12 years later: Looking at the reign of Bloomberg

The new New York magazine unleashes a whole lotta Bloomy this week. (Find the package of stories here.) I'm still wrapping my head around it all...

Here's an excerpt from Justin Davidson's essay titled "Shiny, Alluring, Ugly, Visionary, Inspiring, Incomplete."

The present, however, hasn’t always gone so smoothly. For an irresistible city, New York can be awfully ugly. Ghastly glass towers have laid waste to entire neighborhoods, and sharklike chain stores have swallowed small businesses. The once-derelict industrial zone along the Greenpoint-­Williamsburg waterfront metamorphosed into a new, high-density neighborhood, which would’ve been great, except that the change resulted in a phalanx of big ungainly buildings with a paltry, broken strip of greenery out front. The permissive rezoning of Brooklyn’s Fourth Avenue, too, produced buildings of such slipshod “luxury” that the Wall Street Journal columnist Robbie Whelan called it a “canyon of mediocrity.”

Why did so much terrible stuff get built? The answer is that bad, overpriced buildings are the price of civic ambition. In lean times, most architecture is crap because only what is cheap gets built; in better times, most architecture is crap because developers can’t wait to start cashing in. Bloomberg made New York safe for high-quality design — and at the same time triggered a plague of prosperous awfulness. As long as the city remains attractive, there will always be money in ruining it.

[Bloomy photo via]

Noted

From the EV Grieve inbox...

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG WILL DELIVER COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AT THE COOPER UNION’S 154th GRADUATION CEREMONY

New York – We are proud and delighted that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has agreed to deliver the commencement address at The Cooper Union’s 154th graduation ceremony in May, said Jamshed Bharucha, President of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. At commencement, Mayor Bloomberg will receive the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary).

Commencement 2013 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 29th in The Great Hall of The Cooper Union, East 7th Street at Third and Fourth Avenues, New York.

“Mayor Bloomberg’s transformational leadership to improve education, the cityscape and the built environment, as well as public health, while encouraging smart and sustainable economic growth distinguishes his administration. His persuasive advocacy for gun control and immigration reform resonates across the country. His determination for New York to thrive as a world class applied science center will draw the best and the brightest for decades to come. His record and vision provide an example for our graduates who want to contribute their talents to New York and beyond. We are honored to have him deliver the keynote address at this year’s commencement,” said President Bharucha.

Mayor Bloomberg gave his last State of the City address today

Fuck. And I missed his 73rd 12th and final speech.

Gothamist has the "Top 10 Quotes From Bloomberg's Final State Of The City" as well as copy of the whole shebang speech. Find that here.

Apparently he talked a lot about "development," per this Gothamist graphic.

[UPDATED] Headless mayor found in boozeless bar

Did you see the exclusive cover story at the Post today? "The city Health Department’s far-reaching Partnership for a Healthier New York City initiatives proposes to slash the number of establishments in the city that sell booze." Which means? Reducing bar and liquor store "density."

UPDATED:

Um, anyway, the Post is now reporting that Bloomy nixed this whole idea. I'd still like to see the anon commenter's list of EV bars to remove...

Starting today, you may no longer smoke in Tompkins Square Park

As of today, all public parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas in New York City will be smoke-free, enforced by a $50 fine. If you're having fun while smoking, then you will be fined an additional $25.*

You can read about the ban here at the Daily News. In any event, I know that all of you will abide by this.

[* OK, not really. But jeez.]

Noted after Dance Parade

On St. Mark's Place.

Mayor Bikenstein!

From the bike haters in today's Post:

He’s grappled with teacher unions, gun sellers and public pensions, but as his third term heats up, it’s becoming clear what Mayor Bloomberg’s most visible legacy will be — remaking, or rather undoing, the city’s streets.

He’s squeezed out cars in favor of floral planters, OK’d “pop-up” cafes and bike lanes, but the pedaler-in-chief saved the crown jewel of changes for last — a public-rental program deploying 10,000 bicycles to 600 sidewalk kiosks. The initiative, which will be the third-largest in the world, behind Paris and Hangzhou, China, will be tested this summer, and rolled out in 2012. Critics say it’s community sentiment be damned.


“Do people have any say in this? They have to walk somewhere,” said Andrew Albert, transportation co-chair of the Upper West Side’s Community Board 7, about the large bike racks the city plans to install pretty much everywhere.

Air Bloomberg

The Wall Street Journal examined Mayor Bloomberg's flight records of his fleet of private planes ... Per the article:

The planes flew to Bermuda, where Mr. Bloomberg owns a home, 16 times last year and 54 times in all from 2007 through 2010, according to Federal Aviation Administration records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. On 41 trips, the aircraft left New York and spent all or part of the weekend in Bermuda. One overnight trip there coincided with the December blizzard, according to flight records.

The records also show that the Bloomberg fleet has been the single largest user of scarce slots allocated to private aircraft at La Guardia airport.

The flights continued apace even after the mayor two years ago called for curbs on small commercial planes at La Guardia and other area airports to reduce congestion.

The records don't mention passenger names, so it's possible the Mayor wasn't on board during all these flights.

Noted

UFA President Steve Cassidy responding to Mayor Bloomberg's aim to cut staff at 60 of the city's busiest engine companies from five to four firefighters per truck to save $30 million a year in overtime.

