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78-675: Bill de Blasio ( / d ɪ ˈ b l ɑː z i oʊ / ; born Warren Wilhelm Jr. , May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm ) is an American politician who was the 109th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party , he held the office of New York City Public Advocate from 2010 to 2013. De Blasio was born in Manhattan and raised primarily in Cambridge, Massachusetts . He graduated from New York University and Columbia University before brief stints working as
156-525: A New York City Housing Authority decision to cut the number of Section 8 vouchers issued to low-income New Yorkers. The cut was announced after the NYCHA discovered it could not pay for approximately 2,600 vouchers that had already been issued. Two months later, he launched an online "NYC's Worst Landlords Watchlist" to track landlords who failed to repair dangerous living conditions. The list drew widespread media coverage and highlighted hundreds of landlords across
234-409: A Yale University graduate, worked as a contributing editor at Time magazine. In 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. During the 82-day Battle of Okinawa , a grenade detonated below his left foot, and his leg was later amputated below the knee. After receiving a Purple Heart , he married Maria in 1945, and became a budget analyst for the federal government. During the 1950s, at
312-627: A campaign manager for Charles Rangel and Hillary Clinton . De Blasio started his career as an elected official on the New York City Council , representing the 39th district in Brooklyn from 2002 to 2009. After one term as public advocate, he was elected mayor of New York City in 2013 and reelected in 2017 . De Blasio's policy initiatives included new de-escalation training for police officers, reduced prosecutions for cannabis possession , implementation of police body cameras , and ending
390-674: A nonprofit organization focused on improving health care in Central America. He continued to support the Sandinistas in his spare time and joined a group called the Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York, which held meetings and fundraisers for the Sandinista political party. De Blasio's introduction to city politics came in 1989, when he worked as a volunteer coordinator for David Dinkins ' mayoral campaign . Following
468-478: A "once-in-a-generation opportunity to get a historic issue right for future New Yorkers." He worked with a marijuana task force to produce a report on licensing and regulation, which was released along with a letter of endorsement. In 2015, de Blasio repealed a public health requirement that mohels inform parents of the risks of metzitzah b'peh , an oral circumcision ritual that was linked to 17 cases of infant herpes, brain damage, and two deaths since 2000. In 2012,
546-442: A councilmember. The paper declared de Blasio the best candidate for the job "because he has shown that he can work well with Mayor Bloomberg when it makes sense to do so while vehemently and eloquently opposing him when justified." His candidacy was endorsed by then Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum , former Mayor Ed Koch , former Governor Mario Cuomo , and Reverend Al Sharpton . On September 15, 2009, de Blasio finished first in
624-400: A federal judge overruled the religious worship restrictions and others that limited New York outdoor gatherings. When Brian Lehrer asked De Blasio in a July 2020 radio interview about his approach to helping businesses recover from the pandemic, de Blasio said that his "focus has not been on the business community and the elite", and, quoting Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto , that "the state
702-450: A national campaign by elected officials to reverse the decision's effects. As public advocate, de Blasio repeatedly criticized Bloomberg's education policies. He called for Cathie Black , Bloomberg's nominee for New York City Schools Chancellor , to take part in public forums and criticized her for sending her own children to private schools. In March 2010, he spoke against an MTA proposal to eliminate free MetroCards for students, arguing
780-481: A plan to discontinue the policy of offering rent-free space to the city's 183 charter schools and to place a moratorium on the co-location of charter schools in public school buildings. In August 2013, the de Blasio campaign released a television advertisement featuring de Blasio's then-15-year-old son, Dante, talking about his father's plans to "'really break from the Bloomberg years.'" Time called it "The Ad That Won
858-564: A plan to raise taxes on residents earning more than $ 500,000 a year to pay for universal pre-kindergarten programs and to expand after-school programs at middle schools . He also pledged to invest $ 150 million annually into the City University of New York to lower tuition and improve degree programs. In September 2013, de Blasio voiced his opposition to charter schools , maintaining that their funding saps resources from classes like art, physical education and after-school programs. He outlined
