The inauguration is over and the camera’s have gone away, but for de Blasio, there is much work to be done.
Bill de Blasio formally became mayor last night at midnight, when he was officially sworn in. While outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg opted to do that in public at the ball drop in Times Square, de Blasio chose to be sworn in by State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman at an intimate ceremony at his Park Slope home with his family.
Today’s events, however, where thousands of New Yorkers gathered at City Hall on a frigid New Year’s Day to attend the inauguration of the 109th mayor of the City of New York (and the first Democrat to enter the office in 20 years), were a public affair for de Blasio and his family, First Lady Chirlane McCray and children Chiara and Dante de Blasio.
Along with his family was the 42nd President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Others included U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Sandra Lee, and Governor Andrew Clinton. De Blasio worked for both Clinton’s – in the Department of Housing and Urban Development while Clinton was president, and running Secretary Clinton’s successful U.S. Senate bid.
In his inauguration speech, de Blasio alternated between soaring promises of a new progressive era for New York City taking digs at the tenure of the outgoing administration, as a stonefaced Michael Bloomberg sat just feet away.
“Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg,” de Blasio said. “To say the least, you led our city through some extremely difficult times. And for that we are all grateful. Your passion on issues such as environmental protection built a legacy…We pledge to continue the progress you made in these critically important areas.”
From his populist support of efforts to stave off hospital closings in Brooklyn to the campaign-defining Dante ad, de Blasio sealed his victory by taking on many issues New Yorkers felt Bloomberg had brushed under the rug.
As he enters City Hall, de Blasio will inherit a number of challenges left by Bloomberg, from negotiating contracts with the city’s entire public sector workforce to delivering on his promise for significant parts of his plan for universal pre-kindergarten by September of next year.
Actions speak louder than words – only time will tell.
– Scott Randell (@DefinedByMvsic)
*** A cool little sidenote – de Blasio was sworn in on a bible once owned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. ***
