all employers in the city to provide up to nine paid sick days. The owners insist such a law would force small businesses to slash salaries and benefits, lay off employees, and eventually flee the city. "Pile on another expense to us, you’re gonna put people out of business. You’re gonna encourage people to move their business out of New York City. I’m a mile from New Jersey. It’s a hop over the bridge. And it’s very tempting," said Tom Scarangello of Scaran Heating & Air Conditioning.

A week after Mayor Bloomberg's narrower-than-expected victory, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn/Queens) has come out of the woodwork claiming that he could have defeated the incumbent. The Congressman — who abandoned his short-lived Mayoral campaign in May — claims that in order to win, Bloomberg would have needed to spend at least $150 million (about $50 million more than the Mayor's record-breaking campaign expenditures).

The Bloomberg administration will spend $95.7 million in taxpayer money to purchase 6.9 acres of land in the Coney Island amusement district from millionaire developer Joe Sitt. The deal, which will be officially announced tomorrow, marks the end of a long stalemate between the city and Sitt, who is widely reviled in Coney Island for buying up property, evicting longtime tenants, and letting prime real estate remain vacate as way of essentially blackmailing the city into meeting his demands. Sitt had originally proposed a $1.5 billion Las Vegas style resort, with condos and shopping, but the Bloomberg administration had plans of their own.

They say he runs the city like a business, so it's only fitting that after a poorer-than-expected performance in last week's election, Mayor Bloomberg's campaign workers are afraid they won't get big bonuses this year. In past elections, the billionaire former bond trader and media mogul has paid out-of-pocket bonuses of as much as $400,000 — "a highly unusual perk in municipal politics, a world not typically associated with lavish pay," the Times reports. But after defeating Democratic rival Bill Thompson by just 4.6 percentage points, campaign workers are starting to worry about paltry bonuses.

Apparently, today's a bad day to be the richest and most powerful person in New York City. In the wake of last night's not-as-big-as-predicted victory over Democrat Bill Thompson, the press has decided that Mayor Bloomberg's easy days are behind him. The Times thinks that for the first time in years, the mayor "finds himself governing New York City from a most unaccustomed vantage point: Vulnerability" — a fact that "could have profound implications for the tenor of a third Bloomberg term, not least that it is likely to hinder the mayor’s well-honed ability to cow Democrats and liberal interest groups."

Though the end result of last night's mayoral election doesn't come as much of a surprise, the closeness of the race shocked a lot of onlookers. After running a record-breaking $100 million campaign that won major endorsements and blanketed the city in nearly non-stop advertising, Mayor Bloomberg defeated the underfunded Democratic candidate Bill Thompson by only 5 percent of the vote, winning with 51 percent to his rival's 46. This comes after polls from the days before the election predicted Bloomberg ahead by double digit — some even anticipating a win almost as large as his 20 percent victory in 2005. The pollsters might have some explaining to do.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg won his controversial third term by beating Comptroller William Thompson by a much smaller than predicted margin. See the updates below for how the election night unfolded.

     

After being greeted by a 21-gun salute, the warship built from World Trade Center steel USS New York is back home. A New Yorker who knows the harbor better than anyone else, not to mention the pain of Sept. 11, guided it into the city. Harbor pilot Neil Keating, whose firefighter brother Paul was killed on Sept. 11, pulled the warship into place this morning. He told the Post, "It's fitting that 7.5 tons of Twin Towers steel were used to make the bow, because that's where the ship takes a pounding and keeps trudging forward through roughs seas. We're like ambassadors when we go on board."

Now that we solved that whole tax credit deficit problem, there's a new worry for the filmmakers who want to point their lens at New York City. Crain's reports that "the latest shock to the industry is a plan by the city to charge the largest fees in the nation for filming in its buildings [$3,200/day]. The Mayor's film office is also drawing up plans to charge for its famous free permits. Even more troubling, the city's tax incentive program is out of money and in the process of being scaled back, and the state is in negotiations over whether to renew its tax incentives." Well, that's an exhausting list.

The NYPD may have time to ticket folks drinking a non-life-threatening lager on their stoop, but they are way too busy to ticket jaywalkers. At least, that's what Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday, suggesting New Yorkers practice common sense when crossing the street illegally.

