Results tagged “bloomberg”

Well, look at that: Former City Councilman David Yassky has been named head of the Taxi and Limousine Commission by Mayor Bloomberg, who is now serving his third term as mayor—a position made possible by Councilman Yassky's vote to extend term limits. Yassky, whose district included the progressive neighborhoods of Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights when he served on the City Council from 2002 to 2009, paid a price at the polls for his term extension position when he ran for Comptroller. But all that's forgotten now; he'll be making $192,198 as TLC head. In his radio address, Bloomberg didn't mention the term extension vote, but noted that Yassky "led the way in introducing hybrid taxis to the city." more ›

"It's been a disaster. It is one of these massive computer projects that very seldom ever is successful," said Bloomberg. Comptroller John Liu hopes the city can finally stop spending on the new-fangled system. "If the mayor is finally aware of all the problems with CityTime, that's a good sign, because we can't afford to waste any more money on it." According to the Daily News, more than a dozen consultants employed by Office of Payroll Administration Director Joel Bondy, the project's actual boss, made over $300,000 each last year. more ›

Though the "Snowacane" is in full effect, New York City public schools will be open tomorrow, according to Mayor Bloomberg. After preemptively closing schools before the "Snowpocalypse"—awarding students their third snow day in the past six years—Bloomberg announced this afternoon that city schools will remain open on Friday. In a statement to 1010WINS that leaves just enough doubt for students to feel disappointed right now, and again tomorrow morning, he said: "My hope is that the snow will stay to the north and west of us and we'll just have rain, our kids need another school day ... We will cancel school only if it really would be dangerous to get the kids into school and get them home." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg announced today that starting April 1st, all parades must shorten their traditional routes by 25% and keep the festivities under five hours. The Daily News reports that this is a cost cutting measure, which would save the police about $3.1 million and keep them from cutting counterterrorism measures. Plus we're sure anyone living on 5th Avenue will be glad for some peace and f&#*ing quiet. more ›

Rather than building new affordable homes in the city, Bloomberg now wants to spruce up those that already exist. His revamped plan will cost $8.5 billion and seeks to preserve 165,000 units by 2014. One Bed-Stuy housing development would have been a good candidate for the program, until it called a press conference to address its long list of complaints and the repairs were miraculously completed. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” said Cassandra Harrell, the president of the Bed-Stuy Rehabs’ resident association, who has lived in the project for 27 years. “They put up Sheetrock, they painted the walls, they knew the press was coming.” more ›

Despite his newly minted status in the party (before 2007 he was a Republican, before 2001 a Democrat), Independents want Mayor Bloomberg as their presidential candidate in 2012! The chairman of the party's Minnesota branch—the very same that helped raise WWF champ Jesse "the Body" Ventura to the governorship—has asked that the NY mayor give "serious consideration" to a White House run. "The two-party system has catastrophically failed America," said Jack Uldrich. "America needs a serious, credible independent to right our sinking ship and get it back on track to a prosperous future." more ›

Most people think teachers are underpaid and poorly provided for, but not all of them are. Records show that 738 former NYC educators get city pensions of more than $100,000/year (that includes some from city institutions of higher education). In total retired teachers get $3.8 in pension money, making them the biggest recipients of all of the cash-strapped city’s pension programs. "All the pension funds are ticking time bombs," said E.J. McMahon, a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute think tank. more ›

Testing of Greenpoint's groundwater has revealed contamination by dry cleaning chemical, with alarmingly high levels found under the corner of Kingsland and Norman Avenues, right by McGolrick Park. Investigators started testing the area in 2008, and despite resistance from homeowners, they traced the pollutants and are naming names: They say former businesses in the area, including Spic and Span Cleaners, Klink Cosmo Cleaners, and current businesses ACME Metal Works and ACME Steel and Brass Foundry are to blame. But what's a Greenpointer to do? more ›

The percentage of black students at New York City's best high schools has fallen over the past seven years, since the Mayor took control of public schools. Fewer black students attend seven of the eight public high schools that require entrance exams for admittance, while the number of African American students has stayed the same or fallen at 10 of the 12 schools where more than 90 percent of students graduate with Regents diplomas. more ›

With fires breaking out right and left—including one that originated in a furniture shop and wiped out a row of beloved mom-and-pop stores this weekend—Queens lawmakers are now saying there may not be time to make massive cuts to the FDNY. Mayor Bloomberg had previously proposed getting rid of 20 fire companies around the city, as well as those quaint street fire alarm boxes. According to NY1, Councilman Daniel Dromm and Assemblyman Jose Peralta say the Queens fire "proves the city needs to find a way to keep all of its firehouses open." Demolition crews are clearing out what's left of the eight businesses that were destroyed in Jackson Heights. Meanwhile, the city's other recent fire victims, especially those of a Brooklyn fire that killed five, continue to mourn and recoup from their losses. more ›