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#1733085237881936-546: A program in urban studies , and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University 's School of International and Public Affairs . He is a 1981 Harry S. Truman Scholar . In 1984, de Blasio worked for the Urban Fellows Program at the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice . In 1987, shortly after completing graduate school at Columbia, de Blasio was hired to work as a political organizer by
1014-584: A rally in New York City about combating antisemitism , De Blasio said: "Maybe some people don't realize it, but when they support the BDS movement, they are affronting the right of Israel to exist and that is unacceptable." De Blasio condemned Representative Ilhan Omar 's remarks about Israel and pro-Israel lobbyists as "absolutely unacceptable" and "illogical". In December 2018, De Blasio announced his support for marijuana legalization in New York City, calling it
1092-500: A separate mayor , elected a Borough President . Long Island City , now within the Borough of Queens , was incorporated as a city in its own right on May 4, 1870 and (like the City of Brooklyn) consolidated into the present Greater New York City on January 1, 1898. Province of Matera The province of Matera ( Italian : provincia di Matera ; Materano : provìngë dë Matàërë )
1170-458: A single day on December 31, 1925, Samuel B. H. Vance served one month (from November 30 to December 31, 1874), and Thomas Coman served five weeks (from Monday, November 30, 1868, to Monday, January 4, 1869). Before 1680, mayors served one-year terms. From 1680, they served two-year terms. Exceptions are noted thus (*). A dagger (†) indicates mayoralties cut short by death in office. (When the same man served more than one continuous term, his name
1248-459: Is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy . Its capital is the city of Matera . It has an area of 3,447 square kilometres (1,331 sq mi) and a total population of 201,133; the city of Matera has a population of 61,204. The province contains 31 comuni ( sg. : comune ), listed in the list of comuni of the province of Matera ). It is bordered by the province of Potenza in
1326-598: Is lightly shaded purely for clarity, but the tints have no other significance.) Note † died in office The mayor continued to be selected by the Government of New York's Council of Appointment until 1821, when Stephen Allen became the first mayor appointed by a local Common Council . Under the Charter of 1834, mayors were elected annually by direct popular vote. Starting in 1849, mayors were elected to serve two-year terms. Notes † died in office The 1898–1901 term
1404-600: Is the chief executive of the Government of New York City , as stipulated by New York City's charter. The current officeholder, the 110th in the sequence of regular mayors, is Eric Adams , a member of the Democratic Party . During the Dutch colonial period from 1624 to 1664, New Amsterdam was governed by the Director of New Netherland . Following the 1664 creation of the British Province of New York , newly renamed New York City
1482-750: Is the executive committee of the bourgeoisie." He quoted Ché Guevara , another communist figure, at a rally in Miami a year earlier, upsetting that city's Latino community. In 2014, De Blasio's decision to deny public space to several New York City charter schools provoked controversy among advocates of school vouchers . The decision overturned a Bloomberg administration arrangement that allowed for "co-locations", where charter schools were housed in public school buildings. De Blasio also revoked $ 200 million of capital funding earmarked for charter schools. The New York Times emphasized that de Blasio approved 14 charter school co-locations and only denied three, suggesting that he
1560-550: Is the third son of Maria Angela ( née de Blasio ; 1917–2007) and Warren Wilhelm (1917–1979). He changed his name to Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm in 1983 and to Bill de Blasio in 2001 to honor his maternal family and to reflect his alienation from his father. De Blasio has two older brothers, Steven and Donald. His mother was of Italian heritage, and his father was of German, English, French, and Scots-Irish ancestry. His paternal grandparents were Donald Wilhelm, of Ohio, and Nina (née Warren), of Iowa . His maternal grandfather, Giovanni,
1638-515: The Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan , and New York City's largest trade union , SEIU Local 1199 . Celebrities such as Alec Baldwin and Sarah Jessica Parker endorsed him, as did prominent politicians such as former Vermont Governor Howard Dean and U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke . By August, singer Harry Belafonte and actress Susan Sarandon had also endorsed de Blasio. De Blasio gained media attention during
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#17330852378811716-458: The Chinese government . It was actually beginning to spread and was not recognized sufficiently and talked about openly." On February 13, in an interview with NBC News , he said, "this is something we can handle, but you got to follow some basic rules." On March 2, de Blasio encouraged New Yorkers in a tweet "to go on with your lives + get out on the town despite Coronavirus". On March 9, he said that