Since 1993, the city's Health Department has been giving out fast food restaurant coupons to TB patients, as an incentive to get them to return to clinics for six-month treatment programs. It's a bit awkward, because this is the same Health Department that's launched an aggressive, multi-pronged public health campaign to educate consumers about junk food. Start the countdown for the first lawsuit from a TB patient who contracts diabetes!

As previously mentioned, Mayor Bloomberg is now facing two NYC waterways becoming potential Superfund sites; the Gowanus Canal and more recently Newtown Creek. While supporters of the Superfund status say that Bloomberg is making a political decision where he should be making a scientific one, the mayor recently tried to explain his motive$, saying: "Better we can find developers that can put the money in and pay for the cleanup right now because they will get a benefit of being able to develop the land around there."

There's no stopping Mayor Bloomberg from buying another term, so it's not like he has to win anybody's approval. Still, it's nice to see he's at least making an effort, rolling out the campaign promises just like any other average Joe politician. In an Op-Ed in one of the tabloids today, Bloomberg asks, "How would you like to use your mobile device to see a map of available parking spaces in your neighborhood—and also use it to pay your meter? Or how about getting a text message as your meter is about to expire, so you can get back to your car before getting a ticket?" It's a start... but can these new meters give us back rubs too, like the ones in Japan?

The latest Quinnipiac poll put Bloomy's approval ratings at 69%, and holding a strong 52-36 lead over the Democrat William Thompson. In an interview with Gothamist, asked what it would take to unseat the billionaire, former DNC chair Howard Dean replied, "Term limits."

Is another transit strike looming on the horizon? Yesterday over 350 furious transit workers took to the streets outside MTA headquarters in protest, some carrying signs like the one seen here. The employees are outraged over an ongoing contract dispute with the MTA board, whose decisions are heavily influenced by the Mayor. The MTA is refusing to accept a plan to raise the hourly pay rate by more than 11 percent over three years; the deal was reached through arbitration in August, but now the MTA is asking a judge to toss it out, claiming that the panel "made legal and factual mistakes." The raises would cost the MTA 350 million dollars.

    

Today the Museum of Chinese in America welcomed Mayor Bloomberg to speak and participate in traditional Chinese eye-dotting ceremony as they unveiled their new facility, designed by Maya Lin. A little more on that eye-dotting: "According to Chinese custom, dabbing red ink onto the eye of a large, dancing dragon or lion brings the creature to life. It is a tradition for dignitaries to perform this ceremony at the launch of a new institution to signify that it has sprung into being." In other words, this is way cooler than a ribbon cutting.

Mayor Bloomberg announced that the NYPD was going to create a footwear database to quickly decode shoe treads and people's walking patterns. Go to the Post article for the info, as well as all the predictable puns about gumshoes, shoe-ins, soles, etc.

Bloomberg LP is sniffing around for new acquisitions in business media. And now they have placed a bid to buy Businessweek, according to Jon Fine of Businessweek itself (via Fishbowl NY). It's not certain that the sale will actually be completed, but Fine notes that Bloomberg LP is "viewed as a company with both the resources to outbid most other comers and also one that has an existing infrastructure that many BusinessWeek operations can be folded into." He points out that Bloomberg LP has in excess of $5 billion in revenue annually, and more than "2,350 journalists -- or around 15 percent more than the combined staffs [of] The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal."

The latest Marist poll puts Bloomberg ahead of Thompson 50% to 39%, 10% undecided. The eleven-point lead is in line with previous polls, so it looks like winning the primary didn't help Thompson out that much. But there's still six weeks until election day!

Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg stepped back from a plan to make smoking in public parks and beaches illegal, cautioning that the proposal would stop short of completely outlawing smoking on Parks Department property. Bloomberg boasted at a press conference, "Nobody is more of a believer in saving lives and stopping smoking. In fact, we already ban smoking, for example, in playgrounds." However! "There's also the practical aspect of how we can enforce it. Our Police Department has enough to do. They can't be going around giving tickets." Not with all those photographers and superheroes on the loose, anyway. The mayor explained that the ban would not cover entire parks, only select areas where large crowds might gather. He also acknowledged that if you, the embattled smoker, are "sitting in the middle of Sheep Meadow and you’re the only one there, are you doing any damage to anybody other than killing yourself? Probably not." At the same time, Bloomberg reaffirmed his tough anti-smoking stance: "Make no mistake about it. This city is not walking away from our commitment to make it as difficult and as expensive to smoke as we possibly can." So smoke 'em while you can still (barely) afford 'em.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler predicts the FAA's new rules for the Hudson River air corridor will make the situation worse, and Senator Chuck Schumer says the FAA needs to "go back to the drawing board." On Wednesday the FAA released its redesign plan, which, as you surely know, was prompted by the August 8th collision between a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter. While the new rules call for reorganizing air traffic over the Hudson into three separate altitude corridors, some critics still want air traffic controllers to start managing all flights over the Hudson. Currently pilots flying under 1,100 feet and over the river avoid each other simply by looking out the cockpit window; that "see and avoid" method will continue, though augmented by enhanced radio communication between aircraft. Despite the fierce criticism, Mayor Bloomberg expressed lukewarm support for the changes yesterday, telling reporters, "I'm just not going to second guess [Administrator Randy Babbitt] or the FAA. I'll ride with whatever the FAA judgment is in terms of making the city safer." See, this is exactly the kind of bold, independent leadership you get when a mayor isn't beholden to the special Interests!

It's already illegal to drink in public, smoke in bars, and eat Jalapeno poppers without knowing how many calories you're consuming, and now Nanny Bloomberg wants to make it illegal to pack a piece while drunk. The mayor is proposing a local law that could put sodden gun holders behind bars for up to one year, and fine them up to $10,000. According to WNYC, nineteen states already have laws prohibiting gun possession by intoxicated individuals, and some states go so far as to revoke gun permits from people with drinking problems. But after all that, is there even anyone left who can legally carry a gun? Earlier this year the New York State Assembly floated a bill that would suspend or revoke the firearm license of anyone in possession while drunk; Bloomberg's proposal would use the same definition of intoxicated as the legal limit for driving. The Mayor says, "If you are in a bar and you see somebody intoxicated and think they might have a gun I know what I would do, I'd either leave that bar or call the cops. I don't want to get shot."

Mayor Bloomberg, you really won some votes talking about bringing back the Brooklyn trolleys, but you'd really win over the city if you allowed public drinking in parks. The NY Post reports that he recently addressed the no-drinking policy, saying, "I never understood why we don't let you drink in the park." However, he didn't show any signs that he'd be changing the policy, only saying, "We don't let you drink in the park. I mean, you go to watch the Philharmonic, you can't have a bottle of wine." In the past he has suggested that a bottle of wine while watching something akin to the Philharmonic is okay—something that was called out for being a classist sentiment. Recently Marty Markowitz was also supporting a form of drinking in public, after he was spotted with a glass of white on a stoop in Brooklyn (but he wasn't fined, like the Brooklynite drinking a beer was).

Mayor Bloomberg has laid down the official word on a rumored concert in Queens by the rapper he calls "50 Cents" [sic]. At a press conference he said the rapper "has no plans to perform whatsoever. He might go, but he's not going to perform." The surprise performance was supposed to take place later this month on Family Day at the P.S. 40 school (just blocks from where 50 Cent was nearly fatally shot in 2002). Prior to the attention this was given in the press yesterday, the rapper did have an ad on his website advertising the performance, which has since disappeared. The NY Post reports that the NYPD "were still under the impression as late as Friday that he would be performing—and had yet to be told otherwise even as of yesterday." When asked if he was going to the concert, the Mayor said, "I did not plan to go to the concert because I wanted to go see 50 Cents [sic] and will not get a chance to do that this time." Perhaps he should head to New Jersey the day before! Since, allegedly, the rapper won't be performing in Queens, the paper notes that he'll "bus neighborhood children to his performance at Six Flags amusement park on August 29th." Aw, underneath that bulletproof vest there's a heart of gold!

