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Bill de Blasio

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Bill de Blasio
109th Mayor of New York City
Elect
Assuming office
January 1, 2014
SucceedingMichael Bloomberg
3rd New York City Public Advocate
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2010
Preceded byBetsy Gotbaum
Succeeded byLetitia James (Elect)
Member of the New York City Council
from the 39th district
In office
January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2009
Preceded byStephen DiBrienza
Succeeded byBrad Lander
Personal details
Born
Warren Wilhelm, Jr.

(1961-05-08) May 8, 1961 (age 63)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseChirlane McCray (1994–present)
ChildrenDante
Chiara
Alma materNew York University (BA)
Columbia University (MIA)
SignatureFile:Bill de Blasio Signature .png
WebsiteGovernment website
Transition website

Bill de Blasio (born Warren Wilhelm, Jr.;[2] May 8, 1961) is the Mayor-elect of New York City. Since 2010, he has held the citywide office of New York City Public Advocate, which serves as an ombudsman between the electorate and the city government and is first in line to succeed the mayor. He formerly served as a New York City Council member representing the 39th District in Brooklyn (Borough Park, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Kensington, Park Slope, and Windsor Terrace). He was the Democratic Party nominee in the 2013 election to become Mayor of New York City. On November 5, 2013, De Blasio won the mayoral election by a landslide, receiving over 73% of the vote and will become the first Democratic mayor of the city in nearly 20 years.[3] He is the first white American politician with a black spouse elected to a major office.[4]

Early life and education

De Blasio was born Warren Wilhelm, Jr. in Manhattan, New York, the son of Maria (née De Blasio) and Warren Wilhelm.[2] His father had German ancestry, and his maternal grandparents, Giovanni and Anna, were Italian immigrants[5][6] from the city of Sant'Agata de' Goti in the province of Benevento (where his mother's surname is spelled with a capital "D" — De Blasio).[7] He was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[8] De Blasio has stated that he was 7 years old when his father first left home and 8 years old when his parents divorced.[9] In an April 2012 interview, de Blasio described his upbringing: "[My dad] was an officer in the Pacific in the army, [and] in an extraordinary number of very, very difficult, horrible battles, including Okinawa…And I think honestly, as we now know about veterans who return, [he] was going through physically and mentally a lot… He was an alcoholic, and my mother and father broke up very early on in the time I came along, and I was brought up by my mother’s family — that’s the bottom line — the de Blasio family.[10]" In September 2013, de Blasio revealed that his father committed suicide in 1979 while suffering from incurable lung cancer.[11]

In 1983 he legally changed his name to Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm, which he described in April 2012: "I started by putting the name into my diploma, and then I hyphenated it legally when I finished NYU, and then, more and more, I realized that was the right identity." By the time he appeared on the public stage in 1990, he was using the name Bill de Blasio as he explained he had been called "Bill" or "Billy" in his personal life.[10] He did not legally change over to this new name until 2002, when the discrepancy was noted during an election.[12]

De Blasio received a B.A. from New York University majoring in metropolitan studies, a program in urban studies with courses such as Politics of Minority Groups and The Working Class Experience, and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.[13] He is a 1981 Harry S. Truman Scholar.[14]

Early career

De Blasio's first job was part of the Urban Fellows Program for the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice in 1984.[15][16] In 1987, shortly after completing graduate school at Columbia University, de Blasio was hired to work as a political organizer by the Quixote Center in Maryland. In 1988 de Blasio traveled with the Quixote Center to Nicaragua for 10 days to help distribute food and medicine during the Nicaraguan Revolution. De Blasio was an ardent supporter of the ruling Sandinista government, which was at that time opposed by the Reagan administration.[16]

After returning from Nicaragua, de Blasio moved to New York City where he worked for a nonprofit organization focused on improving health care in Central America.[16] De Blasio continued to support the Sandinistas in his spare time, joining a group called the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York, which held meetings and fundraisers for the Sandinista political party.[16] De Blasio's introduction to City politics came during David Dinkins' 1989 mayoral campaign, for which he was a volunteer coordinator.[17] Following the campaign, de Blasio served as an aide in City Hall.[18]

