Mapping Slumlords
Bill de Blasio, who is running for Public Advocate, is making tenants’ rights a key aspect of his platform: last Sunday, he joined a City Hall rally against negligent landlords, and he has launched a Slumlord Watch List on his website, where visitors can submit an address of a questionable building to see if it…
Bill de Blasio, who is running for Public Advocate, is making tenants’ rights a key aspect of his platform: last Sunday, he joined a City Hall rally against negligent landlords, and he has launched a Slumlord Watch List on his website, where visitors can submit an address of a questionable building to see if it “meets minimum health and safety standards and has open, life threatening violations.” The site doesn’t mention the criteria, but de Blasio said in a press release that unacceptable conditions include “leaking pipes, exposed wires, no fire alarms, [and] broken locks.” It is unclear how long the site will remain active (will he take it down if he is or is not elected?) and what, if anything, de Blasio plans to do with it or how he will use it to pressure landlords or take legal action.
I tend to agree with bxgrl. On this conversation between fsrg and bxgrl, to me the question of whether he is just showing his family or exploiting them seems to lie in the use of the ads. I live in Prospect Heights (City Planning’s Community District profile says is 78% black) and have gotten multiple mailings featuring DeBlasio’s family. My sister lives on the Upper East Side (3.2% black) has received completely different mailings – none of which feature his family. If he is just showing himself as a family man, why so prominently in some neighborhoods and not at all in other neighborhoods???
And no-fsrg. I am not naive at all about racial politics. I speak from 18 years experience in an interracial marriage and what I do know is that there are a lot of folk out there who pretend to be so concerned about you and your interracial spouse you know the type-“I so worry people will attack you because you’re an interracial couple; oh sorry- can’t rent you that apartment because you’re an interracial couple and I want to protect you from insensitive neighbors.” But in fact they are actually offended by interracial marriages. Like I said- if she were white, would you have even noticed the family ads? Doubt it.
“De Blasio is actually his mother’s maiden name—he was born Warren Wilhelm Jr. Although he’s been known as Bill de Blasio since his youth, he only legally changed his name in 2002.” -cityfile.com
So what’s your problem with this? Obviously there is a family backstory and it’s probably none of our business.
“The guy is running for Public Advocate- what relevance does his family play AT ALL???
Posted by: fsrg at September 1, 2009 12:15 PM”
Well- if that were the case, why did you bring it up at all?
http://www.politickerny.com/files/politickerny/f_0.w_417/mailer1.JPG
I’m not going after him for his interracial marriage (and not that it matters but as a matter of fact my family situation is no different from Wilhelm’s)
I am going after him for EXPLOITING his interracial marriage…in a cynical way. Are you seriously saying you think his family is featured in a non-exploitive way. Could you please post a link to any other citywide candidate whose family is so featured in a TV ad (much less ALL of his TV ads)? Do you really think that the political consultants who he has hired didnt prominently feature his wife/kids for a reason – are you that naive????
And lets not forget that he changed his name from Wilhelm to Diblasio before running for political office. Seems pretty clear that Bill is well aware of how to play ethnic politics.
The guy is running for Public Advocate- what relevance does his family play AT ALL???
I for one am voting for Norman Siegel whose bonafides for decades makes him eminently qualified to be a public advocate. The slumlord list is a joke since HPD has its own hit list. Time for “career” politicians to get a real job and off the public tit. Yasky also needs to be retired; hooray for term limits and, by the way, aren’t we all getting sick of Bloomberg’s deluge of ads and phone calls (I get at least two a week and have to mute the tv when they come on.) Sorry for my rant.
And I question whether you would have even noticed if Bill’s wife was white? I don’t care if you want to go after him because he put no criteria on the slumlord mapping- let’s all admit- there are crap landlords and crap tenants. There. Done. But going after him for his interracial marriage is in my judgment, racist. If you don’t see that, perhaps you’re the one who’s blind or willfully ignoring realty.
Bxgrl – and EVERYONE called Palin on it(appropriately), and the press went after her family (appropriately) when she used them as the basis of her campaign (i.e. Hockey Mom)….but that has nothing to do with Wilhelm.
Please watch the ads – it is one thing to have an ad that mentions you are a family man – but if you cant see what Warren is trying to do here – especially Ad #2 – then you are blind or willfully ignoring reality.