By Colin Campbell 11/16/12 10:40am

allusions

canute

Mayor Bloomberg Says He’s No Canute the Great

On his weekly radio show with John Gambling this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg delved into history to argue massive coastline protection projects are futile, at least in the face of future storm surges similar to Hurricane Sandy’s. Specifically, Mr. Bloomberg referenced the tale of Denmark’s King Canute, who stood before the waves and ordered the tide to recede.

“If you build a house on the water, there’s a chance of tsunamis, tidal surge, big storms that come off the water,” Mr. Bloomberg explained. “That’s why insurance is so expensive on the water. People have been doing this from time and memorial ever since civilization started. Why do people do it? Because living on the water, for a lot of people, is a great experience and they’re willing to run the risks. Nobody’s happy when nature comes to call and everybody screams we should have done something different. In a practical sense you’re not going to build a wall from the Florida Keys to the northern tip of Maine to protect the whole coast. In fact, you probably could not do that. There’ll never be a technology that can do that. If you remember, King Canute of Denmark tried to stop the tides from coming. It’s a classic story.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/15/12 1:22pm

sandy recovery

President Barack Obama boards Air Force One. (Photo: Getty)

President Obama Receives Cheers in Staten Island

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, President Barack Obama toured New Jersey, but, at the request of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, did not go to the hard-hit areas of New York City due to concerns that he would drain emergency resources. That changed today, however, and Mr. Obama is currently in Staten Island along with Mr. Bloomberg, Governor Andrew Cuomo and other elected officials. According to our own Hunter Walker, who’s traveling with the president, Mr. Obama surveyed the damage to Breezy Point and the Rockaways from the air, and received a fairly positive response when he landed in Staten Island.

“A group of residents who were here at the center, which was not closed today, are cordoned off about 200 feet from the tents,” he wrote. “They cheered when POTUS arrived. Several became dismayed and shouted ‘Get out of the way’ when the press corps blocked their view of the president.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/15/12 12:02pm

gifts

(Photo: Macys.com)

Bloomberg Announces Free Parade Tickets for Sandy Survivors

Earlier this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Macy’s announced 5,000 tickets for the city’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade will go to families who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

“Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy friends and family and reflect on life’s blessings, but this will be a particularly difficult holiday for many New Yorkers who suffered terrible losses as a result of Hurricane Sandy,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. “So many people have been donating their time, energy, and resources to helping families hit hard by the storm recover, and we hope that taking part in a tradition like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will make their holiday just a little brighter.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/12/12 7:53pm

storm statecraft

Bill Thompson (Photo: Getty)

Bill Thompson Criticizes Bloomberg’s Sandy Response

Earlier today, in Howard Beach, a neighborhood still picking up pieces of debris and pumping water out of basements, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a new $500 million capital investment plan to repair the city’s schools and hospitals after Hurricane Sandy battered them. Next to Mr. Bloomberg stood two likely candidates to replace him in 2013, Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Comptroller John Liu, who applauded the initiative. In a press release released soon after, a third 2013 candidate, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, stepped up to the plate to praise the move too, but while also offering some of the first direct criticism of Mr. Bloomberg’s handling of the storm.

“The steps announced today by the city are welcome, as it moves forward to make sure our school system meets the challenges of this crisis,” Mr. Thompson said in the statement. “It should not take 14 days to find out that three major New York City public hospitals are so significantly damaged and in desperate need of repair. Two weeks after Hurricane Sandy, those who are powerless and without a voice, living in 23 NYCHA buildings are being ignored. Many seniors, families and city workers are trapped in the cold and dark. This is not indicative of a world-class response to a crisis.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/12/12 4:00pm

optics

Mayor Bloomberg at his press conference.

Bloomberg Defends Balancing the Budget With School Lunches, Libraries

In order to keep the city’s fiscal house in order in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled new cuts and streams of revenue over the weekend. Among the changes, school-lunch fees will increase from $1.50 to $2.50, while city libraries will see their funding axed to the tune of $8.3 million. Asked about it during a press conference today in the hard-hit Howard Beach neighborhood in Queens, Mr. Bloomberg defended the budgetary measures.

