Somebody Sees Straight

By Henry J. Stern
June 2, 2003

    Sunday's Times carried an extremely perceptive op-ed piece by Andrew White, director of the Center for New York City Affairs at New School University.   Mr. White has written about New York City for thirteen years.  He was an editor at City Limits magazine, and helped to found the Center for the Urban Future.  He is a graduate of Middlebury College and the Columbia University School of Journalism.
 
    His article is entitled  "A Mayor Without a Message", but it is more sympathetic than the title indicates.  If you have not yet seen it, I recommend that you click White and then print it out (it is about 1000 words) and read it at your convenience.  It is also, in my judgment, worth sending to people you know who are interested in city affairs.  One problem with newspaper articles is that every day, there are fresh newspapers to read, and if you miss the paper one day, you may never see a particular story.
 
    The Mayor's prospects are also discussed in today's Times (Monday, June 2) by Jennifer Steinhauer, a reporter who regularly covers City Hall.  Her story begins on the lead metro page, B1, and jumps to B5.  It is titled "Same Mayor, New Glimpse".  In the article she suggests that the Mayor may now be more attractive to liberals and minorities, who might make up for the deterioration in his conservative base.  You can find the piece by clicking Steinhauer.  You could also just tear it out of today's Times.
 
    Both writers seem to be saying that Mr. Bloomberg is a better mayor than the public appears to believe.  I think so, too.  Mr. White is more proactive, indicating how he thinks the administration could better communicate with the public.  Ms. Steinhauer says recent tragedies may have broadened the Mayor’s base, and shown people the real Bloomberg, who she says is charming in private and with small groups   She reflects the Times’ affirmative view of the Mayor, as compared with the Times' opinion of the Governor and the President.

    I wrote a column on this subject on May 8 (Popularity at Freezing Point, Mayor Must Warm Our Hearts).  All my articles are on our website, www.nycivic.org.  This one is in the left column of the first page.   I am curious as to what, if anything, our readers (who now number 5650) think our Mayor should do about the problems of personal definition and public communication.

    Let us know your thoughts on this question, and we will publish them on our homepage, if you like.   Please specify whether you want us to print either a) your name, b) your initials, c) your Park name, d) your user name or e) none of the above.  We will, of course, do as you ask.

    Yours in cyberspace,

For comments on this article by Turtle and James Cooper, click here

Henry J. Stern is the director of NYCivic.