Dear Mike*,
My name is Krissa and I’m one of your constituents. I live in Astoria and vote in the 22nd. And I’m a Democrat and I voted Democrat in 2001. It’s time that I tell you a few things, because I think you’d like to hear them. Consider this the extra sheet attached to my vote (if I decide to vote for you), as my caveat, my explanation, my extra space.
I’m not going to claim to be a political whiz. But I’m a naturally curious person and so I’ve followed your campaign and New York City politics with some modicum of commitment. Also, I’m a firm believer in the city stage as a good platform for democracy. People really care about their neighborhoods, Mike, as you well know, and while it’s easy to ignore what’s going on in Washington because, hey, NBC’s must-see lineup is so stellar, people don’t ignore what’s happening to their schools, their streets, their jobs.
Democracy on a city stage is a beautiful thing because it’s messy, it’s complicated, but it’s often triumphant. Or, it should be. If your constituents are willing to come to meetings to discuss their problems with their local councils and their borough presidents and their City Council, then you need to be the mayor that listens to them, and to all the corresponding bodies. I’ll bet it’s quite a din you listen to every day, Mike, and one of the reasons I’m writing to you is to tell you that I understand and appreciate that, and I think you’ve done a very good job of listening to people.
I also think you understand what it takes to run a city in that way. You’ve had to be tough in the past, cutting programs that you felt were bleeding too much money from a weak economy and hugely deficited budget. You’ve had to deal with NYC being used as a touchpoint for national politics but then getting ignored when it comes to paying the bill in aid and funding. You’ve faced down Albany many times, and your brother-in-party-and-little-else, Mr. George Pataki. You’ve openly disagreed with both national and state opinions, and I respect that, too.
I believe you do so because you understand that as Mayor of New York City, your top priority is here. Perhaps that’s why you went so buck-wild over the Jets/West Side Stadium debacle, Mike, and I will say I think that was a touch too far. Did you listen to the entire city’s population saying that given the odds of getting the Olympics, they didn’t want the stadium? They didn’t want it, man. Overwhelmingly, people thought it’d be too big a hassle, too big an expense, and too big a burden on a city just getting back to its feet. You didn’t listen, and I think you know that was a failure on your part, to your main clients – the people.
I do think, however, that you’ve brought the various accomplishments of prior administrations to completion – the crime rate is better, the hospitals are too, we’re fairly dealing with the homeless again – and you’ve worked to correct some of the class and racial tension that has existed since then too. You’ve built upon the good accomplishments of your predessors without taking on the divisive agression of Guiliani, for instance. You’re assertive and bulldoggish when you think something needs to be addressed, but you’re not vainglorious, and you appoint good people to help you do your job. Some people who know more than I do about the education system say it’s getting better there, too, but I don’t know as much about it and it seems really complicated.
I’d like to see you, if you’re reelected, pay more attention to the gay-marriage issue, because while it’s not your decision to make – that’s up to the state – it is something that a lot of your people care very deeply about. I’d also like to see you work more with the MTA, because I think our subways are a very weak point in this city, both on a day-to-day basis and on a safety level.
Basically, Mike, I might very well vote for you because while I have my disagreements with you, I can see how hard you’re trying, how committed you are to the city, and how willing you are to put party politics behind you and work with anyone and everyone that will help you get your mammoth tasks done. I cannot say that I see the same dedication to the right-now issues in your opponent, and he doesn’t seem like the appropriate mayor for today, for New York in the 21st century. Or, even, if he’s mayoral material at all. He has had a lot of time and my natural party inclination to prove that to me, and he has failed to do so, which speaks volumes with the leg up he has, being a Democrat and a city politician (neither of which you were).
Please know this is a difficult decision – I am a staunch Democrat. My father says I’m a one-issue voter, but I disagree. There are many reasons I am not a Republican. I am not a Republican because I do not agree with their stand on social issues, I do not support the exaltation of Christianity in our national decisions, and I do not like the Bush Administration. I am not rabid about this, and I understand that there are good Republicans out there, but I have avoided voting that way because of my disagreement with their platforms on the issues I care about.
Know that voting for you is fraught with cautious trepidation. And I’m not the only one; there are many New York City Democrats that are willing to – again, cautiously – give you a second chance to keep fighting the good fight for what the city needs. Consider that a great honor, Mr. Mayor, that so many dedicated New York City Democrats are considering voting for you, in spite of your party affliation. It is a compliment to your committment to New Yorkers first, parties second. Keep that in mind, Mike Bloomberg. If you are re-elected, think of the city first, continue quietly working for those day-to-day successes, and be strong about standing against your political party if it’s for the good of the city.
If you can do that, Mike, I think we’ll all get along fine.
Best of luck,
Krissa
* caveat: I am veering from my strict regime of never writing about politics because the upcoming mayoral election (hee hee I wrote “erection” at first) is very much at the fore of my mind. I think I am not alone in this, many New Yorkers are struggling to understand the race and their options. If you completely disagree with me on every level, may I suggest simply telling me you disagree, in polite terms (May I suggest: “Dear Krissa. I disagree with you because of ______. Sincerely, ______”.)
