Oct 23, 2008 7:34 pm US/Eastern
Experts: Hard To Argue Against Bloomberg's Success
Mayor Has Had A Few Blunders During His 2 Terms, But Overall He's More Than Held Up His End Of The Bargain
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg's bid to run for a third term got the "all-clear" Thursday when the City Council voted to allow term limits to be extended from 8 to 12 years. (File)
AP
So how did we get to this point in the politics of City Hall?
From budgets to city contracts and smoking bans, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has often played up his role as an outsider -- with only the city's best interest in mind.
When he started out seven years ago, it wasn't this bad, but the mayor faced a fiscal crisis.
"Not only did he manage the fiscal crisis well, he delivered bad news incredibly well," said Bruce Berg, a political scientist at Fordham University.
Berg said Bloomberg's strength is that he's politically beholden to no one. When there were health issues he banned smoking in restaurants and bars and restricted trans-fats in restaurants.
"Clearly, they are issues that are solid, forward looking, etc.," said Doug Muzzio, a public affairs professor at Baruch College.
Early on, Bloomberg abolished the cumbersome Board of Education, making himself and the chancellor responsible for the 1,200 schools and 1 million students. Since then, math and reading scores are up.
"We don't quite know where we're going, but it looks like we're headed in the right direction," Muzzio said.
Failures? Hoping to get the 2012 Olympics, Bloomberg pushed for a stadium over the West Side rail yards that would also serve the Jets.
"Number one, the legislature killed it and number two, I don't know if it's such a good public policy in the first place," Muzzio said.
Berg calls it a blunder, amid a few.
"The behavior of the NYPD at the Republican convention was maybe a blunder, but you can count the blunders on one hand," Berg said.
And there was the congestion pricing idea for cars driving south of 60th Street.
"Another big Bloomberg initiative that got killed in Albany," Muzzio said.
But the people around him get high marks.
"Great appointments of commissioners and deputy mayors," Berg said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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