Brooklyn elects it's first Mayor since 1892, Bill deBlasio!

I'm happy to report what you already know, Bill deBlasio is our new Mayor of New York City.

I didn't hate Bloomberg, (Hell I've actually go a photo of he and I shaking hands) but I often disagreed with his managerial style as it was too macro&micro view for me. Blanket policies worked in my opinion on bike lanes and pedestrian plazas, but failed to consider basic human rights as in "Stop & Frisk". So thanks to democracy we get to try a new way.

I've expected Mr. deBlasio to be our Mayor since this past August. But as recently as April I would have been stunned at yesterday's election result. I expected Speaker Quinn to be a stronger more able candidate. Nobody say Weiner coming. And what he did beside remarkably demonstrating it was possible to sink his public persona lower than it was after he disgraced himself out of congress, is remind optimistic liberals that we actually had a choice other than Ms. Quinn who many such as myself saw as a Bloomberg reboot. I think it's possible without Weiner entering, we could have just as easily had a Mayor Thompson or Quinn as deBlasio.

But we got what I and 72% of voting New Yorkers wanted, a clean break, a new guy, a new day.

I also find it very fascinating, (and someone who gets paid to write and explore these topics we'll surely pick up on this) that Brooklyn largely voted this Mayor in. A Brooklyn local, diBlasio's strong showing in Brooklyn during the primary provided protection against the wide field of candidates against him. Liu took most Asian neighborhoods, Quinn took most of Manhattan below Central Park, Thompson did well in Manhattan above as well as in Queens, and Carrion diluted the vote in the Bronx. But none of those groups could overcome the Brooklyn base that came out for diBlasio.

In yesterday's voting diBlasio continued to carry Brooklyn winning over 80% of the Kings County vote.

So much is appropriately and stupidly attributed to Brooklyn. The yawn-going conversation about whether we're the "New Manhattan" or whether someplace hundreds of miles away is the "New Brooklyn" (I'm looking at you Dutchess County, give it a rest) never seems accurately describe the actual impact Brooklyn has as an incubator of new city culture, and vault for treasured NYC tradition. but in this moment when Brooklyn is so central that we rate a Presidential visit, it seems spot on that Brooklyn has elected it's first Mayor* since 1892 and the time of Brooklyn Mayor Frederick W. Wurster.

(*btw I know Giuliani was born in Brooklyn, but Staten Island voted him in the first time. I ain't claiming him and I doubt I'm alone.)

Not to be out done, another Brooklynite, Councilwoman Leticia "Tish" James has quietly become the 1st African-American woman elected to city-wide office in New York City and by her position as the new Public Advocate, she becomes 2nd in line for Mayor of New York. Fantastic!

And last but by no means least, the vote for Brooklyn District Attorney. Who's going to police the police and prosecute those who break laws, you can argue it hasn't been out going Bklyn DA Hynes (who thought he was so nice we had to vote him out twice) but going forward it's no question, our new Brooklyn District Attorney is Ken Thompson and I believe he will work hard for the benefit and protection of law abiding Brooklynites.

"Manhattan keeps on making it, Brooklyn keeps on taking it"

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

New York Keeps Running and that's a good thing.

(Wrote this on Friday 11/ 2, had some technical issues preventing me from publishing (nothing tragic) but I stand by this even and especially in light of the type of criticism the Marathon received and it's cancellation)

Friday, Nov 2nd:


Cancelling the Marathon doesn't remove water from people's homes, lift trees off of houses and cars, repair roofs, return electricity to the hundreds of thousands without it. Deliver vital medicine to those with chronic illness or sadly raise the dead. Beat cops do not conduct disaster relief missions. Currently relief efforts are underway it's a shame that they were not there sooner, just as its

equally a shame that people who didn't take two days of evacuation orders and open shelters and near by higher ground were not willing or able to use them. Should evacuation failures be investigated and improved, definitely. Cancelling the Marathon doesn't do that. Should available resources from the marathon go to survivors I think so, should the proceeds of the marathon go to survivors, i think a chunk should at least.

Should people get booted from hotels for marathoners? Hell no! Give the runners trailers or something, they're only here for a few hours, but does cancelling an event that arguably focuses the city and to a degree the nation's focus on New York at a time when many New Yorkers need all the attention and assistance they can get, improve conditions for hurricane survivors? I don't think so.

 

The Marathon should be used to increase attention and aid to people in need, so regular people who've focused their lives on this event can be given the opportunity to run for something bigger than personal achievement. Let's make that happen. The Marathon has run through Harlem, Spanish Harlem & the South Bronx for 40 years and in that time child mortality rates in those areas have rivaled 3rd world nations. Economic, educational and environmental suffering has existed in those marathon run through neighborhoods for years as well. Yet there's never been a huge outcry that the marathon is being run while people suffer. Quitting the marathon doesn't miraculously fix things.

When we fall we get up. When people fall we think it's right to give compassion and we hope that compassion will be there if we ever need. I think people should be helped when they fall. all people. but when we fall we don't make progress but asking the people standing to lay down.

My two cents.

