NY Observer > Michael Bloomberg

Bloomberg on the City's Priorities

Azi Paybarah — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:22:44 -0400

At a press conference earlier today, Michael Bloomberg pushed back against Chuck Schumer’s suggestion that building Moynihan Station should take precedence over developing the West Side rail yards.
read more »

It’s Bloomberg vs. Schumer on Moving Moynihan Station Forward [UPDATED]

Eliot Brown — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:14:56 -0400

Mayor Bloomberg pushed back against a pet initiative of Senator Schumer's today, saying the city “would never agree” to the Port Authority taking over the troubled Moynihan Station project.

Since March, Senator Schumer has been an outspoken proponent of moving the project under the purview of the Port Authority, saying the bi-state agency has the experience and the capability to complete the long-stalled project. Governor Paterson has supported the idea and said the move is likely, though some legislators are against it.

This morning Mr. Schumer tried to push the idea further, saying at a Crain’s New York breakfast that the state’s development agency, which currently has authority over the project, “is not capable of being a major development agency here.”

Shortly after, responding to questions from reporters, Mayor Bloomberg said, effectively, thanks but no thanks. read more »

Bloomberg Maintains 'Maintain' Means Lie, Or Something

John Koblin — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:17:12 -0400

A Verb Michael Bloomberg Doesn't Like

Azi Paybarah — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:45:30 -0400

Here's the mayor, during a City Hall press conference about a new way of processing juvenile court cases, taking issue with Newsday reporter Michael Frazier's use of the word "maintain" in a question about the Sean Bell case.

Bloomberg on Hillary Clinton's Dream

Katharine Jose — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:35:13 -0400

In case you missed it, here (courtesy of Em Whitney) is a bit of Michael Bloomberg's Friday interview with the BBC in which he explains his opinion that the long Democratic primary is bad for John McCain:

Although journalists on this side of the Atlantic have more or less stopped asking the question, Michael Bloomberg was once again pressed for his position on presidential politics during an interview with BBC Newsnight last Friday. read more »

Bloomberg on Rail Yards: M.T.A. and Tishman Should Play Nice, Work Things Out

Eliot Brown — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:10:54 -0400

Speaking from London earlier today, Michael Bloomberg said the deal for the West Side rail yards was still alive, and called on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to work out its differences with Tishman Speyer and come to an agreement. The M.T.A. said it reached an impasse with Tishman Speyer yesterday.

“These projects are phenomenally complex—they have lots of different layers of government involved,” Mr. Bloomberg said, speaking to reporters. “My hope is that the state government, really the M.T.A. in this case, can get together and solve the problems that they have and that Tishman Speyer has so that they can come together. But I don’t think it’s the least bit fair or accurate to say that anything’s dead.”

What a Waste

Steve Cohen, Executive Director, Columbia University’s Earth Institute — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:20:21 -0400

Earlier this week, New York Times reporter Felicity Barringer filed an excellent story on San Francisco’s successful waste management strategy.

The story discussed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s zeal for keeping garbage out of landfills. Currently, his city keeps 70 percent of its disposable garbage out of landfills.

You might think that would be enough, but it’s not. He is about to propose legislation to mandate recycling of cans, bottles, paper, yard waste and food scraps. If you don’t recycle, the city won’t pick up the rest of your garbage.

How much of New York City’s waste is kept out of landfills? About 30 percent. Of course, that puts us ahead of Boston at 16 percent and Houston at less than 3 percent. read more »

Take a Deep Breath

Observer Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:59:10 -0400

It’s hard to see how any city can thrive without clean air. And while New York City is still a long way from becoming the Beijing of the United States—the Chinese capital has had to spend $17 billion to get its air within a barely acceptable range for Olympic athletes—a new report from the American Lung Association places the city within the top 10 most polluted cities in the United States.

The association lists New York’s air quality as “dangerous,” with high ozone levels, and sees a resulting increase in risk for heart disease and lung cancer. read more »

A Lean, But Not Mean, Budget

Observer Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:58:07 -0400

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s $59.1 billion budget is a model of discretion and restraint, the sort of document one wishes former Governor Eliot Spitzer would have presented last January. Unlike the former governor, the mayor understands that government must adjust to economic reality, and that reality is, for the time being, grim.

“We are living beyond our means,” the mayor said when he released the proposed budget on May 2. No politician enjoys saying those words, so when they are uttered, attention must be paid. Mr. read more »

The Police Will Play Their Last and Final Show in New York

Irina Aleksander — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:50:47 -0400

Appearing at a conference with Mayor Bloomberg this morning, The Police announced that their final show—no, really this time—will take place in New York this summer. read more »