NYC-WTC_000230783

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

WASHINGTON POST, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2001

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New York Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg, left, takes the lectern as Mayoi Rudolph W. Giuliani, center, and Gov. George E. Pataki shake hands daring a City Kall news conference yesterday.

dia proCle—and, paradoxically, with less known and the remaining union contracts come due next about their views. Bloomberg’s name is ubiqui­ June. The city’s pension funds have bled money as tous, on his stock tickers, on mugs and on election the stock market has stumped. posters plastered on walls, buses and hundreds of Experts say he has a couple of weeks to getjjp television commercials. His rise from a family of to speed. modest means in Medford, Mass., to a partnership He’s got to come to grips immediately with a at Salomon Brothers (where he was shoved out huge budget gap and teH the world how he’ll close with a $10 million buyout in hand after 15 years) it," said Diana Fortuna of the business-funded Citi­ to the founding of one of the nation’s most suc­ zens Budget Commission. “This could be worse cessful financial data companies, was business leg­ than the budget crisis of the early 1990s. He has end about a month to get this together.” And he cuts an outsize figure socially. An active Nor are many labor leaders familiar with the philanthropist (who also donated to Bill Clinton’s man in the silk ties and monogrammed shirts who presidential campaigns) and partygoer on Man­ win, metaphorically, sit across the bargaining ta­ hattan’s Upper East Side, he is known as a ladies’ ble. He has said he supports pay raises for police man, and the sort who rarely bothers to zip his lip. and teachers, but he h^ not said how he would He is, he told New York magazine, the "boy to/ pay for them. for his matchmaking female friends. Asked if he “He's really an unknown," said Ott of the Cen­ had ever smoked marijuana, he responded; “You tral Labor Council “I hare no idea how he plays bet I did, and I enjoyed it" out as mayor." He also possesses an impolitic arrogance. Bloomberg promises an expansive approach to Pressed about his refusal to abide by campai^ governance, with concentric circles of advisers spending Knuts, he puckered his face earlier this near and far. He talks of a style that owes more to summer. “Look, I can’t help it," he said, “if your his days as a corporate chieftain than to his new problem is that you can’t afford to do it yourself’ role as a dty pot Where Giuliani fou^t gloriously This Bloomberg was heard occasionally on the public and operatic battles with Gov. George E. campaign trafl. He suggested that sanitation Pataki (R), Bloomberg promises a buttoned-down winters have more dangerous jobs than police regimen of private conversations and telephone and firefighters, and he speculated that no harm calls. would come from letting public school children, "ITiere will not be any friction you will ever see Jews and Muslims included, recite the Lord’s between, the governor and L” Bloomberg said. Prayer. “Tve never worked by airing my differences with ^t more often he flew below the news media people through the press.” radar. Bloomberg refused to attend dozens of may­ He often seems to regard himself with some oral forums and kept his street appearances short ironic distance, and today he poked soine subtle and disciplined. He rarely oflered policy specifics. fun at the incongruity of his new life. Flanked at His election night soiree at B.B. King’s blues bar Ci^ Hall by Giuliani and Pataki, he recalled awak­ was in keeping with his campaign. ening this morning after a late, fate election night A rope line kept away guests and journalists The alarm jangled, it was . a hideously early who were not on prearranged lists. Waiters in hour. For just a second or two, the billionaire pon­ Bloomberg T-shirts circulate among the power- dered getting some more sleep. Then he recalled; suited crowd with glowing trays stacked with crab He was to meet Ferrer, for ham and eggs, at 7 a.m, puffs, shrimp, crudites and various fried-looking in the Bronx. nibbles. Brownies and cakes were distributed for “1 moaned a little bit and rolled over and dessert thought to myself: You know, if I hadn’t been so Bloomberg takes the helm of a city that has lost fortunate' [to win the election],” Bloomberg r^ close to 100,000 jobs, and he laces a $4 bilKon to called, “ ‘1 probably would have been able to sleep $6 billion budget deficit next year. The teachers a Kttlemore.'” / and police officers are working without contracts. With that he pulled himself off the silk sheet.y

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