In 1997, he was appointed to serve as the Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for New York and New Jersey under the administration of President Bill Clinton. As the tri-state region’s highest-ranking HUD official, de Blasio led a small executive staff and took part in outreach to residents of substandard housing.[19][20] In 1999, he was elected a member of Community School Board 15.[21] He was tapped to serve as campaign manager for Hillary Rodham Clinton's successful United States Senate bid in 2000.[21]

New York City Council (2001–2009)

Elections

In 2001, de Blasio decided to run for the New York City Council's 39th district, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Borough Park, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Kensington, Park Slope, and Windsor Terrace. He won the crowded primary election with 32% of the vote.[22] In the general election, he defeated Republican Robert A. Bell by 71%–17%.[23] In 2003, he won re-election to a second term with 72% of the vote.[24] In 2005, he won re-election to a third term with 83% of the vote.[25]

Tenure

On the City Council, de Blasio passed legislation to prevent landlord discrimination against tenants who hold federal housing subsidy vouchers, and helped pass the HIV/AIDS Housing Services law, improving housing services for low income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.[26][27] As head of the City Council’s General Welfare Committee, de Blasio helped pass the Gender-Based Discrimination Protection law to protect transgender New Yorkers, and passed the Domestic Partnership Recognition Law to ensure that same sex couples in a legal partnership could enjoy the same legal benefits as heterosexual couples in New York City.[28] During his tenure, the General Welfare Committee also passed the Benefits Translation for Immigrants Law, which helped non-English speakers access free language assistance services when accessing government programs.[29]

Committee assignments

  • Education[30]
  • Environmental Protection[31]
  • Finance[32]
  • General Welfare (Chair)[33]
  • Technology in Government[34]

New York City Public Advocate (2009–Present)

Election

Main article: New York City Public Advocate election, 2009
De Blasio speaking after being inaugurated as New York City Public Advocate

In November 2008, he announced his candidacy for Public Advocate, entering a crowded field of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination which included former Public Advocate Mark J. Green. The New York Times endorsed de Blasio in an editorial published during the primary, praising his efforts to improve public schools and “[help] many less-fortunate New Yorkers with food stamps, housing, and children's health” as a Councilmember. The editorial went on to declare de Blasio the best candidate for the job “because he has shown that he can work well with Mayor Bloomberg when it makes sense to do so while vehemently and eloquently opposing him when justified”.[35] His candidacy was endorsed by then Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, former Mayor Ed Koch, former Governor Mario Cuomo, and Reverend Al Sharpton.[36]

On September 15, 2009, de Blasio came in first in the Democratic primary, garnering 33% of the vote.[37] He won the run-off primary election on September 29, 2009 defeating Mark Green 62%–38%.[38] On November 3, 2009, he defeated Republican Alex Zablocki 78%–18%.[39][40]

De Blasio was inaugurated as New York City's third Public Advocate on January 1, 2010. In his inauguration speech, he challenged the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, specifically criticising Mayor Bloomberg's homelessness and education policies.[41]

Education

As Public Advocate, de Blasio has repeatedly offered sharp criticism of Mayor Bloomberg’s education policies. He called for Cathie Black, Mayor Bloomberg's nominee for New York City Schools Chancellor, to take part in public forums, and criticized her for not sending her own children to public schools.[42][43] In March 2010, he spoke against an MTA proposal to eliminate free MetroCards for students, arguing the measure would take a significant toll on school attendance.[44] Three months later, he voiced opposition to the mayor's proposed budget containing more than $34 million in cuts to childcare services.[45]

In June 2011, de Blasio outlined a plan to improve the process of school co-location, by which multiple schools are housed in one building. His study found community input was often ignored by the Mayor's Department of Education, resulting in top-down decisions made without sufficient regard for negative impact. He outlined eight solutions to improve the process and incorporate community opinion into the decision-making process.[46] The same month, he also criticized a proposal by the Bloomberg administration to fire more than 4,600 teachers to balance the city's budget, organizing parents and communities against the proposed cuts, and staging a last minute call-a-thon. Bloomberg restored the funding, agreeing to find savings elsewhere in the budget.[47]

During his mayoral campaign, de Blasio outlined a plan to raise taxes on residents earning over $500,000 a year, in order to pay for universal pre-kindergarten programs and to expand after-school programs at middle schools.[48][49] He also plans to invest $150 million annually into the City University of New York in order to lower tuition and to improve degree programs.[49]

