Albanese on Bloomberg budget: I can do better!
Bay Ridgeite Sal Albanese, a maverick Democrat hoping to become the city’s next mayor, blasted the man who currently occupies that post, Michael Bloomberg, for his final budget in office. Albanese charged that with this proposed budget, Bloomberg is asking taxpayers to foot the bill for his administration’s poor fiscal management.
Albanese, a former city councilman who recently announced his intention to run in the Democratic Primary, said that both the mayor and a “complicit political class” are responsible for the city’s financial shape.
“You can’t manage a city like a kingdom or its workforce like serfs,” Albanese said.
“Early in his tenure, Mayor Bloomberg made significant progress in putting the city on solid financial footing. But his demonization of city workers proved to be both bad politics and bad public policy. From police to taxi drivers to teachers, he has failed to negotiate fair contracts and tossed a billion dollars in revenue in the trash. He broke his promise to taxpayers and to his successor, who will have to devote precious time to uplifting a demoralized workforce and crafting meaningful long-term fixes to our budget woes,” Albanese said.