Bill de Blasio | |
|---|---|
 De Blasio in 2019 | |
| 109thMayor of New York City | |
| In office January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2021 | |
| Deputy | Anthony Shorris Dean Fuleihan |
| Preceded by | Michael Bloomberg |
| Succeeded by | Eric Adams |
| 3rdPublic Advocate of New York City | |
| In office January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Betsy Gotbaum |
| Succeeded by | Letitia James |
| Member of theNew York City Council from the39th district | |
| In office January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen DiBrienza |
| Succeeded by | Brad Lander |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Warren Wilhelm Jr. (1961-05-08)May 8, 1961 (age 63) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | New York University (BA) Columbia University (MIA) |
| Signature |  |
Bill de Blasio (/dɪˈblɑːzioʊ/; bornWarren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; laterWarren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the109thmayor ofNew York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of theDemocratic Party, he held the office ofNew York City Public Advocate from 2010 to 2013.
De Blasio was born inManhattan and raised primarily inCambridge, Massachusetts.[1] He graduated fromNew York University andColumbia University before brief stints working as acampaign manager forCharles Rangel andHillary Clinton. De Blasio started his career as an elected official on theNew York City Council, representing the39th district inBrooklyn from 2002 to 2009. After one term as public advocate, he was elected mayor of New York City in2013 and reelected in2017.
De Blasio's policy initiatives included newde-escalation training for police officers, reduced prosecutions forcannabis possession, implementation of policebody cameras, and ending the post-9/11 surveillance program of Muslim residents. In his first term as mayor, he implemented a free universalpre-kindergarten program in the city. De Blasio called attention to what he calls starkeconomic inequality in New York City, which he described as a "tale of two cities" during his first campaign. He supportedsocially liberal andprogressive policies in regard tothe city's economy, urban planning, public education, police relations, andprivatization.
De Blasio ran in theDemocratic primaries for the2020 presidential election. After registering low poll numbers and failing to qualify for the third round of primary debates, he suspended his campaign on September 20, 2019, and endorsedBernie Sanders five months later.
De Blasio was term-limited and ineligible to seek a third term in the2021 New York City mayoral election. He was succeeded byEric Adams on January 1, 2022. On May 20, 2022, he announced he was running in the2022 U.S. House election in the newly redrawn10th congressional district.[2] He withdrew from the race on July 19, saying he was done with "electoral politics".[3]
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Bill de Blasio was born Warren Wilhelm Jr. on May 8, 1961. While he did not grow up in New York City, his parents drove from their home inNorwalk, Connecticut, toManhattan'sDoctors Hospital for his birth.[1][4] He is the third son of Maria Angela (née de Blasio; 1917–2007) and Warren Wilhelm (1917–1979).[5] He changed his name to Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm in 1983 and to Bill de Blasio in 2001 to honor his maternal family and to reflect his alienation from his father.[1][6][7] De Blasio has two older brothers, Steven and Donald.[4] His mother was of Italian heritage, and his father was of German, English, French, and Scots-Irish ancestry.[8][9] His paternal grandparents were Donald Wilhelm, of Ohio, and Nina (née Warren), ofIowa.[10][11] His maternal grandfather, Giovanni, was fromSant'Agata de' Goti,Benevento, and his grandmother, Anna (née Briganti), was fromGrassano,Matera.[12][13] His paternal uncle, Donald George Wilhelm Jr., worked for theCentral Intelligence Agency in Iran andghostwrote the memoir ofMohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran.[14]
His mother, Maria de Blasio, attendedSmith College, served in theU.S. Office of War Information duringWorld War II and authoredThe Other Italy: The Italian Resistance in World War II (1988).[9][15] His father, aYale University graduate, worked as a contributing editor atTime magazine. In 1942, he enlisted in theU.S. Army during World War II. During the 82-dayBattle of Okinawa, a grenade detonated below his left foot, and his leg was later amputated below the knee. After receiving aPurple Heart, he married Maria in 1945, and became a budget analyst for the federal government. During the 1950s, at the height of theRed Scare, both Maria and Warren were accused of having a "sympathetic interest inCommunism". The family moved to Connecticut; Warren was chief international economist forTexaco and Maria worked in public relations at the Italian consulate.[1][16]
