New York – Marathon Runs Into Backlash But Mayor Says Race To Go On

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    An entrance to Central Park at 59th Street, along the New York City Marathon course, is closed off on Wednesday with all city parks shuttered in the wake of this week's historic storm.
(Photo: Beth J. Harpaz, AP)New York – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says Sunday’s marathon won’t divert resources from victims of Superstorm Sandy’s devastation.

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    Bloomberg responded to criticism of his decision to hold the race at a news briefing Thursday. He notes that electricity is expected to be back on in downtown Manhattan by Sunday, freeing up an “enormous number of police.”

    He says the sanitation workers and fire fighters who are aiding storm victims are not involved in the marathon. Race organizers have said they’ll use more private contractors than in past years to minimize the strain on city services.

    Bloomberg says “this city is a city where we have to go on.”


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    20 Comments
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    11 years ago

    Mr. Bloomberg, your leadership is a disgrace.
    People in Staten Island are strugling to survive but your priorties are the marathon and tickets.
    Shame on you.
    Its time for you to go.
    NYC looks like N Korea now. No gas or power but a rich dictator.

    sissel613
    sissel613
    11 years ago

    Mr. Bloomberg, you just never cease to astound me. I am not a runner and don’t particularly care about the marathon. I am sure it’s important to many people. But how could you? How could you? First of all you leave out an entire borough (yes, the last time I looked Staten Island was still part of NYC), but is this what’s important??? Can all those people who run really have their hearts in it? They should run through the devastation in Staten Island, in Sea Gate, in Breezy Point, in lower Manhattan. Besides lower Manhattan, have YOU gone anywhere, Mr. Mayor.? Have you toured the devastated areas? Have you spoken to the people outside Dumpsters from supermarkets looking and begging for food? You have time to worry about a marathon and endorsing Obama, but no time to go look and talk to people who have lost homes and loved ones, who are hungry, who have small children to worry about, the elderly who may need oxygen. . For shame, Mr. Mayor, for shame. I am so grateful that you won’t be our mayor for much longer. You totally embarrass me.

    basmelech
    basmelech
    11 years ago

    He’s got his priorities skewed. What benefit does the marathon have to anyone? It just gets in the way of traffic.

    Aloofknaz
    Aloofknaz
    11 years ago

    Downtown Manhattan does not have power or water…. Food supplies have dwindled…. Yea a Marathon sounds like a splendid idea……
    NOT

    Lokson-Dryer
    Lokson-Dryer
    11 years ago

    I agree that this is wrong of the organizers to have a marathon when thousandfs are left without a roof over their head, no food, no power.

    sasregener
    sasregener
    11 years ago

    The emperor has decreed. He is an embarrassement to all new yorkers. He should rot in hell

    DRE53
    DRE53
    11 years ago

    This whole marathon is one big meshugas to begin with. It’s no chidush to me that they’re so insensitive to the victims of Sandy.

    Hakuton
    Hakuton
    11 years ago

    As long as the runners don’t have Black Hats.

    speakup
    speakup
    11 years ago

    He is an unbelievable moron. This “marathon must go on” thing reveals everything you need to know about a rich, dumb, entitled, unfeeling, uncaring, unthinking dolt of a mayor. He will forever be known, in history books and in future accounts of this tragic event, as the Marie Antoinette, the “let them eat cake” spoiled idiot mayor of New York. In insisting that NY run its marathon, he has been forever unmasked as the mayor with the worst priorities imaginable. When I think of how Giuliani inspired us and cried with us and marched through the trenches with us, I am saddened and embarrassed by Bloomberg’s awful leadership skills and lack of compassion for his own city. What about Staten Island, Mr. Mayor? What about Lower Manhattan?!? You bought your votes, and now WE’RE paying. Well, Mr. Mayor, you sure can’t buy brains. Or character. You just don’t get it, and never really did.

    Brooklyn_resident
    Brooklyn_resident
    11 years ago

    All politicians are trying to gain from this hurricane by trying to help out the people. This mayer cares nothing. You guys know what was the first thing to go back to business as usual in the city? “PARKING MERER RULES” isn’t this a shame? People are struggling to find gas, don’t wanna move the car, and this shameless guy don’t care at all.

    SHEPSEL
    SHEPSEL
    11 years ago

    What do you expect from your highness, do you think people forgot the storm of December 2010? I never voted for you Mr. Mayor, you are a disgrace for human kind, a predatory beast has more heart then you. Go back from where you came and stop torturing us.

    Moone
    Moone
    11 years ago

    And someone once told me that this guy is smart. I mean… People can’t go in to work, probably looking out for this Sunday to catch up a little, and this dictator decided that “his” city should have a marathon. Nothing to say

    11 years ago

    obama is right….the marathon last year brought nearly $350 to the city economy which desparately needs the injection of visitors spending money at hotels, restaurants etc. You only hurt low income service employees more by cancelling the event. Most power will be restored by Sunday. Not running the marathon will not help those who have lost their homes along the beach or in low-lying flood zones where they should not have built to begin with.

    LEEAVE
    LEEAVE
    11 years ago

    idiot mayor:
    gridlock in NY is at its worst!! so he’ll alow these runners to make it even worse, how about emergency veichles? how many lives can this cost r”l?

    Bloomy only gives a damn ,,, for bikers and runners, the rest of us as far as hes concerned should pack up

    yiddishkind
    yiddishkind
    11 years ago

    When you vote for someone who has no idea what family life is. These hedonistic libs don’t give a dam about us.
    Haven’t you heard, Pelosi and Obama want to balance the budget by limiting family size to maximum 2 children, and bring back the military Draft, and won’t pay salary for soldiers.
    NOW IS THE TIME TO SEND THE MESSAGE. THE STATUS QUO MUST CHANGE.

    OyGevald
    OyGevald
    11 years ago

    Let me explain; Bloomberg meant endorsing Obama is the race that must go on – like a marathon.
    But once misspoken, he has too much pride to retract. After all, he thinks that “we should just have a sandwich out of the fridge instead of eating out”. Really? What fridge? What sandwich?

    11 years ago

    I agree that it is an absolute disgrace to hold the Marathon now, in lieu of the devastation and loss of life, which has taken place. However, it seems that there are some very important persons who are backing this race. There is an old saying that “money talks and (expletive deleted) walks”. Also, many of the runners are from out of town, as well as out of the country and cannot necessarily relate to the plight of New Yorkers. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that something of this nature has occurred. In 2001, when Guiliani was still Mayor, he allowed NYC to have the Columbus Day parade, as well as the Thanksgiving Day parade, only a month and two months after the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks. Both parades should have been cancelled, in memory of the victims. I know that life has to go on, but poor judgment was shown in 2001, as well as now. As long as people are suffering in Staten Island, and in the other boroughs, the Marathon should have been cancelled.

    basmelech
    basmelech
    11 years ago

    Bloomberg is an embarrassment to New York and to us as fellow jews. he has no iota of an inkling what being a Jew means or Emunah in Hashem. He cares nothing about the common folk (those of us who do not have his kind of money) and has no religious sensitivities whatsoever. He is a toeva.

    basmelech
    basmelech
    11 years ago

    When you see pictures of the devastation, you have to wonder what Bloomberg is thinking when he says the marathon must go on. He just doesn’t face reality.

    pickythinker
    pickythinker
    11 years ago

    forget about the marathon race lets have a new mayoral race.