So here’s something a lot of people are asking about Mayor Mike nowadays: Is it OK for him to take credit for the positive aspects of the building boom he’s presided over but wash his hands of the recent construction-site tragedies? The Times quotes a resident of the 91st Street building hit by the crane that killed two on Friday thus: I’m not going anywhere until I see the mayor. This is his fault. Fifteen people have died in construction accidents this year. DOB permits for new buildings have soared during Bloomberg’s administration. At a press conference following Friday’s deadly collapse, however, the mayor had this to say: I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the DOB — D.O.B. didn’t crash; it was the crane that collapsed. Keep in mind that construction is a dangerous business and you will always have fatalities. According to political analysts quoted in the Times, the accidents have tarnished Bloomberg’s rep as a great manager. The Daily News had a story about how Bloomberg stayed on the air during his weekly radio show for 40 minutes after hearing about the accident. “He shouldn’t have stayed,” said mayoral candidate/City Councilmember Tony Avella. “It reflects his cavalier attitude about things happening in this city.” Will these accidents be remembered as the great cost of Bloomberg’s pro-development agenda?
Crane Collapses Prompt Questions on the Mayor’s Oversight [NY Times]
Bloomberg Takes Hit for Staying on Air [NY Daily News]
Photo by Piano Lady.