"He also said we should line up for hot chocolate in Central Park after the blizzard on Dec. 27 when he flew back from Bermuda. This is somebody who is a little out of touch with New Yorkers."

(NYPost)

A Valentine's Day gift from The New Yorker

Classic. Thanks, New Yorker!

This headline says it all

From the Post today.

Bloomberg doubts Tavern on the Green should reopen, sees restaurants like Shake Shack as future

NYC mayor inspects snow-covered streets in expensive gray pinstripe suit

A little gratuitous Bloomberg bashing, if you will

As always, way to relate to the people, Mr. Mayor!

Noted

An EV Grieve reader passes along some pointed restroom graffiti from an undisclosed East Village restaurant.

New community garden rules lack preservation, permanence

Above, Esperanza Community Garden bulldozed in February 2000 on Seventh Street near Avenue C to make way for the East Village Gardens condo.



Time's Up! has released a statement on the city's new garden rules:

The same week the Parks Department cut down 56 trees to make way for Fashion Week, the City released new garden regulations with almost no notice, no community support, and no commitment to permanently preserve the community gardens. Despite overwhelming community support to preserve our parks and community gardens, the City's new rules fail to protect them, and in fact expose each and every one to transfer and development. New Yorkers love their parks and community gardens and for years have fought to protect them, preserve them and keep them open to the public. These green spaces play a vital role in the mental, physical and emotional health of our City's residents and play an ever increasingly important role in our City's environmentally sustainable future.

Importantly, the new rules violate the City’s 2002 agreement with the Attorney General. The City has ignored the permanent status of 198 gardens and has not done a State Environmental Quality Review of the gardens, both required under the 2002 Settlement Agreement

Under the new rules, you can lose your garden for a myriad of reasons — noise complaints, incidents that occur adjacent to gardens, and or failure to maintain "good standing". Gardens can now go into accelerated default for breaking any city, state or federal rules, or failing to renew their license, or registration.

These new rules police the gardens and chill the community’s ability to hold events. Already, gardens are reluctant to hold events for fear of noise complaints. Under the new rules, you can go into accelerated default for playing guitar and having a beer, yet you can enjoy a glass of wine on the great lawn in Central Park while listening to an orchestra.

The new rules establish a division between gardens in good and bad standing, establishing a mechanism for the hyper-regulation and control of public space. Before these new rules, you just needed a license, now if you do not have one, your garden can be bulldozed.

Read the rest here.

Meanwhile, enjoy the city demolishing various community gardens...

Noted

From Page Six today:

Now we know what Mayor Bloomberg and Diana Taylor have in common -- they were both party animals. In a speech yesterday at Dartmouth, Taylor's alma mater, Bloomberg said, "I remember having nothing but fun in college." The Post's Jennifer Fermino reports Bloomberg also said Taylor told him she skied constantly while attending the New Hampshire university, but he thinks she "drank a lot [and] probably smoked a lot." Bloomberg, who went to John Hopkins, confessed to a dismal academic record: "If you think I don't have 'Animal House' on my iPad, you are wrong," he said.

Bloomberg's anti-sodium campaign is getting out of hand

Oh! It's for our old friend Angelina Jolie's movie!

Previously on EV Grieve:
About Angelina Jolie's "semi-crusty phase" in Tompkins Square Park

What has been lost during Bloomy's reign (so far...)

Our friend Nathan Kensinger has an in-depth photo essay on how Bloomyberg's tenure has changed the skyline of NYC... here's an excerpt...:

With the loss of small businesses, the commercial landscape of New York re-oriented towards chain stores - with cookie-cutter exteriors - that could afford to pay exorbitant rents. By mid-decade, New York's commercial streetscape had become dominated by redundancy. A multitude of sterile bank branches opened, while chains like Duane Reade and Starbucks placed multiple store locations within a few blocks of each other, to monopolize neighborhoods. For the first time, big-box-stores were allowed to enter the city, like Home Depot in 2004 and Ikea in 2008, further endangering small businesses.

Read the whole thing here.

[Photo by Nathan Kensinger]

Bloomberg spent nearly $183 per vote

From the City Room:

To eke out a narrow re-election victory over the city’s understated comptroller, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg spent $102 million of his own money, or about $183 per vote, according to data released on Friday, making his bid for a third term the most expensive campaign in municipal history.

And the $102 million tab is likely to rise: the mayor has not yet doled out his storied bonuses to campaign workers, which can top $100,000 a person. That spending will not be reported until after his inauguration.

What will the city look like after another Bloomberg term?

Speaking of how much things change, Alex has an extensive here-and-now series over at Flaming Pablum. As an example, this is Bowery and East First Street from 2002, the year Bloomberg took office ... 2002 doesn't seem like that long ago...but just look...



You probably know what it looks like now...



Sure, the city landscape is getting sterilized... but I fear that we're losing our spirit and character as well... can we withstand another four years?

For further reading:
Cleaning up people (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Photos via Flaming Pablum. Go there for a lot more.

Noted

Via The Washington Post:

The closeness of his victory is sure to raise speculation about the impact of the term-limits change and how much that served to trump Bloomberg's accomplishments in office. That subject had already dominated conversation at polling places around the city Tuesday.

"The main thing is to get Bloomberg out," said Véronique Doumbé, 52, a filmmaker from West Africa, speaking at an East Village polling place. "I'm coming from a country where the president never wants to leave. Term limits are essential for a democracy."