NY Mayoral Election

[Guest RushNY]

Guys,now Mike Bloomberg is mayor-elect id be interested from you guys here in NY and elsewhere what your thoughts are,i voted for the guy myself even though he had the backing of Mayor Rudy,but i believe that he is the type of guy we need to get this city back on its feet after 9/11,we are facing a big crisis here with all the lay offs and a multi billion dollar rebuilding program,and i think that if he can use some of his business savvy to help then he is the right guy,But i think we can do without the cracks along the lines of its more dangerous being a sanitation worker than a fireman or police officer.

[Damascene]

I voted for Green reluctantly. I don't believe either Green or Bloomberg will have a great difference in the economic recovery of the city. Economic trends tend to be cyclical and the state of the nation is a bigger influence than who is mayor.

 

I voted for Green, because he has a strong history of backing the LGBT community. I nearly didn't because of his negative ads and his treatment of Latino community in the campaign.

 

Is a career politician better than a businessman with no political experience? I don't know. I lay odds that he'll be out in 4 years and

I would have put the same odds if Green won.

[BuckyXTC]

Being that I live in Jersey, I had no vote in this election, but guess my leanings were toward Mark Green, who has done a lot for average New Yorkers and "the little guy" through his efforts at public advocacy and consumer protection. I can also see the possibility that Mike Bloomberg's business success may provide some much needed skills and contacts for what NYC is facing at the present and forseeable future. Being mayor of NYC can't be an easy job under present circumstances, so maybe they were both crazy to seek the job. I don't know. I do wish Mr. Bloomberg well, and hope he can do what needs to be done. Such a close election hardly amounts to a mandate to govern. He's definitely got his work cut out for him.

 

In the gubernatorial race in New Jersey, we seem to have been faced with a choice between "the evil of two lessers". I held my nose and voted for Jim McGreevey, because I couldn't stomach the thought of another right-wing dim-bulb like Schundler at the helm. That said, "Skeevy McGreevey" has been way too connected to State Senator Ray Lesniak, whose name has been synonomous with corruption where I live. Increasingly, I rarely find that I'm voting for someone anymore, but usually against somewhere who is scarier by degree.

[Guest RushNY]

I know what you mean about he 'evil of two lessers'as you put it but i think the biggest problem Mayor-elect Bloomberg will have is that the whole country not just us New Yorkers will be looking for him to hit the ground running from the day he is sworn in,there are gonna be some serious problems for him to sort out,my BF voted for Bloomberg as well just because of what Greene said about Ferrer being in Al Sharptons pocket,i mean this guy's been around for a long time and still comes out with stuff thats gonna piss off a LOT of people(i mean can you imagine-well Mr Greene say something thats gonna piss off one of the biggest minority communities in the city,thats the way to win an a election-i mean jeez talk about foot in mouth ).Overall i think the elections went ok-for me the two guys i voted for in the elections for Borough Prez and City Council got elected.

P.S-I wonder how long after he steps down will Mayor Rudy announce his book deal-i give it a month-tops

[Guest exFratBoy]

I voted for Bloomberg too.

Green gave me the creeps- I'm always suspicious of career politicians, and Green has a rep for being nasty and arrogant and divisive.

But more importantly, Bloomberg got elected because he spent all his own money. And that means he won't be beholden to any unions or ethnic groups or large corporate donors the way Green would have. (That's the main advantage of noblesse oblige: you don't have to suck up to people so they'll give you money to run your campaign.) And since the next mayor is going to have to make major budget cuts, I felt Bloomberg was in a better position to make cuts in a way that makes sense.

And it's not like he's a right wing Republican- he switched parties to run, and is probably more liberal than most Democrats in Congress.

[Guest sacfcr]

Alright, I don't live in NY any more. But I try to keep up with the overall political scene there. In a way, I feel like its still my "home" and I'm (self)expatriated in Tucson.

 

All that being said, I think Bloomberg's election is depressing, particularly when term limits have left the City with nothing but amateur politicians in office. Granted, B used to be a "liberal" Democrat but it's sad that the Mayor's office can be literally and very directly bought. Buying your way into ofice is hardly new, but I think the danger is LESS not more when interest group intermediaries are involved. So-called interest groups are in fact largely groupings of people that would otherwise be ignored. Still sadder is the idea that a relatively sophisticated group of voters would accept the ludicrous premise that success in making money for oneself is any indication of an elected official's ability to govern and consider any one else's interests.

 

Still, at least it wasn't the odious Trump and probably reflects post-trauma stress and the current, well-deserved, veneration of Rudy.

 

Just an opinion from an ex-homeboy.

[Guest exFratBoy]

> So-called interest groups are in fact largely

>groupings of people that would otherwise be ignored.

 

Some of them. But I doubt that the corporations (and their lobbyists) who donate large sums in response for preferential treatment would be ignored. Democrats tend to get trapped by unions and ethnic demagogues, Republicans by unscrupulous corporations and right-wing demagogues. Either way, the rest of us lose.

[Guest CraigSF39]

businessmen have had a long history of being good politicians.

There wasn't supposed to be anything as "professional politician" as the Founders saw it. Elected officials were supposed to be regular citizens who served for a few years, then returned to normal life. There was no such thing as a dick gephart then.

 

Nobody "bought" any election. Sure, Bloomberg spent more, but non-politicians have to becuase they aren't as knonw as politiicans like Green. And its very patronizing of you to say that he bought the election as though voters had no free will.

 

a crucial challnege facing NY is to find a way out of this multi-billion dollar economic mess. Who better to do that but a very successful businessman used to dealing with billion dollar problems?