News article about recovery and commemoration, Sept 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document Grieve Today, Continued From Page Al lcattonal systera,! he said. "In terms of rebulidingi" he added, "an awfil lot of billdlngs that we bulld here won't be done in seven years from now. Just think about the length of time it takes - we stil! haven't really agreed on conceptually what should be here - taat is what i want to tocus on? Mr. Bloomberg knew trom the moment the planes bit ther bulldings last year that the job he was asking voters to gtve him had changed dramatically, but he néver considered dropping out. "J've never had any second thoughts about taking the job,?" he satd. "I've never had any second thoughts about spending the time ox the money." BAN But he said he was sometimes trustrated when people réfusied to sacrifice their parochial interests to the common: good. For example, he said, when he describes the city's: financial straits, people often reply: "T understand that, but fust take care of my project. Don't worry about the others." That's not the real world Mir. Bloomberg: continued A ve somehow or another. got to get us through a $5 billion oi tereabouts lack of money every year for the foreseeable "future."" But the most émotionally difficult part, he said, is trying to comfort familles whose lives he has entered oily in grief. "I still get choked-up when I do eulogies at funerals," Mr. Bloomberg said. "You know they're for people I've never met. So it isn't that I'm choked up for the person. I guess I'm choked up for the concept. Because, you know, 1 look at those left behind and that's 98ід. where my sympathies are ?3e He goes tó himerais and trefighter plaque dedications regularly, and makes a point öf arriving early to meet the entire firehouse privately. » Unlike most officials, he often files out of a funeral last,.. rather than flist. He has called almost every family of uni- formed officers killed on duty, and will make his way through the rest of the list until be gets to them all, he said ; "J've said when I talk to the families of the firefighters and police officers that I call, you know I can pray for your son or husband or brother or whatever but I can't really do anything other than that," he said. "What I can do is try to lead this city förward for those left behind. And most of the families, that is what they want." a Mr. Bloomberg has been criticized in the past by some fämilies of the dead for being cayalier about their feelings. "«You know these families" groupe that you interview; they dont represent möst of these familles," he said. "I think the Jews do it right They have a head anvelitng a year after the fuberat, and that's sört of the tham you sort of stop the mnourning process and start going forwan 1In some ways, Nix. Bloomberg, with his myriad connec in private business, where he made his fortume, has been better equtpped than his predecessor to reach beyond government at a time of fiscal crisís. The commemoration today is a case it point: he asked three friends .. Gérald M. Levin, the fosme chairman of AOL Tume Warner, Stanley S. Shumati, managin dtrector of Allen & Company, and Thomas S. Murphy, retires chatrman of Capital Cities/ABC —: to raise the roughly $9 million needed to pay for the ceremónies. He has carefully entered a dispute over the meinoria vhich pits families against residents of Lower Manhattan art 'Mr. Bloomberg against Mr. Gluliani, Who wants to see ast of! Ground Zero transțormed into a memorial. "I don't havé any preconcsived notions aboüt how big it should be," said Mr. Bloomberg, who wäs among the critics of plans presented recently by the Lower Manhattai Development Corpor do bave & preconed vedabuilit thatie soer wo do pa that site and around that site has to work together; »be sak "and that this city has to do two things: memorialize, büt also butta for the future" T don't see now you coud leave al 16 acres tor memorial," he said. "It's not fair to those left bebind. They'r going to need jobs; they re going to need schools, they te going need restawrants and stores and that sort of thing? "Everybodly wants to talk about the size of the memori and the location of the memorial," Mr, Bloomberg said. Büt don't know why we are sure what the memorial will ber Foi example, it could be a park. I think that's what mast people enviston. For example; what better memortal could you have than a phenomenal school?" Nobody; he said, wanted to build faster than he did, but just think that it's a mistake to rush through it." He will not yield easily to those whowant to turi the ai tno what be recently called a cemetery. For a lot of famtl yes, they don't have any remams and so they say that's th loved ones," he said. "The people that live across the street k at the area as their home, and we've got to tind a way to bala those two things. That is the most difficult part and that's w you want to do it later on, looking back as opposed to loo forward.". An Unlikely Mayor Who Won His First Race EARLY YEARS Born Feb. 14, 1942, in Medford, Mass.B.S. Johns Hopkins, 1964; M.B:A. Harvard, 1966. .3: PUBLIC CAREER Began last year when he made his first run for office and WOn. PRIVATE SECTOR CAREER Salomon Brothers; 1966-81,founded Bloomberg L.P. 1981, ran it until: 2001 POLITICAL DOSSIEiN Lifelong Demiocrat who joined Repubicaned to seek mayoral nomination. Advocates spending for social " broorams and supports abortion nohts. An able fund-raiser who gives up his townhouse for Republican political events. STYLE Champagne budget; house-wine tastes. Owns houses all over the worid, but likes domestic wines and meattoaf. Lover of: golf, tor which he says he lacks talent Skilled at flying planes and helicopters. Not afraid to show his temper; quick to make up.: QUOTE "What I can do is try to lead this city forward for those left behind." HIS PUTURE Not at his company, and probabiy hot inpolltics, but llkely to run some other large organization. 2/2 NYC-WTC_000142984