In September 2013, de Blasio voiced his opposition to charter schools, maintaining that their funding saps resources from after-school programs and classes like art and physical education. He outlined a plan to discontinue the policy of offering rent-free space to the city's 183 charter schools and to place a moratorium on the co-location of charters schools in public school buildings. "I won’t favor charters," says de Blasio. "Our central focus is traditional public schools."[50] In October 2013, nearly 20,000 demonstrators, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to protest de Blasio's proposal to charge rent to charter schools.[51]

Housing

In June 2010, de Blasio voiced his opposition to a New York City Housing Authority decision to cut the number of Section 8 vouchers issued to low-income New Yorkers. The cut was announced after the NYCHA discovered it could not pay for approximately 2,600 vouchers that had already been issued. The Housing Authority reversed its decision a month later.[52] Two months later, he launched an online “NYC's Worst Landlords Watchlist” to track landlords who failed to repair dangerous living conditions. The list drew widespread media coverage, and highlighted hundreds of landlords across the city. "We want these landlords to feel like they're being watched", de Blasio told the Daily News. "We need to shine a light on these folks to shame them into action."[53]

Corporate spending in elections

De Blasio has been a vocal opponent of Citizens United, the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision which overturned portions of the 2002 McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. He argued that “corporations should not be allowed to buy elections”, and launched a national campaign of elected officials to reverse the effects of the court decision.[54]

2013 mayoral election

Main article: New York City mayoral election, 2013

On January 27, 2013, de Blasio announced his candidacy for Mayor of New York City in the fall election.[55][56]

The Democratic primary consisted of nine candidates, including prominent names such as Council Speaker Christine Quinn, former U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner and, former New York City Comptroller and nominee for Mayor in 2009 Bill Thompson.[57][58] Early polls following the entrance of Weiner into the race in April showed De Blasio in fourth or fifth place.[59]

Bill de Blasio with his wife (left) and children (right) at a rally in New York City in 2013.

Despite this poor starting position, de Blasio was able to gain the endorsements of many major Democratic clubs such as the Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan as well as New York City's largest trade union, SEIU Local 1199. Celebrities such as Alec Baldwin and Sarah Jessica Parker have also given endorsements.[60][61] Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean and U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke have also thrown in their endorsements.[62] By August, Harry Belafonte and Susan Sarandon had endorsed de Blasio.[63]

De Blasio gained media attention during the campaign when he and a dozen others, including City Councilman Stephen Levin, were arrested for protesting the closing of Long Island College Hospital.[64] Fellow Democratic mayoral hopefuls Anthony Weiner and City Comptroller John Liu were also at the protest, but were not arrested. De Blasio and Levin were released a few hours later with a disorderly conduct summons.[65]

Over time, de Blasio began to move up in the polls and a mid-August poll showed him taking the Democratic lead for the first time.[66] and reached 43 percent in a Quinnipiac poll released September 3.[67]

Preliminary results showed de Blasio winning the September 10 primary with 40.12%, slightly more than the 40% needed to avoid a runoff.[68] On September 16, second place finisher Bill Thompson withdrew from the race, citing the unlikelihood of winning a runoff even if uncounted absentee and military ballots pushed de Blasio below the 40% threshold. Thompson's withdrawal cleared the way for de Blasio to become the Democratic nominee against Republican Joe Lhota in the general election.[69] After the Democratic primary, de Blasio was announced as the nominee on the Working Families Party line.[70]

In the general election, de Blasio defeated Lhota in a landslide, winning 73.3% to Lhota's 24.3%.[71]

Personal life

De Blasio and his wife, activist and poet Chirlane McCray, met while both were working for the Dinkins administration. They live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with their two children, Dante, a high school sophomore at Brooklyn Technical High School [72]and Chiara, a college student at Santa Clara University[73] in California.[74][75] Both children attended or still attend public schools.[76]

