The Talk of New York New York's new king By Bob Yampolsky	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
ブルームバーグ新市長 金融経済通信社を経営する大富豪、マイケル・ブルームバーグ氏が1月1日、ニューヨーク市長に就任した。昨年の選挙戦では個人資産をつぎ込み、最後にジュリアーニ前市長の支持を得て当選したブルームバーグ氏。国民的英雄となった前市長の後釜として、また、テロ後の復興の担い手として、どんな活躍を見せてくれるのだろう。

Even before it became "nine-eleven," (which is how we now refer to the terrorist attacks), Sept. 11, 2001, was scheduled to be an important day for the future of New York City. This is because it was primary day, the first step in choosing a successor to Mayor Giuliani, who was finishing his second term and therefore, under New York's term-limit law, was unable to run again.

This campaign was notable, most people agreed, for its lack of attractive candidates. On the Democratic side, there were four virtually indistinguishable candidates; on the Republican side, there were two ex-Democrats, one an aged politician 25 years past his prime, and the other a billionaire businessman with no political experience whatsoever.

On Sept. 11, the polls opened early, as they always do; when the planes struck the World Trade Center, for the first time ever, the polls closed early. The primary was postponed for two weeks, and of course, in the meantime, everything changed.

Giuliani's stewardship of the city in the aftermath of nine-eleven is already the stuff of legend. When the first plane struck, he went straight to the site of the disaster, almost being caught in the collapse of the towers (in sharp contrast to our president, who spent Sept. 11 avoiding a return to Washington). In the days following, he was a source of immeasurable strength and solace to New Yorkers. He gave several news briefings daily, where he spoke with a voice that was calm, confident, grieving and wise. It is difficult to describe how reassuring that voice was in those dark days; he was more than just our top elected official. It was as if he was father to us all.

After the postponed primaries were held, New Yorkers came to grips with the fact that their next mayor would be someone other than Rudy Giuliani. There was understandable apprehension over this. Giuliani went so far as to call in the three remaining candidates, and ask them, if elected, to postpone their inauguration, so that he could remain mayor for three more months. When one of the three refused, Giuliani threatened to get the term-limit law amended, run again, and be re-elected to another four-year term.

Giuliani eventually dropped the idea of staying on longer, and the general election, in November, was won by Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman. This was, to put it mildly, a stunning result. Bloomberg was a Bostonian, a Democrat who switched parties only because he knew it would be easier for him to get the Republican nomination. Despite the personal fortune he was willing to spend on his campaign, he had been given little chance of winning. He was just another rich guy wasting his money, a bored businessman who wanted to play mayor. For most of the summer, The New York Times followed his bumbling campaign only half-seriously, paying attention mostly to his frequent gaffes.

Nine-eleven, though, changed everything. Giuliani, now America's new great hero, gave Bloomberg a strong endorsement, and that, combined with his opponent's incompetence and a $69 million (¥9 billion) campaign, was enough to make Bloomberg the mayor.

So, today, Rudy Giuliani is a private citizen, and Michael Bloomberg is our mayor. The city, so far, hasn't fallen apart. In fact, despite a looming budget crisis, which will undoubtedly result in drastically reduced services, there is a feeling of optimism in much of New York, that the change from Giuliani to Bloomberg might actually be a change for the better.

Rudy Giuliani will certainly be regarded as one of the greatest mayors in the history of the city. Even without nine-eleven, the great drop in crime that he presided over would be enough to secure his place in history. Yet he was an extremely arrogant and vengeful mayor, with little regard for the poor or the weak. He was disdainful toward the city's blacks and Hispanics. He treated the homeless as criminals, shackled the press, and mocked anyone who dared to criticize his policies.

The new mayor is quite different. Though few supported him in the election, he has reached out to the leaders of the city's minority communities. He has shown a genuine interest in addressing the homeless problem in a way that is helpful to the homeless. He has been open and receptive to the press. He has cut the budget of his own office by 20 percent. He asks for advice, and listens to the opinions of others. To address the problem of the congested streets, he has taken a simple approach: He takes the subway to work. "I like to lead by example," he says. "If I take the subway, I can ask you to take the subway and not use your car."

It is too early, of course, to tell how successful a mayor Mike Bloomberg will be. But he appears to be a sensible man, and many New Yorkers are beginning to find that they like him.

Shukan ST: Feb. 1, 2001

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