In 1966, the family moved toCambridge, Massachusetts, when Warren was offered a job at Arthur D. Little,[1] and de Blasio began kindergarten.[17][18] Bill and his brother Donald were then raised by Maria and her extended family. Of his early childhood, de Blasio said, "my mother and father broke up very early on in the time I came along, and I was brought up by my mother's family—that's the bottom line—the de Blasio family."[7]
When de Blasio was 18, his father committed suicide while suffering from incurablelung cancer.[19] In 1979, de Blasio graduated fromCambridge Rindge and Latin School, where he was in student government and was known to peers as "Senator Provolone".[a][17] He received aBachelor of Arts fromNew York University in metropolitan studies, a program inurban studies, and aMaster of International Affairs fromColumbia University'sSchool of International and Public Affairs.[21][22] He is a 1981Harry S. Truman Scholar.[23]
In 1984, de Blasio worked for the Urban Fellows Program at theNew York City Department of Juvenile Justice.[24] In 1987, shortly after completing graduate school at Columbia, de Blasio was hired to work as a political organizer by theQuixote Center inMaryland. In 1988, he traveled with the Quixote Center toNicaragua for 10 days to help distribute food and medicine during theNicaraguan Revolution. De Blasio was an ardent supporter of the rulingsocialist government, theSandinista National Liberation Front, which was opposed by theReagan administration at the time.[24] After returning from Nicaragua, de Blasio moved to New York City, where he worked for anonprofit organization focused on improving health care in Central America.[24] He continued to support the Sandinistas in his spare time and joined a group called the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York, which held meetings and fundraisers for the Sandinista political party.[24] De Blasio's introduction to city politics came in 1989, when he worked as a volunteer coordinator forDavid Dinkins'mayoral campaign.[25] Following the campaign, de Blasio was an aide inCity Hall.[26][25] In 1990, he described himself as an advocate fordemocratic socialism when asked about his goals for society.[24]
U.S. RepresentativeCharles Rangel tapped de Blasio to be his campaign manager for his successful1994 reelection bid.[27] In 1997, he was appointed to be the regional director for theUnited States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for New York and New Jersey under the administration of PresidentBill Clinton. As the tri-state region's highest-ranking HUD official, de Blasio led a small executive staff and took part in outreach to residents of substandard housing.[28][29] In 1999, he was elected to be a school board member for Brooklyn School District 15.[30] In 2000, he was campaign manager forHillary Clinton's successfulUnited States Senate bid.[30]
In 2001, de Blasio ran for theNew York City Council's 39th district, which includes theBrooklyn neighborhoods ofBorough Park,Carroll Gardens,Cobble Hill,Gowanus,Kensington,Park Slope, andWindsor Terrace. He won the crowded primary election with 32% of the vote.[31] In the general election, he defeated Republican Robert A. Bell, 71% to 17%.[32] He was reelected with 72% of the vote in 2003[33] and with 83% of the vote in 2005.[34]
On the City Council, de Blasio passed legislation to prevent landlord discrimination against tenants who hold federal housing subsidy vouchers, and helped pass the HIV/AIDS Housing Services Law, improving housing services for low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.[35][36] As head of the city council's General Welfare Committee, de Blasio helped pass the Gender-Based Discrimination Protection Law to protect transgender New Yorkers, and passed the Domestic Partnership Recognition Law to ensure that same-sex couples in a legal partnership could enjoy the same legal benefits as heterosexual couples in New York City.[37] During his tenure, the General Welfare Committee also passed the Benefits Translation for Immigrants Law, which helped non-English speakers receive free language-assistance services when accessing government programs.[38] He was on the education,environmental protection, finance, and technology committees and chaired thegeneral welfare committee.[39][40][41][42][43]
In November 2008, de Blasio announced his candidacy forNew York City Public Advocate, entering a crowded field of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination that included former Public AdvocateMark Green.The New York Times endorsed de Blasio, praising his efforts to improve public schools and "[help] many less-fortunate New Yorkers with food stamps, housing, and children's health" as a councilmember. The paper declared de Blasio the best candidate for the job "because he has shown that he can work well withMayor Bloomberg when it makes sense to do so while vehemently and eloquently opposing him when justified."[44] His candidacy was endorsed by then Public AdvocateBetsy Gotbaum, formerMayorEd Koch, formerGovernorMario Cuomo, andReverend Al Sharpton.[45]