References

  1. ^ "Mayor Elect Bill De Blasio Quashes Atheism Rumors, Says He's Spiritual But Unaffiliated". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "A refresher on candidate Bill de Blasio". Newsday.com. 2013-08-17. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  3. ^ The New York Times (November 6, 2013). "De Blasio Is Elected New York City Mayor in Landslide". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  4. ^ Washington, Jesse. "White mayor, black wife: NYC shatters an image". Yahoo! News. Yahoo!. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  5. ^ Cassidy, John. "Bill de Blasio's Moment: Can He Handle It?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  6. ^ "Paid Notice - Deaths WILHELM, MARIA (NEE DE BLASIO) - Paid Death Notice - NYTimes.com". New York Times. 2007-01-28. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  7. ^ http://interactive.ancestry.com/2499/31301_167616-00560/3965854 [unreliable source?]
  8. ^ "That Boston Fan? He Wants to Run New York". The New York Times. August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  9. ^ "Bill de Blasio mayoral campaign ad tells of demons of an alcoholic father". NY Daily News. June 10, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Wolper, Allan, "Bill de Blasio and Allan Wolper", Conversations with Allan Wolper, PRX, retrieved 1/21/12 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ Sale, Anna. "WNYC News Exclusive: Bill de Blasio Speaks with WNYC About His Father's Suicide". wnyc.org. New York Public Radio. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  12. ^ Smith, Greg (September 22, 2013). "Mayoral hopeful Bill de Blasio has had three different legal names, court records show". NY Daily News.
  13. ^ "New York City mayoral candidates: A look at Bill de Blasio". New York Daily News. Apr. 15, 2013. Retrieved Aug. 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  14. ^ "America's Truman Scholars" (PDF). Truman.gov. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  15. ^ "New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio". NY Daily News. 2013-03-30. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  16. ^ a b c d Hernandez, Javier (2013-09-23). "A Mayoral Hopeful Now, de Blasio Was Once a Young Leftist". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  17. ^ Campbell, Colin (Dec. 6, 2012). "Bill De Blasio For NYC Mayor: Can The Public Advocate Go From Master Strategist To Mister Mayor?". New York Observer. Retrieved Aug. 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  18. ^ Dickter, Adam (July 17, 2013). "The Political Education Of Bill de Blasio". The Jewish Week. Retrieved Aug. 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  19. ^ Warren, James (October 27, 2013). "De Blasio's early audition". Daily News. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  20. ^ Dream Off? – CityLimits.org
  21. ^ a b "About Bill De Blasio". Office of the Public Advocate for the City of New York. Retrieved Aug. 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  22. ^ "NYC Council 39 - D Primary Race - Sep 25, 2001". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  23. ^ "New York City Council 39 Race - Nov 06, 2001". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  24. ^ "New York City Council 39 Race - Nov 04, 2003". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  25. ^ "New York City Council 39 Race - Nov 08, 2005". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  26. ^ "Res 0803-2007". New York City Council. Retrieved 1/21/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  27. ^ "Int 0535-2005". New York City Council. Retrieved 1/21/13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  28. ^ "L.S.1827 M.R.M. 3/6/07". New York City Council. Retrieved 1/20/13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  29. ^ "Int 0038-2002". New York City Council. Retrieved 1/21/13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  30. ^ The New York City Council – Committee on Education
  31. ^ The New York City Council – Committee on Environmental Protection
  32. ^ The New York City Council – Committee on Finance
  33. ^ The New York City Council – Committee on General Welfare
  34. ^ The New York City Council – Committee on Technology
  35. ^ "For New York City Public Advocate". New York Times. Augusa 29, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ Chen, David W. (July 16, 2009). "Snubbing Green (Gently), Sharpton Backs de Blasio". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  37. ^ Bosman, Julie (September 16, 2009). "De Blasio and Green in Runoff for Advocate". The New York Times.
  38. ^ "NYC Public Advocate - D Runoff Race - Sep 29, 2009". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  39. ^ "New York City Public Advocate Race - Nov 03, 2009". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  40. ^ "2009 Election Results". The New York Times. November 9, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  41. ^ Bosman, Julie (January 1, 2010). "Public Advocate Takes a Challenging Tone, and Thoughts of 2013 Are Near". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