1794-509: The Democratic primaries for the 2020 presidential election . After registering low poll numbers and failing to qualify for the third round of primary debates, he suspended his campaign on September 20, 2019, and endorsed Bernie Sanders five months later. De Blasio was term-limited and ineligible to seek a third term in the 2021 New York City mayoral election . He was succeeded by Eric Adams on January 1, 2022. On May 20, 2022, he announced he
1872-640: The Franks , then by Roman Emperor Louis II of Italy , and then by invading Muslims during the 10th century. Following this, the town was owned by the Capetian House of Anjou and the Crown of Aragon and was sold multiple times to successive wealthy families. Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera was briefly leader of the city but was despised by the residents, who saw him as tyrannical and rebelled against him, murdering Tramontano on 29 December 1514. The city Matera
1950-574: The Green New Deal and for legislation to ban the construction of glass and steel skyscrapers in New York City, citing environmental concerns and feeling they contribute to global warming. He also criticized the development at Hudson Yards in Manhattan. On May 31, 2020, de Blasio issued a statement blaming protesters for being in the way of two police cruisers that pushed a barricade into them. On June 7, 2020, he announced: "We will be moving funding from
2028-662: The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act that would allow relatives of victims of the September 11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for its government's alleged role in the attacks . A key focus of de Blasio's mayoral tenure was to build more affordable housing, with a goal of 200,000 units. His plan passed the City Council, but was controversial. Groups such as the New York Communities for Change came out against
2106-399: The New York City Council 's 39th district, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Borough Park , Carroll Gardens , Cobble Hill , Gowanus , Kensington , Park Slope , and Windsor Terrace . He won the crowded primary election with 32% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Republican Robert A. Bell, 71% to 17%. He was reelected with 72% of the vote in 2003 and with 83% of
2184-796: The Quixote Center in Maryland . In 1988, he traveled with the Quixote Center to Nicaragua for 10 days to help distribute food and medicine during the Nicaraguan Revolution . De Blasio was an ardent supporter of the ruling socialist government, the Sandinista National Liberation Front , which was opposed by the Reagan administration at the time. After returning from Nicaragua, de Blasio moved to New York City, where he worked for
2262-497: The fall election . The Democratic primary race included nine candidates, among them Council Speaker Christine Quinn , former U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner , and former New York City Comptroller and 2009 mayoral nominee Bill Thompson . After Weiner joined the race in April, early polls showed de Blasio in fourth or fifth place. Despite his poor starting position, de Blasio gained the endorsements of major Democratic clubs, such as
2340-402: The "vast majority of New Yorkers, being folks under 50 and healthy, are not in particular danger, and if they were to get it, would experience something like a common cold or flu." On March 11, he was "telling people to not avoid restaurants, not avoid normal things that people do. ... If you're not sick, you should be going about your life." On March 16, The New York Times reported that during
2418-550: The Common Council – began appointing mayors. Since 1834, mayors have been elected by direct popular vote. The city included little beyond the island of Manhattan before 1874, when it annexed the western part of the Bronx , to be followed in 1895 by the rest of the Bronx. The 1898 consolidation created the city as it is today with five boroughs : Manhattan , the Bronx , Brooklyn , Queens , and Staten Island . The first mayor of
Bill de Blasio - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-598: The DNA strain matched the infant's, but only after a child was infected. It was soon revealed that the city was not disclosing new infections as required by the new policy, and children continued to become infected after undergoing the ritual. De Blasio put his wife, Chirlane McCray, in charge of major policy initiatives such as the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City and ThriveNYC (a $ 850 million mental health initiative). This caused criticism since McCray had never been elected to office and
2574-576: The Democratic primary, garnering 33% of the vote. He won the runoff primary election on September 29, defeating Green, 62% to 38%. In the November 3 general election, de Blasio defeated Republican Alex Zablocki , 78% to 18%. De Blasio was inaugurated as New York City's third Public Advocate on January 1, 2010. In his inauguration speech he criticized the Bloomberg administration, especially its homelessness and education policies. In June 2010, de Blasio opposed
