New York, NY – After spending $110 million to get elected for a third term, Mayor Bloomberg turned to fellow elected officials at another in the countless groundbreaking ceremonies he’s attended and said with a smile, “I can’t wait for the last one. You have no idea.”
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The mayor’s quip came as the group left a podium to pose for the traditional photo of officials shoveling a symbolic pile of dirt — in this case, to mark a deal for a new industrial complex on the Brooklyn waterfront.
Not part of his public remarks, the quip was loud enough for reporters to hear. When asked what he meant, the mayor laughingly replied, “I like groundbreakings. I’ve just always thought that you could do something better with the dirt on your shovel on your last groundbreaking.”
His spokesman said the joke was intended as a jab at the press corps the mayor finds so pesky.
“Standing with a shovel full of dirt in his hands and a few feet from reporters — has he ever been tempted [to throw it]? You bet. Obviously, he was joking about actually doing it,” spokesman Marc La Vorgna said.
Michael, you aren’t the only one ‘PINING’ for your last official act.