On September 15, 2009, de Blasio finished first in the Democratic primary, garnering 33% of the vote.[46] He won the runoff primary election on September 29, defeating Green, 62% to 38%.[47] In the November 3 general election, de Blasio defeated RepublicanAlex Zablocki, 78% to 18%.[48] De Blasio was inaugurated as New York City's thirdPublic Advocate on January 1, 2010. In his inauguration speech he criticized the Bloomberg administration, especially its homelessness and education policies.[49]
In June 2010, de Blasio opposed aNew York City Housing Authority decision to cut the number ofSection 8 vouchers issued to low-income New Yorkers. The cut was announced after the NYCHA discovered it could not pay for approximately 2,600 vouchers that had already been issued.[50] Two months later, he launched an online "NYC's Worst Landlords Watchlist" to track landlords who failed to repair dangerous living conditions. The list drew widespread media coverage and highlighted hundreds of landlords across the city. "We want these landlords to feel like they're being watched", de Blasio told theNew York Daily News. "We need to shine a light on these folks to shame them into action."[51]
De Blasio has criticizedCitizens United, the January 2010 U.S.Supreme Court decision that overturned parts of the2002 McCain–Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. He argued that "corporations should not be allowed to buy elections" and launched a national campaign by elected officials to reverse the decision's effects.[52]
As public advocate, de Blasio repeatedly criticized Bloomberg's education policies. He called forCathie Black, Bloomberg's nominee forNew York City Schools Chancellor, to take part in public forums and criticized her for sending her own children to private schools.[53] In March 2010, he spoke against anMTA proposal to eliminate free MetroCards for students, arguing the measure would take a significant toll on school attendance.[54] Three months later, he voiced opposition to the mayor's proposed budget containing more than $34 million in cuts to childcare services.[55] In June 2011, de Blasio outlined a plan to improve the process of school co-location, by which multiple schools are housed in one building. His study found community input was often ignored by the city's Department of Education, resulting in top-down decisions made without sufficient regard for negative impacts. He outlined eight solutions to improve the process and incorporate community opinion into the decision-making process.[56] The same month, he also criticized a Bloomberg administration proposal to lay off more than 4,600 teachers to balance the city's budget; de Blasio organized parents and communities against the proposed cuts and staged a last-minute call-a-thon. Bloomberg restored the funding, agreeing to find savings elsewhere in the budget.[57]
On January 27, 2013, de Blasio announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City in thefall election.[58] The Democratic primary race included nine candidates, among them Council SpeakerChristine Quinn, formerU.S. RepresentativeAnthony Weiner, and formerNew York City Comptroller and2009 mayoral nomineeBill Thompson.[59] After Weiner joined the race in April, early polls showed de Blasio in fourth or fifth place.[60] Despite his poor starting position, de Blasio gained the endorsements of major Democratic clubs, such as theBarack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan, and New York City's largesttrade union,SEIULocal 1199. Celebrities such asAlec Baldwin andSarah Jessica Parker endorsed him, as did prominent politicians such as former Vermont GovernorHoward Dean and U.S. CongresswomanYvette Clarke.[61] By August, singerHarry Belafonte and actressSusan Sarandon had also endorsed de Blasio.[62]
De Blasio gained media attention during the campaign when he and a dozen others, including city councillorStephen Levin, were arrested while protesting the closing ofLong Island College Hospital.[63] De Blasio and Levin were released a few hours later with disorderly conduct summonses. Fellow Democratic mayoral hopefuls Weiner and City ComptrollerJohn Liu were also at the protest but were not arrested.[64]
During his mayoral campaign, de Blasio outlined a plan to raise taxes on residents earning more than $500,000 a year to pay for universalpre-kindergarten programs and to expand after-school programs atmiddle schools.[65][66] He also pledged to invest $150 million annually into theCity University of New York to lower tuition and improve degree programs.[66] In September 2013, de Blasio voiced his opposition tocharter schools, maintaining that their funding saps resources from classes like art, physical education and after-school programs. He outlined a plan to discontinue the policy of offering rent-free space to the city's 183 charter schools and to place a moratorium on the co-location of charter schools in public school buildings.[67]
In August 2013, the de Blasio campaign released a television advertisement featuring de Blasio's then-15-year-old son, Dante, talking about his father's plans to "'really break from the Bloomberg years.'"[68]Time called it "The Ad That Won the New York Mayor's Race", noting that after it ran, "de Blasio built a steady lead that he never relinquished."[68]
