New York, NY – Two weeks before the election, Mayor Bloomberg told Orthodox Jewish leaders in a private meeting that he planned to restore $8 million in day-care vouchers that the administration had pulled just months earlier as the city braced to cope with the collapsing economy.
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“They are a huge help to many families, especially in the Orthodox community,” the mayor said at the Oct. 22 session in Borough Park, Brooklyn, which wasn’t listed on his campaign schedules. That was a 180-degree flip from what Bloomberg had said before.
In April, when presenting his preliminary budget for fiscal year 2010, the mayor cut the entire $16 million program.
In June, under pressure from advocates, he came up with $8 million to continue funding the vouchers through Dec. 31.
“It would be great if you could provide services for everybody,” Bloomberg said back then, “but the reality is people don’t want to pay more taxes.”
The latest round of extra funds have to be approved by the City Council and will continue the voucher payments through June 30.
A mayoral aide defended the turnabout by saying the city’s fiscal condition turned out not to be as bad as forecast in June, when it was assumed 300,000 jobs would vanish. He said only about 100,000 were lost.
The timing of the mayor’s announcement strongly suggests this is about politics and not the economy, since the budget gap for the next fiscal year was last projected at $4.9 billion.
Three days before Bloomberg pledged to add the $8 million, Rabbi Yahoshua Balkany — the school principal who help launched the voucher program under the Giuliani administration 12 years ago — was quoted in the Orthodox newspaper Hamodia as saying that the city’s Jewish institutions would be better served under Democratic mayoral rival Bill Thompson.
Thompson was one of the advocates pushing to keep the so-called Priority 7 vouchers, which now go to 1,824 families, almost all Orthodox Jewish parents who use them to pay for after-school care for their kids in local yeshivas.
There’s no question that Bloomberg will win most of the Jewish vote.
There is a question, however, about whether turnout in the general election will be as abysmally low as it was in September’s primaries. That explains why the mayor turned up with Rudy Giuliani in Borough Park on Oct. 18 to rev up Orthodox voters.
Thank you Rabbi Balkany!
Your comments must have resonated with Bloomberg for him to make such an about face on the issue of Priority 7 vouchers.
From a grateful member of the community.
What a joke! This guy is so full of it! Only now he’s restoring it?! Shame on Bloom$erg for forcing our Askonim to have to deliver 30,000 letters!
Don’t trust this lier, he’s will rob us wants he’s in, just ask yourself what has he done to you, your comunity, or anyone you know,please chain text your freind,this message
Shame on Bloomberg it just shows that it has nothing to do with deficits just with votes & special interests so please listen to our leaders & go out to vote BUT all votes should be against the incumbent & for a 3rd party candidate so the politicians will see just look at NY23 what happened over there can happen everywhere
This is all a game of dirty politics, now that he needs our votes…all of a sudden in a private meeting he’s restoring the $8 million in voucher funding that his administration took away (what did miss the news about the economy not collapsing any more and that the recession is over)…vote for me I’ll give you a $13 million library..etc. etc.
It shows one thing , he needs OUR vote. I have to re-think my. Vote
Just coz he wants our votes whereby it’s aborted once he’s in. Yidden DON’T vote him. Yidden DON’T vote him. Yidden DON’T vote bloombug he’s out to oppress us.
I’m voting for thompson!!
Simple decision!
And that’s why I say he’s spent more than 100million on reelectin. 100 million was his plus another 100 million of our money in promises to special interests.
I hope people realize this election is wide open and your vote for Thompson DOES matter.
What makes you think Thompson will be better?
So are all the folks who criticized Bloomberg for raising taxes willing to force all the recipients of the yeshiva vouchers the tax increases made possible to return the money?
Thompson is the best! If Bloomy really cared about yeshiva tution and the buses why did he wait till NOW?! Raboisai, every vote counts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Vote Bill Thompson for Mayor!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks mike bloomberg!!!
Vote mike bloomberg!!!
blony blony dy moisdes huben moireh fyn em
Check the record, the city council didn’t approve the restoration for the first 6 months and the only item in this multi billion dollar budget restored by the Mayor was Yeshiva Vouchers for the first 6 months. Show Hakaros Hatov and vote Bloomberg. There is a reason why all Mosdos, community leaders and Agudah are with the Mayor. He is the best choice to keep us safe and help us.
thank you Rabbi Zwiebel for all of your hard and dedicated work,
8 million in vouchers is pennies.
it needs to increase to offset tuition. don’t forget our taxes go into education, and we see nothing.
wow what a stunning co incidence, two weeks before the election he finaly does a real favor for our community that will actualy SAVE us some money! Maybe he can totaly rearrange election rules so that an election would be held once a year!
Please leave the racism out of this website. Perhaps the s—–s are afraid of you. The problem is very simple. We have to learn to live with each other and you never will if you run away. There is nowhere to run, Long Island. Guess what they are there too. Queens, they are there too. Staten Island, Riverdale, Yonkers, etc. You can not run! Why can’t you Jews ever sit down and talk one on one. What are you afraid of? You might be surprised. Most are quite educated, doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers. The issue is simple regarding Mayor Bloomberg! Term Limits. Two terms! That is what the NYC Voters want! The mayor violates that voter request. He should be removed from office. Period!
“There’s no question that Bloomberg will win most of the Jewish vote. “
Said Who?
“A mayoral aide defended the turnabout by saying the city’s fiscal condition turned out not to be as bad as forecast in June, when it was assumed 300,000 jobs would vanish. He said only about 100,000 were lost.
Oh, so a day after election he may revise that number upward again. I do not trust him, he did nothing for us for 8 years and he has to really feel the heat before he gives nothing more than a hopeful commitment.
He does not have our interest at heart, never did and never will. I trust Rabbi Balkani, Vote Thompson!
The kids in the picture are adobable !!!