For all those New Yorkers at risk of foreclosure Mayor Bloomberg says, it's OK, you can pay your water bills late. His new program allows homeowners who already owe $1,000 in water bills to freeze their penalties and unpaid interest. The city will recoup the money when the properties are sold or refinanced, reports the Daily News. "What this is trying to do is to help people, not to bail out everyone. The city just can't do that," Bloomberg said. But daaad... more ›

Former terror trial supporter and current terror trial opponent Mayor Bloomberg asked the federal government to offer some kind of guarantee that it would cover the costs of bringing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspected 9/11 plotters to justice in New York City. According to the Washington Post, Bloomberg said he is skeptical "because a lot of times the federal government promises to pay and then the monies don't come." more ›

Following a barrage of exposés on the Department of Education's Rubber Room—a paid purgatory for union teachers booted from the classroom— Sen. Ruben Diaz of the Bronx slammed the system. "New York City must no longer permit a gift of several million dollars for incompetent former teachers who sit in the infamous 'rubber rooms,' drawing full salary while the Department of Education drags its feet and refuses to promptly address allegations of teacher misconduct and incompetence," said the Democrat in an angry statement to the Post. more ›

Days after a Brooklyn cop and a Queens politician accused the police of cooking its crime statistics, a survey of more than one hundred retired NYPD higher-ups showed that cops—who are under constant pressure to produce happy-looking stats—have routinely fabricated or manipulated their data, since the crime analysis system was put into place in 1995. And the statistics they produce are the very same that Bloomberg quotes when he says the city is safe, and getting safer every year. “Those people in the CompStat era felt enormous pressure to downgrade index crime, which determines the crime rate, and at the same time they felt less pressure to maintain the integrity of the crime statistics,” said John A. Eterno, one of the researchers and a former NYPD captain. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg was photographed yesterday wearing what appear to be hearing aids, but he refused to talk about the listening devices. While on a tour of the underground construction of the 7 train extension and later at a homeland security meeting, Bloomberg was spotted by the Daily News wearing flesh-colored devices in his ears that could be hearing aids, but also resemble ear plugs. Bloomberg—who turns 68 later this month—wouldn't talk about the hearing aids, and a mayoral spokesman declined to comment. According to 1010WINS, Bloomberg wasn't wearing anything in his ears at a press conference today, and when journalists asked him about hearing aids, he dodged the question, responding: "I couldn't hear what you had to say." more ›

With the May 16 trial date approaching, lawyers for the city and attorneys for thousands of 9/11 responders who say they got sick or injured after working at Ground Zero are apparently hurrying to reach a settlement. Though attorneys from both sides declined to comment on negotiations, Judge Alvin Hellerstein told the Times that "[t]here have been intensive discussions going on looking to settlements of individual cases and globally of all cases...The parties have been working very hard...The settlement is complicated." more ›

The primary, official purpose of the Broadway Pedestrian Plazas—which last May banned cars from seven blocks along Broadway in Times Square and Herald Square—was to relieve traffic congestion, because Broadway disrupts traffic where it intersects with other streets. (As part of the changes, Seventh Avenue was widened from three to four lanes at 45th Street.) But the dramatic transformation, which received razzing from some and raves from others, was always intended as a temporary pilot program, pending a DOT study on the traffic impact. It's now being reported that the study was completed a month ago, and the results are not what Mayor Bloomberg and the DOT had hoped. more ›

The long-awaited plans to turn Governors Island into a public space and convert the piers beneath the promenade in Brooklyn Heights into Brooklyn Bridge Park have been set back by a lengthy squabble between the city and the state. Last spring, Mayor Bloomberg said he wanted full control of both projects, which are currently being jointly developed by the city and the state. He even offered $300 million in funding to get the projects, but thanks to "bureaucratic BS at its finest," the two sides have yet to reach a deal. more ›

Alan Rosenfeld, a creepy butt-watching ex-teacher who was booted from the classroom in 2001, is actually a multimillionaire, thanks to a side business he runs from the Department of Education's infamous Rubber Room. For almost a decade he's collected double salaries, using his days in the Rubber Room to advise clients of his law practice. After yesterday's NY Post expose, the city is finally moving to fire him. "Conducting a business while working for the city is a serious violation of conflict-of-interest law," said DOE spokesman David Cantor. "We'll ask the special commissioner to investigate. If he recommends termination, we'll move to terminate." more ›

