How Much Political Capital Can a Mayor Risk in Budget Fixes?

Today's Times looks at how rapidly Mayor Bloomberg has moved from the controversial and dragged out term limits issue headfirst into proposing potentially unpopular solutions that would deal with the city's dire financial picture. The mayor's moves to take away the property tax rebate, cut city jobs, close low-income dental clinics and suggest new taxes not only make for strange actions from someone in an election year, but also are creating a strained relationship with City Council members who are up for re-election as well. Councilman Vincent Gentile told the paper, “People are just holding on by their fingertips. (They have) a tin ear when it comes to the concerns of everyday New Yorkers.” But Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler defended the moves, “It’s hard to argue that a mayor who is proposing fewer police officers and the elimination of a property tax rebate is making decisions based on politics, rather than the best interest of the city.”