2652-611: The Domestic Partnership Recognition Law to ensure that same-sex couples in a legal partnership could enjoy the same legal benefits as heterosexual couples in New York City. During his tenure, the General Welfare Committee also passed the Benefits Translation for Immigrants Law, which helped non-English speakers receive free language-assistance services when accessing government programs. He was on
2730-527: The East Coast again. Under instructions from De Blasio and School Chancellor Carmen Fariña , the city's public schools were kept open. This decision was criticized by teacher unions, parents and the media as 9.5 inches of snow fell that day. By the middle of February, the city had added $ 35 million to the Sanitation Department 's budget for snow removal. In July 2014, de Blasio signed a bill authorizing
2808-607: The NYPD to youth initiatives and social services." De Blasio blamed "anarchist" protesters for inciting and organizing violent riots. On June 21, 2020, the American Museum of Natural History announced that it was asking city officials to remove the Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt with a Native American man and an African man standing next to the horse. De Blasio endorsed the decision. On February 14, 2019, while addressing
2886-514: The New Hope Christian Fellowship Church, and a friend and supporter of de Blasio—was pulled over for failing to signal before making a left turn. Findlayter was then detained by police on outstanding warrants and driving with a suspended license. De Blasio is alleged to have called the police on Findlayter's behalf. Findlayter was released shortly thereafter. In a press conference, de Blasio told reporters that while he had called
2964-527: The New York Mayor's Race", noting that after it ran, "de Blasio built a steady lead that he never relinquished." Quinn was attacked by a number of groups including NYCLASS with their "Anybody But Quinn" campaign, allowing de Blasio to move up in the polls. By mid-August he emerged as the new leader among the Democrats. He reached 43% in a Quinnipiac poll released a week before the primary. Preliminary results of
3042-466: The September 11 primary showed de Blasio with 40.1% of the votes, slightly more than the 40% needed to avoid a runoff. On September 16, second-place finisher Bill Thompson conceded, citing the unlikelihood of winning a runoff even if uncounted absentee and military ballots pushed de Blasio below the 40% threshold. Thompson's withdrawal made de Blasio the Democratic nominee against Republican Joe Lhota in
3120-414: The administration of President Bill Clinton . As the tri-state region's highest-ranking HUD official, de Blasio led a small executive staff and took part in outreach to residents of substandard housing. In 1999, he was elected to be a school board member for Brooklyn School District 15. In 2000, he was campaign manager for Hillary Clinton 's successful United States Senate bid . In 2001, de Blasio ran for
3198-420: The campaign when he and a dozen others, including city councillor Stephen Levin , were arrested while protesting the closing of Long Island College Hospital . De Blasio and Levin were released a few hours later with disorderly conduct summonses. Fellow Democratic mayoral hopefuls Weiner and City Comptroller John Liu were also at the protest but were not arrested. During his mayoral campaign, de Blasio outlined
Bill de Blasio - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-567: The campaign, de Blasio was an aide in City Hall . In 1990, he described himself as an advocate for democratic socialism when asked about his goals for society. U.S. Representative Charles Rangel tapped de Blasio to be his campaign manager for his successful 1994 reelection bid. In 1997, he was appointed to be the regional director for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for New York and New Jersey under
3354-531: The city, following tweets directed at "the Jewish community", who described de Blasio's actions as scapegoating . In early June 2020, he was criticized for enforcing restrictions on religious gatherings to no more than 25% of capacity whereas all other groups were allowed to operate at 50% capacity. Catholic priests and Jewish synagogue worshipers then sued both De Blasio and Governor Cuomo for being more than twice as restrictive of worship than protest events. In late June,
3432-555: The city. "We want these landlords to feel like they're being watched", de Blasio told the New York Daily News . "We need to shine a light on these folks to shame them into action." De Blasio has criticized Citizens United , the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned parts of the 2002 McCain–Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act . He argued that "corporations should not be allowed to buy elections" and launched
3510-455: The creation of municipal identification cards for all residents regardless of immigration status, to help secure access to city services. Homeless New Yorkers were also eligible to obtain the IDNYC cards if they registered a "care of" address. The IDNYC card program was launched on January 1, 2015. De Blasio had mixed approval ratings during his mayoralty. In 2016, de Blasio expressed support for
