Newsday article on NYC administration year two, 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Newsday.com ~ Mayor Forges Ahead to Year 2 Page 3; of 4 * V

Webcasts "If a customer sends me an e-mail complaining, 111 Just forward it. I don’t even bother to write or call.... If I have to, i say. ‘Hey, I don't run the company anymore.’

"I look at the numbers. I get the financial statements. And the company's doing well, i pay for the product here, for people I think should have it I could see whether it works." Heading city government is in some ways easier than managing a business, he said. Make us your home page "In business, people tend to question the head guy more than they do in government.” Bloomberg said. "The bureaucracy may be marginally harder to deal with, but that depends on the size of the company and the industry you're in." Bloomberg faces a political split with firefighters - the heroes of the World Trade Center disaster ~ as he looks to make systemic changes. Shifting the city's firehouse map to fit population changes may be a slow, difficult process, but "you have to change as the world changes," he said. In that way. "there's nothing different about the Fire Department than any other agency.” He adds: 'You can't worry about the politics. I don't know how I could look myself in the eye after my argument to the public was, ‘Elect me, I don't have to worry about any obligations."’ Earlier this year, Bloomberg called for new options on garbage disposal, including use of incinerators. That caused an angry backlash in communities that stood to get them ~ aggravated by his comment that you wouldn’t burn the stuff on Park Avenue. Seeing incineration as impossible to carry out in the next few years, he dropped the approach and started drawing up plans that environmental groups have roundly applauded. Other remarks - during the first couple months -- were viewed as political stumbles: an awkward joke about municipal firings; a Hip suggestion there could be advantages to a fiscal control-board takeover. Despite jail-system flascoes that led to the resignation of his first correction commissioner, Bloomberg said his method of delegation - the core of his managing method - works. He did: not rule out changes as needed, however.

"My job is picking them . supporting them, coordinating them, setting overall policy, clearly. But," he said, "you don’t run a big organization by centralizing everything. You can’t do it. It's just not practical.” Asked if it's easier to build political relationships with other elected officials by not embarrassing them, he said: "I don't know that It's easier.

"But I think people are people.... Everyone wants recognition and respect. Those are the two key things.

"I think the commonality between business and government is that you are dealing with people. All people have the same fears and insecurities and aspirations, and requirements for social contact."

Ticking off successful appointments, Bloomberg mentions Health and Hospitals Corp. Chairman Benjamin Chu, Finance Commissioner Martha Stark, Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall, Homeless Services Commissioner

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