  42. ^ de Blasio, Bill. "Statement by Public Advocate de Blasio on Cathie Black's Doubts About Sending Her Children to Public School". Public Advocate for the City of New York. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  43. ^ Colvin, Jil (15 November 2010). "Public Advocate Wants Cathie Black to Hold Open Meeting With Parents, Administrators". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  44. ^ Protests against the MTA Continue in Effort to Save Student MetroCards | NYC Public Advocate
  45. ^ Office of the NYC Public Advocate: re proposed daycare cuts
  46. ^ Office of the NYC Public Advocate re school co-location
  47. ^ Office of the NYC Public Advocate re budget cuts
  48. ^ Goldman, Henry. "De Blasio Proposes NYC Tax Surcharge on Wealthy for Schools". bloomberg.com. BLOOMBERG L.P. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  49. ^ a b Pierret, Ann. "Up Close With NYC's Mayoral Candidates: Bill de Blasio (D)". wfuv.org. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  50. ^ Hernández, Javier C. (October 8, 2013). "City's Charter Schools Fear Having de Blasio for a Landlord". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  51. ^ Sutherland, Amber (October 9, 2013). "Thousands rally against charter-school rent plan". New York Post. Retrieved November 6, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  52. ^ Section 8 vouchers restored
  53. ^ Chapman, B.; Einhorn, E. (August 30, 2010). "New website aims to shine light on city's worst slumlords". NY Daily News. Retrieved July 21, 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  54. ^ Office of the NYC Public Advocate re Citizens United
  55. ^ Chen, D. W. (January 27, 2013). "De Blasio, Announcing Mayoral Bid, Pledges to Help People City Hall Forgot". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  56. ^ "De Blasio Announces Mayoral Campaign". CBS News New York. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  57. ^ "Candidates 2013 Citywide Elections".
  58. ^ Barbaro, M.; Girayikanon, T. (April 13, 2013). "A Viewer's Guide to the Mayoral Candidates". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  59. ^ Schuppe, Jon (2013-04-17). "Anthony Weiner at 2nd Place in Democratic Mayoral Poll by NBC New York/Marist". NBC New York. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  60. ^ Durkin, E. (April 23, 2013). "Sarah Jessica Parker backs Bill de Blasio: The former 'Sex and the City' actress is the second from the show to lend her support for the New York mayoral candidate". NY Daily News. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  61. ^ Lee, K. A. (December 7, 2012). "Alec Baldwin names Bill De Blasio as his pick for next New York City mayor, knocks Christine Quinn as 'untrustworthy'". NY Daily News. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  62. ^ "Bill is honored to have the support of". Bill de Blasio for Mayor. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  63. ^ Coscarelli, Joe (2013-08-27). "All the Celebrities in Bill de Blasio's New Ad - Daily Intelligencer". Nymag.com. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  64. ^ Weichselbaum, S. (July 18, 2013). "Bill de Blasio, Dan Squadron and other Brooklyn pols storm LICH after SUNY sends in closure plan". NY Daily News. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  65. ^ Hartocollis, A. (July 10, 2013). "De Blasio Arrested, Just as He Wanted". NY Daily News. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  66. ^ "New Poll Suggests That de Blasio Is Now First Among Voters". The New York Times. August 14, 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  67. ^ Quinnipiac
  68. ^ Walker, Hunter (September 11, 2013). "Race for New York Mayor's office sees Bill De Blasio edging it". The Independent. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  69. ^ "A Display of Democratic Unity as Thompson Cedes to de Blasio". The New York Times. August 17, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  70. ^ "Working Families Party Leaders Back Bill de Blasio for Mayor of New York City" (Press release). Working Families Party. September 12, 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  71. ^ "New York City Mayor". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  72. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/nyregion/de-blasio-says-he-will-move-to-gracie-mansion.html
  73. ^ http://gawker.com/where-does-bill-de-blasio-s-daughter-go-to-college-1453481850
  74. ^ Saul, Michael (January 1, 2013). "Family in the Spotlight". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3/10/12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  75. ^ "De Blasio, Announcing Mayoral Bid, Pledges to Help People City Hall Forgot". The New York Times. January 27, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  76. ^ "Bill de Blasio and a brief history of public-school parents for mayor". Capital New York. August 23, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bill de Blasio.
Civic offices
Preceded by
Stephen DiBrienza
 Member of the New York City Council
from the 39th district
2002–2009 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by New York City Public Advocate
2010–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of New York City
Elect
2014–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City
2013 		Most recent

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