Quinn was attacked by a number of groups includingNYCLASS with their "Anybody But Quinn" campaign, allowing de Blasio to move up in the polls. By mid-August, he emerged as the new leader among the Democrats.[69] He reached 43% in a Quinnipiac poll released a week before the primary.[70]
Preliminary results of the September 11 primary showed de Blasio with 40.1% of the votes, slightly more than the 40% needed to avoid a runoff.[71] On September 16, second-place finisherBill Thompson conceded the race, citing the unlikelihood of winning a runoff even if uncounted absentee and military ballots pushed de Blasio below the 40% threshold. Thompson's withdrawal made de Blasio the Democratic mayoral nominee.[72] Exit polls showed that the issue that most aided de Blasio's primary victory was his unequivocal opposition to "stop and frisk."[73] After the primary, de Blasio was announced as the nominee of theWorking Families Party.[74]
In the general election, de Blasio faced Republican candidateJoe Lhota.[72] On Election Day, de Blasio defeated Lhota in a landslide, receiving 72.2% of the vote.[75] Voter turnout for the election set a new record low of only 24% of registered voters, whichThe New York Times attributed to the expectation of a landslide in the heavily Democratic city.[76]
The finance activities of the 2013 de Blasio campaign became the subject of a federal corruption investigation led by U.S. AttorneyPreet Bharara, including whether campaign donors received preferential treatment from City Hall.[77] The investigation ended in March 2017 with no charges being filed.[citation needed]
In 2017, de Blasio won reelection to a second term, defeating Republican AssemblywomanNicole Malliotakis, 65.2%-27.2%.[78][79]
De Blasio was sworn into office on January 1, 2014, by former PresidentBill Clinton. In his inaugural address, he reiterated his campaign pledge to address "economic and social inequalities" within the city.[80]The New York Times noted that "The elevation of an assertive, tax-the-rich liberal to the nation's most prominent municipal office has fanned hopes that hot-button causes like universal prekindergarten and low-wage worker benefits... could be aided by the imprimatur of being proved workable in New York."[81]
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In the first weeks of de Blasio's mayoralty, New York City was struck by a series of snowstorms.[82] De Blasio was criticized byUpper East Side residents who said efforts to clear the snow seemed to be lagging in their neighborhood.[83] De Blasio apologized the next day, saying that "more could have been done to serve the Upper East Side."[83] On February 13, heavy snowstorms hit the East Coast again. Under instructions from De Blasio and School ChancellorCarmen Fariña, the city's public schools were kept open. This decision was criticized by teacher unions, parents and the media as 9.5 inches of snow fell that day.[84] By the middle of February, the city had added $35 million to theSanitation Department's budget for snow removal.[82]
In July 2014, de Blasio signed a bill authorizing the creation ofmunicipal identification cards for all residents regardless of immigration status, to help secure access to city services.[85] Homeless New Yorkers were also eligible to obtain theIDNYC cards if they registered a "care of" address. The IDNYC card program was launched on January 1, 2015.[86]
De Blasio had mixed approval ratings during his mayoralty.[87][88][89]
In 2016, de Blasio expressed support for theJustice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act that would allow relatives of victims of theSeptember 11 attacks to sueSaudi Arabia for its government'salleged role in the attacks.[90]
A key focus of de Blasio's mayoral tenure was to build more affordable housing, with a goal of 200,000 units.[91] His plan passed the City Council,[92] but was controversial. Groups such as theNew York Communities for Change came out against the plan, arguing that it promotedgentrification.[93] In April 2017, the state government renewed the421-a tax abatement program after unions and developers made a deal on wages in qualifying construction projects.[94]
Atlantic Avenue, in theEast New York neighborhood ofBrooklyn, which has been scarred by decades of poverty and crime, was the first test and focus of de Blasio's strategy on affordable housing, one of the policy initiatives central to his platform of reducing inequality. Since 2012, city planners had been working to bring residents to forums to consult on the process. The plan was to "invite developers to build up local streets in exchange for more units of affordable housing."[95]
In January 2019, de Blasio and Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentBen Carson reached an agreement to change the operations of the New York City Housing Authority. The agreement created "specific requirements and milestones to address the serious health and safety hazards at NYCHA properties, including lead-based paint, mold, heat, vermin, among others".[96]