3588-454: The decision without de Blasio's support, and was rejected. De Blasio selected Bill Bratton for New York City Police Commissioner , a position he had held under Mayor Rudy Giuliani . Bratton, who introduced stop and frisk under Giuliani, promised it would be used "legally, respectfully" and less frequently. Some de Blasio supporters were disappointed by Bratton's appointment. In February 2014, Pastor Bishop Orlando Findlayter—the founder of
3666-526: The education, environmental protection , finance, and technology committees and chaired the general welfare committee. In November 2008, de Blasio announced his candidacy for New York City Public Advocate , entering a crowded field of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination that included former Public Advocate Mark Green . The New York Times endorsed de Blasio, praising his efforts to improve public schools and "[help] many less-fortunate New Yorkers with food stamps, housing, and children's health" as
3744-403: The expanded city was Robert Anderson Van Wyck . The longest-serving mayors have been Fiorello H. La Guardia (1934–1945), Robert F. Wagner Jr. (1954–1965), Ed Koch (1978–1989) and Michael Bloomberg (2002–2013), each of whom was in office for twelve years (three successive four-year terms). The shortest terms in office since 1834 have been those of acting mayors: William T. Collins served
3822-532: The expectation of a landslide in the heavily Democratic city. The finance activities of the 2013 de Blasio campaign became the subject of a federal corruption investigation led by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara , including whether campaign donors received preferential treatment from City Hall. The investigation ended in March 2017 with no charges. In 2017, de Blasio won reelection to a second term, defeating Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis , 65.2%-27.2%. De Blasio
3900-414: The final terms to which they were elected. The uncompleted mayoral terms of Hoffman, Walker, and O'Dwyer were added to the other offices elected in (respectively) 1868, 1932 , and 1950 [those three elections are listed as "special" in the table below because they occurred before the next regularly scheduled mayoral election; the "regular" mayoral elections of 1874 and 1913, on the other hand, were held on
3978-407: The general election. Notes † died in office Direct elections to the mayoralty of the unconsolidated City of New York began in 1834 for a term of one year, extended to two years after 1849. The 1897 Charter of the consolidated City stipulated that the mayor was to be elected for a single four-year term. In 1901, the term halved to two years, with no restrictions on reelection. In 1905, the term
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#17330852378814056-514: The general election. Exit polls showed that the issue that most aided de Blasio's primary victory was his unequivocal opposition to "stop and frisk." After the primary, de Blasio was announced as the nominee of the Working Families Party . In the general election, he defeated Lhota in a landslide with 72.2% of the vote. Voter turnout for the election set a new record low of only 24% of registered voters, which The New York Times attributed to
4134-729: The height of the Red Scare , both Maria and Warren were accused of having a "sympathetic interest in Communism ". The family moved to Connecticut; Warren was chief international economist for Texaco and Maria worked in public relations at the Italian consulate. In 1966, the family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts , when Warren was offered a job at Arthur D. Little, and de Blasio began kindergarten. Bill and his brother Donald were then raised by Maria and her extended family. Of his early childhood, de Blasio said, "my mother and father broke up very early on in
4212-538: The imprimatur of being proved workable in New York." In the first weeks of de Blasio's mayoralty, New York City was struck by a series of snowstorms. De Blasio was criticized by Upper East Side residents who said efforts to clear the snow seemed to be lagging in their neighborhood. De Blasio apologized the next day, saying that "more could have been done to serve the Upper East Side." On February 13, heavy snowstorms hit
4290-664: The issue to the voters). Legal challenges to the Council's action were rejected by Federal courts in January and April 2009. However, in 2010, yet another referendum, reverting the limit to two terms, passed overwhelmingly. Principal source: The Encyclopedia of New York City especially the entries for "charter" and "mayoralty". Mayors John T. Hoffman (1866–1868, elected Governor 1868), William Havemeyer (1845–1846, 1848–1849, and 1873–1874), William Jay Gaynor (1910–1913), John Francis Hylan (1918–1925), Jimmy Walker (1926–1932), and William O'Dwyer (1946–1950) failed to complete
