the talking dog

Our friend the Unseen Editor writes in to point out that few if any in the blogosphere, especially the big New Yawkah bloggers, have chimed in with an opinion on Lord Mayor Bloomberg's Charter Revision Proposal, notably the proposal to do away with partisan elections (as in Republican and Democrat lines on the ballot), effective 2009 (when he will not likely be running, and can't if he wins reelection in 2005). The Unseen Editor notes that (with all due respect to whoever might be doing it) there doesn't seem to be a good blog devoted to New York City politics (at least one we know about). I'll do my best on this occasion...
[Long post alert...]

Let me say this about Mayor Bloomberg: its good to be a billionaire. You don't have to worry about things, too much. Obviously, the City's finances are in nightmarish condition, and its not his fault (its the sainted Rudy Giuliani's fault, actually-- seriously), and he has to make some ridiculous choices, like closing firehouses and laying off City workers because, well, he has to. That said, when the People elect an official like the Mayor, they like to know that he takes his democratically elected duties seriously-- he "feels the pain" as it were. This, of course, can't happen when a Mayor choses to live in his townhouse because its nicer than the mansion provided by the taxpayers, or when the governing style is the dictatorial style reminiscent of the chief executive and founder of a giant privately held company (or of a martinet like... Rudy Giuliani). The fact is, though, the Lord Mayor is doing some strange things. After having gotten the coveted school system under his direct control, he goes ahead and hires Bill Clinton's DOJ antitrust chief to head it-- rather than say, a professional educator. OK-- but once you get the schools under your control, you will now be accountable for them, Mr. Mayor. What do you have in mind for them, huh? A smoking ban, perhaps? City finances are, as noted, a nightmare. Do you have a master plan for solving this calamity? As we worry about "terror", ordinary crime may make a come back: any grand strategy for that? Oh-- I see. The answer is, smoking bans and ending party-line elections (conveniently after you leave office). Nuh uh.

I personally voted for Bloomberg, because I felt that Mark Green had melted down to an uncomfortable degree during the campaign; I'm sorry for that-- I let emotion get in the way of my head at the time of the vote, as many New Yorkers did. On the other hand, it WAS just after 9-11, and Mark Green was running ads denouncing Bloomberg for pressuring someone (the mother of a child of his, perhaps?) to get an abortion, by saying "kill it, kill it, kill it,", and there was St. Rudy's endorsement and Al Sharpton/Freddy Ferrer's non-endorsement, and, well, Green was such a jerk, and you can read about in my September through November 2001 archives, if you care to. Green was hit by a perfect storm (9-11 and the rest of his own making).

The fact of the matter is that Mark Green is a jerk, yes, but he is also a professional politician, and he would have made a far better mayor than the bored billionaire we got now. This is really a very hard city to run-- it has a government that spends more money than any except the Federal government and all but two states (one of them being New York itself, I believe, the other California). Generally, our mayors have some experience in government (Koch and Lindsay were Congressmen; Beame was City Comptroller; Giuliani was U.S. Attorney; Dinkins was City Clerk and Manhattan Borough President.)

To say "I ran a successful business, I can do anything" just misses the mark. Running a government takes a skill set that is enhanced by experience (even the current President convinced everyone that being governor of a state first mattered, even if the Texas governorship is largely part time and ceremonial).
I wouldn't let Mike Bloomberg extract my wisdom teeth, or fix my transmission, or take out my appendix, or defend me in a legal action, or cut my hair-- all of those activities require a set of skills and experience-- why would we let him run our City? OK-- I said it, mea culpa. I voted for him, and I'm sorry about that.

Wheeeewwww.

O.K. Enough of the long ad hominem. I used it, though, because it tells me what to think of the Charter Revision proposal, specifically, the end of partisan elections. It would certainly end the Democratic Party's monopoly on City government; though I am a Democrat in this City, it does me little good if, say, I wanted to become a Civil Court Judge or a City Councilman, because everyone ELSE in the City (except its mayor) is a Democrat. The current system lays out whose rings I must kiss (and potentially whose "consulting firms I must hire") if I wish to pursue office within the Party (and if one is not running as a Democrat for any office below mayor, one will not win). Its a rotten, awful, largely corrupt system, and I don't like it. However...

The mayor's proposed changes conveniently benefit people like the mayor... i.e., rich dilettants who want to be elected to something. A party at least equalizes the money thing-- a poor shlub, with party backing, can win. Won't happen under the Mayor's proposed system-- where your own money (or incredible skill at fundraising under very arcane rules, but mostly, one's personal fortune if available) can buy that all-important name recognition.

But I digress.

This is the philosophical stuff of cities that are not amidst a series of existential crises. New York ain't such a place right now. Our economy is hurting badly (unemployment is up, and brilliant initiatives like the smoking ban in bars and restaurants that hurts tourism, one of New York's key industries, just makes it worse, and the stock market malaise hasn't been good either); our citizens live in vague fear of more terror strikes; costs here are absurd, and hikes in regulated apartment rentals, transit fares, property taxes, and everything else, coupled with reduced government services, don't help. Oh-- and for the most part, the schools are still problematic, and crime could quickly creep back up.

So why this Charter revision--now? As it is, thanks to the last round of City Charter revisions, most of the City Council has little or no experience (as council members can only serve two terms now). What is the Mayor thinking? This is a crass Republican move to be sure-- to take out the Democratic Party in its largest stronghold-- but why now? I don't think its because Bloomberg is a brilliant partisan tactician.

I think its because he's a billionaire who doesn't have to be bothered with details that millions of his constituents do, like how to stretch a paycheck to pay for food, rent, transportation and everything else while taxes and unemployment go up, up, up. There is certainly a time for "big picture" guys like that. A more seasoned politician would know that for New York right now, this ain't that time.

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July 21, 2003, All Politics is Local... and Everything is Beautiful... for Billionaires

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