After hundreds protested last week as a Department of Education board moved to close 19 under-performing schools, the teachers union and NAACP are filing a lawsuit to reverse the decision. The union will argue that shuttering the schools violates state law because the decision fails to consider impact on the community. The NY NAACP signed on because the closures will hurt minority students, reported AP. But Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein are fighting back—they say the closings are warranted because the schools just aren't performing. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg's plan to help balance the budget by eliminating up to 20 fire companies and letting 500 of the city's 8,500 firefighters leave through attrition would bring about the most dramatic reorganization of the fire department since the 1970s. "If we have to close 20 companies, which is a 6 percent reduction in the number of companies we have, it is going to tax us," said new FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano. "It is certainly the most challenging thing we have faced in decades." more ›

What with being slammed as racist and losing funding for 16 fire houses the FDNY is having a tough year so far and street alarm boxes are next up on the chopping block. Bloomberg’s rationale? "In the days where everybody has cell phones ... the city would be just as safe without them." The mayor might have a point: 85 percent of the time people use the street boxes to make prank calls and out of 26,666 structural fires last year, only 140 were reported from the phones, reported the Daily News. Getting rid of them would also save the department $2.5 million (still only half of what Anderson Cooper’s historic fire house cost). Other cities like Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago have already trashed their boxes, so what’s stopping New York? Before eradicating the outdated system it will have to come up with a new way for the deaf to quickly contact authorities. more ›

An Obama official confirmed rumors yesterday that the administration is dropping Manhattan as the trial site for alleged terrorists who helped plan 9/11. The wind-down began earlier this week when Mayor Bloomberg started whining about the cost of the trials, while simultaneously announcing massive cuts to the city’s budget including to its jobs sector. The trials—which he once hailed as a powerful symbol for New Yorkers—would cost $1 billion, more than the cash-strapped city can afford. Soon, community boards, downtown residents and Gov. Paterson all withdrew support, and now Obama lackeys say he’s “considering other options.” more ›

Under Mayor Bloomberg's proposed budget, 20 fire companies would close, 834 city workers would lose their jobs, and thousands wouldn't get raises. The Mayor's budget calls for shutting down four more firehouses than he requested to close last year (City Council rescued them last year) and firing 299 libraries employees, 186 workers at cultural institutions, and 141 Health Department staffers. Police, firefighters, sanitation workers or corrections department workers would be spared from layoffs. more ›

With cuts for 16 fire houses, the mayor's budget is expected to leave many firefighters out in the cold—but newsman Anderson Cooper is just moving in. The NY Post reported that Cooper will soon take up residence in the century-old Greenwich Village fire house he purchased in September. With the help of conversion architect Cary Tamarkin, the globe-trotting CNN anchor will have the place homey in no time, though he plans to keep its brass poles and historic facade. No projections have been made of how much the residential conversion will cost, but the building's original price tag was $4.3 million. Now how many actual fire houses could that fund? more ›

NY traffic casualties are down to their lowest since 1910, but watch out if you drive a Toyota (or are walking near one). Sticky gas pedals are causing the cars to speed out of control—now, after two recalls in the past two months the car company says it will stop making and selling eight models including favorites like the Camry and Corolla. The world's top automaker will temporarily halt operations at five plants "to assess and coordinate activities." Meanwhile, there are 2.3 million vehicles that need to be recalled. Toyota's vice-president called the action "necessary," adding that he's "making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible." more ›

Following his interview with Ecorazzi, Gov. David Paterson's stance on carriage horses has caught the attention of PETA, who gave it a Purr in their "Purrs & Grrs" print column. Paterson says the industry needs to treat the horses better, or the tourist trap should be phased out completely—his spokeswoman explained that the horses often suffer under difficult work and stable conditions... but also acknowledges that they are important to tourism and the "fabric of New York City's culture." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg blasted Governor Paterson's proposed budget as overly harsh on New York City and urged Albany to give "New York City a fair deal." Under Paterson's $134 billion budget, Bloomberg says the city would have to fire 18,500 employees including 8,500 teachers, 3,150 police officers, and 1,050 firefighters. "Such budget cuts would inevitably damage the quality of life in the city that drives the economy of the entire state. It's in your power to prevent many of those dire consequences—simply by giving the people of New York City a fair deal," Bloomberg said. more ›

In a State of the City address crafted for a recession era, Mayor Bloomberg said he will reduce government spending, streamline city agencies, and assist debt-ridden New Yorkers by establishing a $10 million fund to help refinance mortgages, and starting a new banking program that will offer accounts with no minimum balances or hidden fees. "The city can't manage anyone's personal finances but we can make it easier for New Yorkers to manage their own — and we will," he said. more ›

Ushering in a more touchy-feely approach to juvenile delinquency, Mayor Bloomberg will make the city's Department of Juvenile Justice part of its child welfare agency. The announcement, which came in this afternoon's state of the city address, signals that the new administration intends to put fewer kids behind bars. more ›