“It’s easy to say, ‘I don’t like A, B and C,’”  he argued. “Well, what things would they like us to raise taxes [on]? The issue here is that we’re trying to find some balance so that everybody shares a little bit in the pain, everybody contributes; we’re all in this together. And do it such that people can afford [it]. It’s not asking a lot to go, in this day in age, from one price to another if it’s a relatively small price. But if a large number of people do it, it contributes significant revenues.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/09/12 4:39pm

Visitations

US-WEATHER-STORM-SANDY-OBAMA

Bloomberg Says He Didn’t Tell Obama to Stay Out of New York

During his daily press conference discussing the city’s latest measures to recover from Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed a report that he told President Barack Obama to not visit New York in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Mr. Obama, of course, made a well-publicized tour of the damage in New Jersey with Republican Governor Chris Christie instead.

“That’s not true,” Mr. Bloomberg snapped, not waiting for a reporter’s question on the topic to finish. “I didn’t ask him to not to come. We had a conversation of where it would be most effective. I talked to him today, as a matter of fact; he called me. He’s coming to the city next week. We’re honored to have him.”

President Obama will be in town Thursday to survey the damage caused by the hurricane. Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/09/12 3:26pm

hurricane sandy

(Photo: Getty)

Long Island Pols Call on Obama to Help Stop ‘Katrina-Style Disaster’

Although much of the attention has been focused on New York City, millions of Long Islanders were also caught in Hurricane Sandy’s path, with tens of thousands of them still without electricity or a regular supply of gasoline. In a statement sent out this afternoon by Nassau and Suffolk counties’ entire delegation in the State Senate, the local officials cried out for additional federal assistance. In doing so, they repeatedly raised the specter of Hurricane Katrina, the disaster that infamously marred former President George W. Bush’s administration.

“We are facing a massive, Katrina-style disaster here on Long Island that will only get worse unless all of the resources of the federal government are at our disposal. Incredibly, that hasn’t happened yet,” Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos declared in the release, the title of which warned of “More Death and Destruction.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/09/12 9:35am

Running on Empty

A Brooklyn gas station on Wednesday. (Photo: Getty)

Bloomberg Promises ‘A Police Officer at Every Gas Station’ During Shortage

Yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced new regulations to ration gasoline in New York City. Based on the last digit of their licence plate number, drivers will be able to fill up their tanks exclusively on odd or even numbered days, starting at 6 a.m. this morning. And, on his weekly radio interview with John Gambling today, Mr. Bloomberg made it clear that there wouldn’t be a lot of options to get around the policy.

“What we have done is put a police officer at every gas station that’s open, and are committed to doing that to any gas station that is not open but will open, to make sure that there’s security and that people don’t get pushy in the line and that sort of thing,” he said. “But hopefully this will help. The real answer, all the experts believe, is just with time.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/08/12 4:25pm

Bad Romance

(Photo: YouTube)

Hurricane Sandy Helps End Borough Presidents’ Lady Gaga Feud

Hurricane Sandy has apparently brought together a pair of borough presidents who previously clashed over pop sensation Lady Gaga. The last time we saw Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer mentioned in the same breath, they had a tiff over Mr. Molinaro’s claim that Ms. Gaga was “a slut.” Now, they have teamed up for post-Sandy relief work in Staten Island. Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/08/12 2:58pm

Emergencies

(Photo: Getty)

Brooklyn Councilman Needed to Be Rescued After Braving Hurricane Sandy

Councilman Mike Nelson represents a swath of southern Brooklyn that needed to be evacuated in advance of Hurricane Sandy, but he himself decided to wait out the storm in his government office a few blocks from the ocean. The endeavor didn’t exactly work out as planned.

“I figured, you know what, I’m a councilmember, and I needed to be here to take phone calls,” he told Sheepshead Bites, reflecting. “I thought I was doing the right thing, and I guess I was.” Read More