4368-552: The measure would take a significant toll on school attendance. Three months later, he voiced opposition to the mayor's proposed budget containing more than $ 34 million in cuts to childcare services. In June 2011, de Blasio outlined a plan to improve the process of school co-location, by which multiple schools are housed in one building. His study found community input was often ignored by the city's Department of Education, resulting in top-down decisions made without sufficient regard for negative impacts. He outlined eight solutions to improve
4446-478: The operations of the New York City Housing Authority. The agreement created "specific requirements and milestones to address the serious health and safety hazards at NYCHA properties, including lead-based paint, mold, heat, vermin, among others". Alicia Glen was de Blasio's deputy mayor for economic development and housing. On January 28, 2020, de Blasio said, "this virus was underestimated by
4524-482: The plan, arguing that it promoted gentrification . In April 2017, the state government renewed the 421-a tax abatement program after unions and developers made a deal on wages in qualifying construction projects. Atlantic Avenue , in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn , which has been scarred by decades of poverty and crime, was the first test and focus of de Blasio's strategy on affordable housing, one of
4602-568: The police to make an inquiry regarding Findlayter's arrest he did not ask the police to release him. A spokesperson for the mayor said that de Blasio's call occurred after the police already had decided to release Findlayter. While both the police and City Hall denied that De Blasio requested preferential treatment for Findlayter, City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said De Blasio's behavior was concerning because "the mayor shouldn't be involved in any way about somebody's arrest." List of mayors of New York City The mayor of New York City
4680-401: The policy initiatives central to his platform of reducing inequality. Since 2012, city planners had been working to bring residents to forums to consult on the process. The plan was to "invite developers to build up local streets in exchange for more units of affordable housing." In January 2019, de Blasio and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson reached an agreement to change
4758-507: The post- 9/11 surveillance program of Muslim residents. In his first term as mayor, he implemented a free universal pre-kindergarten program in the city. De Blasio called attention to what he calls stark economic inequality in New York City, which he described as a " tale of two cities " during his first campaign. He supported socially liberal and progressive policies in regard to the city's economy , urban planning, public education, police relations, and privatization . De Blasio ran in
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#17330852378814836-434: The previous week, de Blasio's "top aides were furiously trying to change the mayor's approach to the coronavirus outbreak. There had been arguments and shouting matches between the mayor and some of his advisers; some top health officials had even threatened to resign if he refused to accept the need to close schools and businesses." De Blasio followed their advice. De Blasio was criticized for singling out Jewish residents of
4914-493: The process and incorporate community opinion into the decision-making process. The same month, he also criticized a Bloomberg administration proposal to lay off more than 4,600 teachers to balance the city's budget; de Blasio organized parents and communities against the proposed cuts and staged a last-minute call-a-thon. Bloomberg restored the funding, agreeing to find savings elsewhere in the budget. On January 27, 2013, de Blasio announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City in
4992-452: The rule was passed by the city's Board of Health, which required parents to sign a consent form. Some ultra- Orthodox Jewish leaders called the requirement an infringement on religious freedom, sued the city in federal court, and pressed their followers not to comply. After de Blasio installed allies and donors on New York City's Board of Health, a new policy was instated that mohels could be banned for life if they tested positive for herpes and
5070-507: The same day that they would have happened had the mayoralty not become vacant.] † Became acting mayor as the president of the board of aldermen or (in 1950) city council. (D) = (Democratic) (R) = (Republican) Brooklyn elected a mayor from 1834 until consolidation in 1898 into the City of Greater New York , whose own second mayor (1902–1903), Seth Low , had been Mayor of Brooklyn from 1882 to 1885. Since 1898, Brooklyn has, in place of
5148-498: The time I came along, and I was brought up by my mother's family—that's the bottom line—the de Blasio family." When de Blasio was 18, his father committed suicide while suffering from incurable lung cancer . In 1979, de Blasio graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School , where he was in student government and was known to peers as "Senator Provolone". He received a Bachelor of Arts from New York University in metropolitan studies,
