New York, NY – First came the firefighters and the ambulances. Then came the Transportation Department honchos. Then came the politicians, all the way up to Gov. Paterson.
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Everyone rushed to Staten Island this morning to deal with the wreckage and the injuries from the latest ferry crash — everyone, that is, except Mayor Bloomberg.
“The mayor is monitoring the city response,” spokesman Jason Post told the DN City Hall Bureau’s Kathleen Lucadamo, who was handling city reaction today. Post didn’t say where he was monitoring it from, repeating the canned line from the past nine years that Bloomberg’s personal time is, well, personal.
He pointed out that Bloomberg didn’t make a personal appearance during the last major ferry crash with injuries, in July 2009, and the proper authorities seemed to respond just fine. As Bloomberg would surely point out if he were in front of a microphone today, his job is to hire people who can handle a ferry crash, not to fix it himself.
But the mayor’s absence, while Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and the governor fielded questions, highlighted the inscrutable nature of the billionaire’s private schedule.
His fondness for Bermuda weekends is well-known. As the owner of a private jet, he was able to celebrate last fall’s election victory with an off-the-schedule dinner in Paris. And he has events in London and Berlin on Tuesday, so perhaps he headed there a bit early to check on his rowhouse on Cadogan Square in London.
Whatever the reason, Bloomberg’s absence let Paterson fill a leadership void for the cameras, just as the two men are feuding over budget cuts. It created a great opportunity later in the afternoon too, as Paterson suddenly added a 6 p.m. event on his public schedule to “greet New Yorkers” at the corner where a failed car bomb paralyzed Times Square a week earlier.
“Obviously there should be an investigation because even though there were not any serious injuries, it’s something we want to avoid in the future,” Paterson told reporters at the scene. Later, the official city update went out under Sadik-Khan’s name, not Bloomberg’s
Controller John Liu and Public Advocate Bill deBlasio said they do not know where Bloomberg is. Nor does City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s staff. Liu, a frequent critic of Bloomberg, was fine with this.
“I haven’t been in contact with the mayor or his staff. Nor would I expect to be. The DOT commissioner was handing it. I don’t know what constrained the mayor,” Liu said.
As the former head of City Council’s Transportation Committee, who held countless hearings on the 2003 ferry crash and last summer’s as well, Liu was more troubled to hear another boat accident occurred.
“One incident can be isolated. Two in a row,” he said, noting this one and the one last summer were due to mechanical woes, “begs more questions.”
So what? As the article said, it’s not his job to fix it. How would his being there have helped anything? Besides, when the politicians show up, they probably are more of a distraction to those whose job is to fix it.
maybe he was at a kiddush
Typical Daily News nareshkeit. The mayor works 16 hours most weekdays and many weekend for the citizens of NYC. He doesn’t have to be here 24×7 and is entitled to be in Bermuda or anyonewhere else he wants to go some weekends. If these other politicians are so insecure that they need a photo op for every accident or event than thats their problem. Bloomberg has appointed some of the best talent in the U.S. to manage the city so they are fully able to manage in his absence. In an emergency, he can be back in a few hours. This was NOT a major emergency.
Go Blumberg go don’t listen to these “jelous” people enjoy life u are the Mayor ……
Bloomberg has every right to do what he wants. Bloomberg works hard enough and deserves a vacation where it is none of yor business to find out where he is.
If you think you can do a better job then run for mayor and until then bug off.
They cant stand him. so they are trying to find his faults where ever they could.
I’m not a bloomberg fan but I agree that he don’t have to rum any were there is a accident or were ever a group of reporters decide to make a מצב
There was fender-bender on Avenue R. Where was Bloomberg?
he’s busy compiling the list of thank you’s.
PD,FD,PA,SIF,EMS,hatzolah,shomrim,buffers,global warming,etc….
Just shows Bloomberg is so out of touch with the common man. He is able to fly his private jet all over the world, while his “subjects” have to do with an ever lousy transit system of cut backs of trains and buses. The City is getting bad like it was under Lindsay, and beware folks Bloomberg is already trying to cook the books for a 4th term.
This is almost as bad as when Schumer’s wife was the head of the Ferry’s when 11 people were killed. She didn’t suffer any consequences to it.
Time for Bloomberg to be accountable for his time.
Maybe there should be a referendum vote on requiring Mayors to have only one home. That home would be in NYC.