Mayor Bill de Blasio angry at lawmakers for tabling pre-K
A day after receiving a stinging rebuke from a powerful Albany lawmaker who threatened to block his prekindergarten tax hike plan, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio angrily demanded a vote while coordinating a show of force to defend his signature proposal that now appears to be in substantial jeopardy.
De Blasio rallied with dozens of influential African-American clergy leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, in Brooklyn, while his close ally Melissa Mark-Viverito, the city council speaker, did the same with local elected officials and parents at City Hall, all urging lawmakers 150 miles to north to consider the plan.
Their demands came a day after Republican State Senate leader Dean Skelos said he would not bring de Blasio’s proposal, a tax hike on the wealthy to fund universal prekindergarten, to a vote. The plan, which is the centerpiece of de Blasio’s first months in office, can’t be enacted without approval from the Legislature.