 

(As I was writing this word came in that the Marathon would be cancelled, the following then came to mind)

I blame Bloomberg but not for a failed response to the Hurricane. Personally I think people need to go back and look at the days preceding that terrible storm and look at what and how Bloomberg did to prepare New Yorkers of the disaster to come. There were two days of warnings that people in the flood zone (Evacuation Zone A) were in danger and needed to leave to be safe.

 

Shelters were opened. Evacuation instructions were given. Warnings were made.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121029/new-york-city/where-find-shelter-closest-you

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121028/new-york-city/heres-what-do-if-you-live-hurricane-evacuation-zone

So what do I blame Bloomberg for? His style of leader ship for more than a decade, which in and of itself is part of the problem. He broke the rules, bending them from illegal to legal for his own desire, and said it was for our betterment. He's made dozens of changes to our city, often against public opinion and ignored most grievances saying essentially it's for our betterment.

I blame Bloomberg for squandering his clout and the goodwill of New Yorkers such that anything he does is now likely to be greeted with scorn. A Mayor, a leader, who engendered good will of his constituents could have presented an event like the Marathon as a way for New Yorkers and the world (by way of the international cast of competitors) to give to the hurricane survivors. 

As of last weekend most people in outside of Staten Island wouldn't know where or how to get to Staten Island right after the disaster, or who to help. People didn't know how to reach out and some New Yorkers didn't have a direct connection to the tragedy in Staten Island, Breezy Point, Rockaway and the Lower East Side but you know what does reach Millions of New Yorkers? The marathon, which is why i feel it could'a been and could still be a way for people to help. 

 

On the street level it almost all volunteers, runners could have been designated as representatives for stricken communities. rest stops could have been set up as donation points, the proceeds or at least a sizable chunk could have been donated to the disaster relief.

The NFL continued with the Giant's game in New Jersey less than 20 miles from the destruction zones. They used the game to honor 1st responders, donate to the survivors and encourage more donations and awareness.

A better leader who would have been able to show and connect us to the ties that bind us as people and New Yorkers instead of stubbornly plowing ahead as our communities frayed.

NYC Mayoral election 09 - An admission

Watching the sun go down on Change.

Yesterday morning my first thought when I learned Bloomberg was reelected Mayor by a 5 point margin (basically squeaking into office more like an ambitious rat than a financial wizard) first thing I wondered was who to blame. Of course I blamed Bloomberg for running a campaign that was more of a purchase than an anything else. And then I gave some time to the what had been been and could have beens, which is when I began blaming Obama for the way I felt he fostered doubt in the form of neglect for contender Bill Thompson.

But eventually this morning I brought it home. We don't like to hear it, but it's the fault of any New Yorker who has a problem with the way things are and yet voted to prolong the problem or worse didn't vote at all. I'm sure you know self-incrimination is not concept we're excited by. Not as New Yorkers, not as Americans. It's not an attractive concept.

An attractive concept is that we are a nation of rules and principals. That we stand for something good and right. But at times some of us are too often willing to be very human and ignore the rules and our principals if we think there is something in it for us. And then worse, sometimes we close our eyes and pretend invisible.

A majority of voting New Yorkers decided it was okay to let our principals slip, and let Bloomberg get away with causing of a lapse in our democratic process.

We gave up on ourselves and so from this point on if Bloomberg fails anyone in this third dynasty turn, it wont be as much as what we the unprincipled and or apathetic have failed in ourselves.

I can't help thinking of that saying, that "Americans get the president we deserve" (based on our actions, which was brought up often in describing the Bush presidency as a reflection of the citizenry). This (and whatever may come) is what we get. The blame is not Bloomberg's for running a third time, the blame is ours for getting out of his way.

"Shovel Ready ""This is only a Test"

Well the local Main Stream Media (MSM to the bloggies) has been all a flutter with Bloomy's proposal to effectively shutdown Broadway in Times Square in favor of a Ramblas styled public space. People are pissed and the press is eating it all with aplomb and a ladle but fear not Bloomy's minions express, "this is only a test" and will be reversed if it causes a trip down midtown to be timed with an hourglass.

Meanwhile here at BrooklynBorn Blog, I felt the bug of spring cleaning (really the lingering nag of New Years Upgrades undone) and I too have made drastic changes. You may (but as most designers fear may not) notice there are changes to this very blog. Where once there were two columns, now there are three. This should give you more info to pick like the succulent ripe from my musings are, without having to scroll around so damned much.

I've also added one of those cool "label clouds" as I learned they are called, which basically displays past topics in order of how many posts are written about those topics. The biggest sized labels have the biggest size, lesser written about topics have a smaller size. Plus a few additions I added months ago that never took, suddenly came to life with this redesign. And finally, just to plea for appreciation I will tell you that it took hours to revise, rewrite and otherwise screw with alot of techie javascript, xml, and wierdo-webpage code to bring this to life, and hopefully make your experience reading the BrooklynBorn Blog more pleasing. So don't said I never did ya nuthing.

Overall the pages as a result should be neater and I'd like to know what you think. Feel free to hate my overlord machinations because after all, "this is only a test".