Alicia Glen was de Blasio's deputy mayor for economic development and housing.[97]
On January 28, 2020, de Blasio said, "this virus was underestimated by theChinese government. It was actually beginning to spread and was not recognized sufficiently and talked about openly."[98][99] On February 13, in an interview withNBC News, he said, "this is something we can handle, but you got to follow some basic rules."[98] On March 2, de Blasio encouraged New Yorkers in atweet "to go on with your lives + get out on the town despite Coronavirus".[100][101] On March 9, he said that the "vast majority of New Yorkers, being folks under 50 and healthy, are not in particular danger, and if they were to get it, would experience something like a common cold or flu."[102] On March 11, he was "telling people to not avoid restaurants, not avoid normal things that people do. ... If you're not sick, you should be going about your life."[98][103]
On March 16,The New York Times reported that during the previous week, de Blasio's "top aides were furiously trying to change the mayor's approach to the coronavirus outbreak. There had been arguments and shouting matches between the mayor and some of his advisers; some top health officials had even threatened to resign if he refused to accept the need to close schools and businesses." De Blasio followed their advice.[104]
De Blasio was criticized for singling out Jewish residents of the city, following tweets directed at "the Jewish community", who described de Blasio's actions asscapegoating.[105] In early June 2020, he was criticized for enforcing restrictions on religious gatherings to no more than 25% of capacity whereas all other groups were allowed to operate at 50% capacity.[106] Catholic priests and Jewish synagogue worshipers then sued both De Blasio and Governor Cuomo for being more than twice as restrictive of worship than protest events.[107] In late June, a federal judge overruled the religious worship restrictions and others that limited New York outdoor gatherings.[108]
WhenBrian Lehrer asked De Blasio in a July 2020 radio interview about his approach to helping businesses recover from the pandemic, de Blasio said that his "focus has not been on the business community and the elite", and, quoting Karl Marx'sCommunist Manifesto, that "the state is the executive committee of the bourgeoisie." He quotedChé Guevara, another communist figure, at a rally in Miami a year earlier, upsetting that city's Latino community.[109]
In 2014, De Blasio's decision to deny public space to several New York Citycharter schools provoked controversy among advocates ofschool vouchers.[110] The decision overturned a Bloomberg administration arrangement that allowed for "co-locations", where charter schools were housed in public school buildings.[111] De Blasio also revoked $200 million of capital funding earmarked for charter schools.[112]The New York Times emphasized that de Blasio approved 14 charter school co-locations and only denied three, suggesting that he was being unfairly cast as being opposed to charter schools.[113] Two months after the initial decision, the mayor's office announced that it had found space for the three schools. The city would lease, renovate, and maintain three buildings, which were previously used for Catholic schools, from theArchdiocese of New York. The three charter schools are run bySuccess Academy Charter Schools.[114]
In April 2019, De Blasio announced his support for theGreen New Deal and for legislation to ban the construction of glass and steel skyscrapers in New York City, citing environmental concerns and feeling they contribute to global warming.[115] He also criticized the development atHudson Yards in Manhattan.[116]
On May 31, 2020, de Blasio issued a statement blaming protesters for being in the way of two police cruisers that pushed a barricade into them.[117] On June 7, 2020, he announced: "We will be moving funding from the NYPD to youth initiatives and social services."[118] De Blasio blamed "anarchist" protesters for inciting and organizing violent riots.[119]
On June 21, 2020, theAmerican Museum of Natural History announced that it was asking city officials to remove theEquestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt with a Native American man and an African man standing next to the horse. De Blasio endorsed the decision.[120]
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On February 14, 2019, while addressing a rally in New York City about combatingantisemitism, De Blasio said: "Maybe some people don't realize it, but when they support theBDS movement, they are affronting theright of Israel to exist and that is unacceptable."[121] De Blasio condemned RepresentativeIlhan Omar's remarks about Israel andpro-Israel lobbyists as "absolutely unacceptable" and "illogical".[122]
In December 2018, De Blasio announced his support formarijuana legalization in New York City, calling it a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to get a historic issue right for future New Yorkers."[123] He worked with a marijuana task force to produce a report on licensing and regulation, which was released along with a letter of endorsement.[124]
