The Mayor’s Race: Focus on Economic Development

As the city attempts to pull itself out of the sort of economic crisis not seen since the days of The Great Depression, mayoral candidates are coming forward with their own solutions to the problem.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is running for re-election to a third term, arguing that the economic collapse requires continuity and his particular brand of leadership. But his opponents argue that he has been too friendly with Wall Street and the real estate developers that contributed to this problem in the first place. Read more

The Mayor’s Race: Focus on Housing & Development

When it comes to housing and development, New York City often devolves into a war zone. The battle over Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, defeated plans for a Jets Stadium on the Far West Side of Manhattan and the commercial and residential development of Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn have aroused deep emotions, as developers, elected officials, affordable housing advocates and neighborhood preservationists fight for land in a city with limited space.

But the drama isn’t exactly unwarranted. Read more

The Mayor’s Race: Focus On Education

In 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg took control of New York City’s public school system, reversing a 30-year governance structure in which the Board of Education managed 32 community school districts. It was a system that many regarded as marred by political infighting and lacking in accountability. The new law allowed the mayor unprecedented oversight, and through Bloomberg’s appointment of Chancellor Joel I. Klein, he created a system of competition among schools with annual report cards, cash incentives for academic progress and a slew of new small schools and charter schools from which parents could choose. Read more