A better New York City? 6 smart takes on Michael Bloomberg's legacy
After 12 years, New Yorkers are voting to replace their billionaire mayor
It looks like three terms as New York City's mayor is enough for Michael Bloomberg.
On Tuesday, voters will head to the polls in the Democratic primary election, the winner of which is widely expected to become Bloomberg's successor. The race has taken on the feel of a Bloomberg referendum, with front-runner Bill de Blasio blasting Bloomberg for currying favor with moneyed interests at the expense of the city's lower and middle classes.
However, there's no denying that the next mayor will have huge shoes to fill. Say what you will about Bloomberg, but he leaves a formidable legacy that includes: A steady drop in crime, accompanied controversially by staunch support for the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policies; a thriving economy, despite the city suffering its worst financial crisis since the great crash of 1929; a national push to bolster gun control, spearheaded by his group Mayors Against Illegal Guns; and public health efforts that were both praised (the smoking ban) and mocked (a ban on Big Gulps).
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Bloomberg himself defended his record in a combative, widely discussed interview with New York:
Liberal primary voters aside, he gets pretty good marks from New Yorkers overall, according to a recent New York Times poll, which shows that a vast majority of respondents said he did either an excellent, good, or fair job:
Bloomberg also leaves the mayor's office $22.5 billion richer than when he first arrived. Has the city he is leaving behind been as fortunate? Here are six takes on the legacy of Michael Bloomberg:
The "baffling, visionary, obstinate, and brilliant" Bloomberg will leave behind a public health legacy that will extend far beyond New York City, writes Jim Dwyer at The New York Times:
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In Slate, Matthew Yglesias wonders why Bloomberg's "nanny state" didn't extend to Wall Street:
Bill Keller, former executive editor of The New York Times, argues that Bloomberg's tenure as mayor makes a "pretty good argument for noblesse oblige":
Bloomberg's "socially liberal, fiscally pro-business" policies might have attracted 250,000 new residents to New York City, writes New York's Chris Smith, but at what cost?
The New Yorker's Ken Auletta wonders if Bloomberg passed the buck by implementing "short-term budget fixes by imposing long-term problems," which the mayor denies:
Ultimately, however, New Yorkers will come to miss their billionaire mayor, writes Michael Wolff in The Guardian:
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Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.
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