In 2015, de Blasio repealed a public health requirement thatmohels inform parents of the risks ofmetzitzah b'peh, an oral circumcision ritual that was linked to 17 cases of infant herpes, brain damage, and two deaths since 2000.[125] In 2012, the rule was passed by the city's Board of Health, which required parents to sign a consent form.[126] Some ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders called the requirement an infringement on religious freedom, sued the city in federal court,[125] and pressed their followers not to comply.[127] After de Blasio installed allies and donors on New York City's Board of Health, a new policy was instated that mohels could be banned for life if they tested positive for herpes and the DNA strain matched the infant's, but only after a child was infected.[128][129] It was soon revealed that the city was not disclosing new infections as required by the new policy,[130] and children continued to become infected after undergoing the ritual.[131]
De Blasio put his wife, Chirlane McCray, in charge of major policy initiatives such as the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City and ThriveNYC (a $850 million mental health initiative). This caused criticism since McCray had never been elected to office and was chosen for these positions only because of her relationship with De Blasio. De Blasio accused critics of the arrangement of "sexism" and bemoaned the city's anti-nepotism laws that prevented McCray from receiving a substantial salary.[132]
During his mayoral tenure, de Blasio's relationship with theNew York City Police Department was called "strained",[133] "combative",[134] and "frosty".[135]
Endingthe NYPD's "stop and frisk" policy was a centerpiece of De Blasio's campaign.[136] The practice had been challenged by civil rights groups in federal court, where it wasruled unconstitutional in 2013. The federal appeal of this decision filed by the Bloomberg administration was dropped by de Blasio upon taking office. He vowed to settle cases with claimants who had ongoing litigation against the police for stop and frisk arrests. The NYPD union appealed the decision without de Blasio's support, and was rejected.[137]
De Blasio selectedBill Bratton forNew York City Police Commissioner, a position he had held under MayorRudy Giuliani. Bratton, who introducedstop and frisk under Giuliani, promised it would be used "legally, respectfully" and less frequently.[138] Some de Blasio supporters were disappointed by Bratton's appointment.[139]
In February 2014, Pastor Bishop Orlando Findlayter—the founder of the New Hope Christian Fellowship Church, and a friend and supporter of de Blasio—was pulled over for failing to signal before making a left turn. Findlayter was then detained by police on outstanding warrants and driving with a suspended license.[140] De Blasio is alleged to have called the police on Findlayter's behalf. Findlayter was released shortly thereafter. In a press conference, de Blasio told reporters that while he had called the police to make an inquiry regarding Findlayter's arrest he did not ask the police to release him.[141] A spokesperson for the mayor said that de Blasio's call occurred after the police already had decided to release Findlayter.[140] While both the police and City Hall denied that De Blasio requested preferential treatment for Findlayter, City ComptrollerScott M. Stringer said De Blasio's behavior was concerning because "the mayor shouldn't be involved in any way about somebody's arrest."[142]
On December 3, 2014, after agrand jury decided not to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo in thedeath of Eric Garner, de Blasio said in a speech that he and hisAfrican American wife,Chirlane McCray, had had many conversations with their biracial son about taking "special care in any encounters he has with the police officers who are there to protect him".[143] De Blasio also "offered qualified support for protesters after the grand jury decision not to charge the officer involved in the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York City".[144]
After New York City police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were killed in an ambush in December 2014, "cops and union leaders publicly rebuked [de Blasio], arguing [that] his earlier remarks had stoked anti-police sentiment."[133] When de Blasio eulogized the two fallen officers, hundreds of their fellow police officers turned their backs on him.[144]
After the murder of New York City police officer Miosotis Familia in July 2017, de Blasio received further criticism for not attending Familia's vigil. Many officers again turned their backs on him when he spoke at a service for Familia.[145][146]
In November 2019, de Blasio criticized former mayor Michael Bloomberg's apology for thestop and frisk policy, tweeting, "This is LONG overdue and the timing is transparent and cynical. With all due respect to my predecessor, we've spent six years undoing the damage he created with this bankrupt policy. We ended stop and frisk AND drove down crime. Actions speak louder than words."[147] Police Benevolent Association PresidentPatrick Lynch joined the Mayor in criticizing Bloomberg's apology as well.[148]