Know that I will not delete anything, nor will I argue back, but if you are rude or agressively violent, ranting on for pages and pages, or completely off-topic, I might just close the comments. Please do not use my comment box as a place to attack people. If you have something to say, say so without being rude or off-topic or personal. Thank you so much, darlings, I know we can get through this together.
the city politic
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Krissa, You know Bloomberg was a Democrat before he ran for mayor, right? He switched parties to run on the Republican ticket in 2001. In fact, in recent years, he’s given over $200,000 to various Democratic party candidates, and even maxed out his giving ($2K per year) to Al Gore, Bill Bradley, Chuck Schumer, Barbara Mikulski, John Corzine and several others. One of the primary reasons Bloomberg’s opponents have had trouble raising money is that a lot of his supporters are themselves Democrats and have chosen him over their own Dem candidate.
He’s a good guy and he’s run the city fairly well. Do a little scratching on Ferrer and you’ll see that he’s not worth wasting your vote on. Even the latest polls in the Bronx, his home borough, say so. And for the record, I myself am a staunch Dem who will be pulling the Republican lever for the first time EVER when this election comes up.
As a rather fervent Republican, for all the reasons that you are not, I applaud you. Well said and well done. I have voted across party lines when the siutation calls for it, and, here in Oklahoma, it calls often.
Forest, I did actually know that, I sort of thought everyone did which is why I didn’t mention it, but thanks for doing so, people should realize that about Bloomberg as well. He still IS currently running as a Rep, though, which was the basis for my trepidation. About Ferrer, I agree, as I said – he doesn’t impress upon me as having mayoral merit.
And thank you, Steph, for the bipartisan compliment.
um, way to go with the polite politics! I seriously love open minded discussions. I attended a ferrer event (through work) not too long ago and wrote one of my very first blog entries about it which is here: http://www.sohosally.com/blog
(is that ok to post here?)
Not that that’s any compelling to read it. But still. Give me a chance. Usually I draw pictures.
oh for god’s sake – this is getting worse and worse, like leaving more and more messages on an answering maching to explain the previous bad ones.
What I meant to say below, was Not that that’s any compelling REASON to read it. But I forgot the reason. The word. I mean.
I’m going back under my watercolor rock now.
those who draw pretty pictures are forgiven much. don’t worry, sohosally.
those who write pretty words are forgiven much. unless the words are about them. (hey, it’s truman capote month.)
I agree with everything you say, although I don’t know that I could have put it so eloquently. I actually didn’t even know why I thought that way about some stuff until you explained it.
Thanks!
dear krissa:
i respectfully disagree with you on at least one point,* which is that i don’t think that bloomberg is dealing fairly with the homeless. i have formed my opinion on this from my work with the homeless community and my many visits to the intake units for the shelters and my knowledge of the details of his “permanent housing” plans. mind you, he’s not worse than his predecessor on housing, homelessness, and welfare issues (that would be nearly impossible!), but he’s not exactly an improvement. just something to think about. (or not. no pressure.)
sincerely, mulzer-the-rabid-welfare-policy-wonk.
* i disagree with you in fact, on many points, but this is the only interesting one to mention at this juncture. plus, i’m lazy. . .
p.s. good post, though. thoughtful.
p.p.s. nice owl drawings. i like them very much.
NPR ran a story yesterday on how Bloomberg is currently the forerunner in the mayoral race with democrats and republicans. Ferrer didn’t seem that impressive in his brief interview.
Mulzer, I actually really appreciate your input because there are areas that you are very familiar with that I am not, and as such, I respect that you’d have a different opinion of Bloomberg. I would too, probably, if I worked along side you. The layman’s view of the guy is all I’ve got, which is why I say I’m not unimpressed with him and I think he’d continue to do good work if re-elected, but your comments have given me cause to think.
Feel free to email me more stuff and links if you want to help my decision!
Dear Krissa,
I respectfully agree with you on many of your points and thank you for putting the thoughts that are currently rumbling around in my head about this election (and the idea of possibly voting for a Republican for the very first time) into something wonderfully coherent and well-written.
Sincerely,
Clink
Any teacher would tell you to look at the schools – we are finally getting a raise and a contract (after 2 years without), however most of the progress Bloomberg speaks of in his ads is really not visible in the classrooms. Test scores are rising, but we still have students in Middle and High School who can not add and subtract (I’m a teacher, I should know.)
It really pissed me off when he vehemently pushed the West Side when our schools are so clearly underfunded.
that would be “West Side Stadium”, not “West Side”.
Krissa:
I’ll email you some stuff soon, if you want. No time now b/c of crazy work deadlines.
Mulzer-the-rabid-but-busy-welfare-policy-wonk
Same problem as ever- the Republican is OK but not great, and the Democrat is truly risible. I’d have a lot fewer problems with Bloomberg if he weren’t so dedicated to the proposition that teachers are all his enemies. I’m not voting, partly because I’m still not registered here, but I don’t have much incentive when I only get to choose between a whacko on the left and someone who already thinks I hate him on the right.