5226-620: The vote in 2005. On the City Council, de Blasio passed legislation to prevent landlord discrimination against tenants who hold federal housing subsidy vouchers, and helped pass the HIV/AIDS Housing Services Law, improving housing services for low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. As head of the city council's General Welfare Committee, de Blasio helped pass the Gender-Based Discrimination Protection Law to protect transgender New Yorkers, and passed
5304-543: The west and south, the region of Calabria also to the south, the region of Apulia to the east and north, and by the Ionian Sea to the southeast. The history of settlement in the region dates back to the Palaeolithic Period and the first instance of organised settlement was in 251 BCE, when Roman Republic consul Lucius Caecilius Metellus founded the town as Matera. Matera was sacked multiple times; initially by
5382-420: Was a centerpiece of De Blasio's campaign. The practice had been challenged by civil rights groups in federal court, where it was ruled unconstitutional in 2013 . The federal appeal of this decision filed by the Bloomberg administration was dropped by de Blasio upon taking office. He vowed to settle cases with claimants who had ongoing litigation against the police for stop and frisk arrests. The NYPD union appealed
5460-483: Was announced to be the capital of ancient district Lucania ( Basilicata ) in 1663; this status was removed from the city in 1806 and 1860. Under the Fascist rule of Italy, the title of Matera serving as the capital of Basilicata was restored in 1927. The province is known for its history of "cave dwellings" known as sassi . The main comuni (municipalities) by population are (as of January 2018): Montescaglioso hosts
5538-500: Was being unfairly cast as being opposed to charter schools. Two months after the initial decision, the mayor's office announced that it had found space for the three schools. The city would lease, renovate, and maintain three buildings, which were previously used for Catholic schools, from the Archdiocese of New York . The three charter schools are run by Success Academy Charter Schools . In April 2019, De Blasio announced his support for
5616-505: Was chosen for these positions only because of her relationship with De Blasio. De Blasio accused critics of the arrangement of "sexism" and bemoaned the city's anti- nepotism laws that prevented McCray from receiving a substantial salary. During his mayoral tenure, de Blasio's relationship with the New York City Police Department was called "strained", "combative", and "frosty". Ending the NYPD's "stop and frisk" policy
5694-403: Was extended to four years once again. (Mayors Fiorello La Guardia , Robert F. Wagner Jr. and Ed Koch were later able to serve for twelve years each.) In 1993, the voters approved a two-term (eight-year) limit, and reconfirmed this limit when the issue was submitted to referendum in 1996. In 2008, the New York City Council voted to change the two-term limit to three terms (without submitting
5772-427: Was for four years. The City Charter was changed to make the mayor's term a two-year one beginning in 1902, but after two such terms was changed back to resume four-year terms in 1906. George B. McClellan Jr. thus served one two-year term from 1904 to 1905, during which he was elected to a four-year term from 1906 to 1909. The party of the mayor reflects party registration, as opposed to the party lines run under during
5850-684: Was from Sant'Agata de' Goti , Benevento , and his grandmother, Anna (née Briganti), was from Grassano , Matera . His paternal uncle, Donald George Wilhelm Jr., worked for the Central Intelligence Agency in Iran and ghostwrote the memoir of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , the last shah of Iran. His mother, Maria de Blasio, attended Smith College , served in the U.S. Office of War Information during World War II and authored The Other Italy: The Italian Resistance in World War II (1988). His father,
5928-569: Was run by the British military governor, Richard Nicolls . The office of Mayor of New York City was established in 1665. Holders were appointed by colonial governors, beginning with Thomas Willett . The position remained appointed until 1777. That year, during the American Revolution , a Council of Appointment was formed by the State of New York . In 1821 the New York City Council – then known as
6006-449: Was running in the 2022 U.S. House election in the newly redrawn 10th congressional district . He withdrew from the race on July 19, saying he was done with "electoral politics". Bill de Blasio was born Warren Wilhelm Jr. on May 8, 1961. While he did not grow up in New York City, his parents drove from their home in Norwalk, Connecticut , to Manhattan 's Doctors Hospital for his birth. He
6084-454: Was sworn into office on January 1, 2014, by former President Bill Clinton . In his inaugural address, he reiterated his campaign pledge to address "economic and social inequalities" within the city. The New York Times noted that "The elevation of an assertive, tax-the-rich liberal to the nation's most prominent municipal office has fanned hopes that hot-button causes like universal prekindergarten and low-wage worker benefits... could be aided by
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