On 10 January 2014, the mayor received light-hearted criticism after a photoshoot where he ate a pizza with a knife and fork at aStaten Island pizzeria. In defense, de Blasio claimed that it was traditional in Italy to eat pizza in such a manner. Marc Cosentino, the owner of the pizzeria, later auctioned off the notorious fork for $2,500 to raise money for theTunnel to Towers Foundation. The controversy was variously dubbed "Forkgate", "Pizzagate", and "Pizzaghazi".[149][150][151][152]
When de Blasio appointed Minerva Tantoco as the city's chief technology officer in fall 2014, he said her goal would be to "develop and implement a coordinated strategy for technology and innovation, for how this city as a whole is going to approach the role of technology in our everyday lives, in our economy, in our schools, in our civic participation."[153] Two years later, Tantoco's efforts were only partially successful.[154]
Along with Governor Cuomo, de Blasio supported movingAmazon'sheadquarters toLong Island City in theAmazon HQ2 search, and worked with Cuomo to develop a benefits package from New York City and State funds totaling $2.988 billion.[155] In November 2018, Long Island City in Queens was selected as one of two sites for HQ2, along withCrystal City inArlington County, Virginia, outside ofWashington, D.C.[155] Long Island City's selection as a site for Amazon's HQ2 was controversial before and after it happened, and was protested by local residents, community organizations, and politicians. After receiving pushback, Amazon withdrew its plans to open HQ2 in Long Island City on February 14, 2019.[156] De Blasio criticized Amazon's decision.[156]
In 2014, de Blasio released a report dedicated to "better transit for New York City." Some of the ideas brought up in the report were to rebuildPenn Station/Madison Square Garden, create morebus rapid transit routes,[157] and a "Vision Zero" initiative to reduce traffic-related deaths in the city.[158]
The "Vision Zero" initiative, inspired by a successful Swedish plan, saw a gradual decrease in pedestrian fatalities, from 299 in 2013 to 200 in 2018.[159] But in 2019 there was an increase in cyclist deaths, and de Blasio discussed several proposals to combat cyclist deaths, including a $58.4 million plan[160] and requiring cyclists to wear helmets and acquire licenses to operate a bicycle.[161]
While the de Blasio administration planned on increasing the rate at which bicycle racks were added in the city, the annual rate instead fell by 42% compared to the Bloomberg administration, reaching a new average of 1,633 new racks per year.[162] Jon Orcutt, a spokesman for Bike New York, said, "Everybody's talking aboutCiti Bikes and scooters but it's the humble bike rack that needs more attention."[162]
As mayor, de Blasio's signature initiative was the implementation ofUniversal Pre-K, i.e. publicly funded pre-kindergarten for all New York City residents.[163] He sought to fund the program by increasing taxes on New York City residents earning $500,000 or more.[164] De Blasio's initiative saw an increase in Universal Pre-K enrollment in New York City through 2015, with over 70% of pre-K expansions happening within the ZIP codes of the city's poorest quartile.[165] In 2017, de Blasio proposed an expansion of the program to "3-K", to include three-year-olds. Preschool for three-year-olds would start in poorer neighborhoods, with the goal of covering the entire city, if the state or federal governments provided funding.[166]
| de Blasio 2020 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Campaign | 2020 presidential election (Democratic Party primaries) |
| Candidate | Bill de Blasio Mayor of New York City (2014–2021) |
| Affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Status | Inactive |
| Announced | May 16, 2019 |
| Suspended | September 20, 2019 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
| Receipts | US$1,417,609.97[167] (9/30/2019) |
| Slogan | Working People First[168] |
| Website | |
| billdeblasio.com (archived - August 2, 2019) | |
On May 16, 2019, de Blasio announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for president after releasing aYouTube video in which he said, "I'm Bill de Blasio, and I'm running for president because it's time we put working people first."[168] He was the first incumbent mayor of New York City to run for president sinceJohn Lindsay, who ran for the Democratic nomination in1972.[169]
During his campaign, de Blasio expressed support for increasing the federalminimum wage to $15 an hour.[168] On June 19, 2019, he said, "We have to make sure there is a peace settlement in Afghanistan; it obviously has to involve theTaliban. Until that point, I don't think it's sensible to take out our troops."[170] De Blasio advocated arobot tax and proposed to make large corporations responsible for five years of income tax from jobs that are automated away.[171][172]