If only the Post could shed its righteous light on every injustice: After yesterday's scoop on the guy whose Mitsubishi was towed after the DOT moved a diplomats-only parking sign, the mayor himself has ordered a full refund! On Thursday morning Shavit Mekeiten parked his car on East 41st Street near the New Zealand Consulate, but later workers dug out the diplomats-only sign and moved it fifteen feet, rendering Mekeiten's spot illegal. Soon an NYPD tow truck hauled the car away, and Mekeiten had to pay the $185 tow fee plus a $95 ticket for not having diplomatic plates. After hearing about the incident yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg responded, "I think it is obvious that it is unfair for him to pay a ticket. So, you can rest assured he will be provided with a full refund and our apologies for the inconvenience." But what about all the unfair towing you don't read about in the tabloids? The City Council is actually considering a bill requiring city workers post signs notifying drivers about parking rule changes, but until then our only hope is the Post's constant vigilance.

In the wake of the fatal collision between a small fixed-wing airplane and a sightseeing helicopter, officials gathered today at the 30th Street Heliport on the west side to demand that the F.A.A. and the city ban tourism helicopter flights over the densest parts of Manhattan. Meanwhile, outside an East Harlem elementary school, Mayor Bloomberg said he was leaving the decision up to the F.A.A., telling reporters, "They don’t need me weighing in. They know certainly well what goes on there. They are professionals. I assume they’re going to wait until the National Transportation Safety Board to make its report and then they’ll make their decisions."

The Bloomberg camp is hoping some offensive remarks made by a disgruntled restaurateur about Council Speaker Christine Quinn will do some damage to city Comptroller Bill Thompson, a mayoral hopeful. Thompson—not Quinn—was present during an intimate meeting with small business owners at a Village restaurant on Wednesday morning. According to audiotape provided by the Bloomberg campaign to Politicker, Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett, the co-owner of the restaurant Tea and Sympathy, called Quinn "a whore, and you can quote me on that!" Okay! And during the ensuing laughter, Kavanagh-Dowsett added, "I'll drop my trousers, and she can kiss my ass." The tape does not record Thompson saying anything to denounce the remarks, and one witness tells the Post that "Thompson laughed with discomfort and shook his head while looking at an aide, and covered his ears for a brief moment." Kavanagh-Dowsett insists he won't apologize because he thinks Quinn, who works closely with Bloomberg, is anti-small business (and pro-prostitution?). Thompson's campaign issued a statement saying, "Bill has great respect for Speaker Quinn and believes the comments made yesterday—at a forum open to the public—were inappropriate and offensive."

After years of discussion, the City Council voted 44-2-1 in favor of rezoning Coney Island per the Bloomberg administration's plan for the 27-acre area, which includes hotels, retail shops, and a new roller coaster. And it looks like the city is working out a deal with Thor Equites' Joe Sitt, the developer who bought much of the land at Coney Island in hopes of his own ambitious hotel-amusement park plans.

Bad Idea Underwear! The Naked Cowboy (real name Robert Burck) is tossing his Stetson in the ring and planning to run for Mayor against Bloomberg. His platform, The Post reports, is "Bringing transparency to a whole new level." Sounds just like something a long hair would say. Sure, Burck has made a nice little business for himself in Times Square, but can he parlay that into a smart stimulus plan for small businesses (something he says will be part of his Mayoral package)? He also plans to bring innovative ideas to tax breaks, tourism, gay marriage, transit and homeland security. He declares, "No one knows how to do more with less than yours truly, and that's the kind of thinking I plan on sharing with my fellow New Yorkers when you elect me." He'll be making his official statement tomorrow in Times Square at 11 a.m. Would you vote for Naked Mayor?

You know who's not on board with the Health Department's plan to make tobacco retailers display graphic anti-smoking posters? The New York Post, that's who. The tabloid is sick of the government telling us what's bad for us all the time, and someone in Murdoch's stable has penned a cranky editorial about it, darkly wondering how far this health-nut meddling go: "What's next? Mandatory autopsy attendance?" There's also a rockin' allusion to The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again": "Meet the new Tom—same as the old Tom." That's a reference to Tom Farley, Mayor Bloomberg's replacement for ex-city Health Commissioner Tom Frieden, who recently joined the Obama administration. Farley's assistant promises that with this new anti-smoking campaign, "You're going to see what a blackened lung looks like. You're going to see what mouth cancer looks like. You're going to see what it looks like when you have throat cancer." Awesome, right? But to the Post, this is just a blatant power grab: "Mayor Mike and his new health commisar mean to festoon food stores with massive, disgustingly graphic images because they can, not because they should." Basically, it's 1939 all over again! First they came for the smokers...