Despite his large margins of victory during his mayoral races, polls found de Blasio to be widely unpopular.The New York Times described his candidacy as a "long shot", citing his low national poll numbers and inconsistent approval ratings in New York City.[173] An April 2019 poll found his approval rating at 42% in the city, with 44% of voters disapproving.[174] A May 2019Quinnipiac University poll of New York City voters found that 76% did not want de Blasio to run for president.[175] Just before he suspended his campaign, his approval rating had dropped to 33%, with 58% disapproving.[176]
De Blasio attempted to position himself as a progressive in contrast to the at-the-time front-runner, formerVice PresidentJoe Biden. He was hoping to challenge U.S. SenatorsBernie Sanders ofVermont andElizabeth Warren ofMassachusetts, both of whom were seen as leaders of the progressive wing of the Democratic party.[177]
De Blasio's campaign failed to gain traction. He was unable to qualify forDemocratic primary debates in September and October, which were seen as necessary events for his campaign to maintain viability. He regularly polled at 0% among Democratic primary voters, including in his home state.[178] After failing to qualify for the third round of primary debates,[179] de Blasio announced the suspension of his campaign on September 20, 2019.[177][180] On February 14, 2020, de Blasio endorsed Sanders.[181]
In May 2019, de Blasio consulted with New York City's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) to ask if he could bill the city for an NYPD security detail while campaigning. The COIB warned de Blasio at the time against billing taxpayers for travel expenses incurred by the security detail. De Blasio ultimately went on 31 out-of-state trips while campaigning, racking up $319,747 in travel costs which he billed to New York City.[182] In October 2021, the New York City Department of Investigations published a report with findings that "the City has not been reimbursed by the de Blasio Campaign for the travel expenses of the security detail during the Mayor's presidential campaign, totaling over $300,000."[183] In June 2023, the COIB ordered de Blasio to repay the $319,747 in security travel costs and fined him an additional $155,000, the largest fine it had ever issued.[182]
In May 2023, the Federal Election Commission issued a $53,000 fine against de Blasio's campaign for accepting improper contributions.[182]
De Blasio and his wife, activist and poetChirlane McCray, met while both were working for MayorDavid Dinkins' administration and married in 1994.[184] The couple honeymooned inCuba in violation of aUS travel ban.[185] They lived inPark Slope, Brooklyn before they moved toGracie Mansion,[186] the traditional residence of New York City mayors. They have two children: Dante, a graduate ofBrooklyn Technical High School who graduated fromYale University in 2019,[187] and Chiara, a student atSanta Clara University in California.[58][184][188] Chiara addressed herdrug use anddepression in late December 2013 in a four-minute video that de Blasio's mayoral transition team released.[189]
In July 2023, de Blasio and McCray announced their separation. The couple added that they intended to start dating other people, but that they would not seek a divorce and would continue to share their Park Slope residence.[190] Since that time, de Blasio has reportedly dated multiple women. In February 2025, he announced that he was dating journalistNomiki Konst.[191]
At 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), de Blasio is the tallest mayor in New York City's history.[192]
De Blasio, anItalian American, occasionally gives interviews, press conferences, and speeches inItalian.[193][194][195]
He appeared as himself as mayor onThe Good Wife in 2014, a TV show he said he was "deeply obsessed" with.[196][197]
De Blasio is a passionate fan of theBoston Red Sox, having said he has a "deep devotion" to theNew York Yankees' archrivals.[198][199]
De Blasio has described himself as "spiritual but not religious". His mother rejected herCatholic faith. De Blasio did not attend church in his early life.[200][201]
According toForbes, de Blasio and his wife had a net worth of $2.5 million as of August 2019.[202]
Juan González: I'm just wondering if, in the documents—we've got about 30 seconds—you came across the name of Donald Wilhelm at all, who was a CIA guy who went to Iran after, after the overthrow of Mosaddegh, and who was actually the mayor's—Mayor Bill de Blasio's uncle? Ervand Abrahamian: Yeah, he actually co-ghostwrote the Shah's memoirs.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| Civic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York City Council from the39th district 2002–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Public Advocate of New York City 2010–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Mayor of New York City 2014–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forMayor of New York City 2013,2017 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
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