Misplaced Pages

#984015

57-502: The Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a memorial at Elmhurst Park in Elmhurst, Queens , New York City in honor of the veterans of the Vietnam War of 1955–1975. It was designed by Landscape Architects Denise Mattes and Frank Varro, and fabricated by Sprung Monuments, Corinthian Cast Stone Inc., and Barre Granite Association Inc. Located at the northeastern corner of Elmhurst Park, it

114-446: A Wall Street trading floor, in which dozens of aides and managerial staff are seated together in a large chamber. The design is intended to promote accountability and accessibility. Bloomberg accepted a remuneration of $ 1 annually in lieu of the mayoral salary. As mayor, Bloomberg turned the city's $ 6 billion budget deficit into a $ 3 billion surplus, largely by raising property taxes. Bloomberg increased city funding for

171-482: A playground and more than 620 trees. The six-acre (2.4 ha) park's bathrooms were delayed greatly, however. Having opened in September 2012, the restroom facilities were stylish and spacious, although highly controversial; they drew wide criticism due to their $ 2.3 million cost. The Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial , a $ 2.85 million memorial to Vietnam War veterans, at the northeastern corner of Elmhurst Park,

228-597: A brief stint as a full-time philanthropist, he re-assumed the position of CEO at Bloomberg L.P. by the end of 2014. In November 2019, four months before Super Tuesday, Bloomberg officially launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in the 2020 election . He ended his campaign in March 2020, after having won only 61 delegates. Bloomberg self-funded $ 935 million for his candidacy, which set

285-593: A drawing of Bamboo etched in its surface, with a bench where visitors can sit and view the names and history. The outside face of the wall is engraved with the name of the memorial, a dedication to all Vietnam Veterans, an engraving of the Vietnam Service Medal , and the Service Marks for the Army , Navy , Marines , Air Force and Coast Guard . The faces of the wall with the title and the names and history are lit, as

342-756: A feeling echoed by others. Bloomberg opposed the confirmation of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the United States . Bloomberg is a staunch supporter of abortion rights and did not believe that Roberts was committed to maintaining Roe v. Wade . In addition to Republican support, Bloomberg obtained the endorsements of several prominent Democrats: former Democratic mayor Ed Koch ; former Democratic governor Hugh Carey ; former Democratic City Council Speaker Peter Vallone , and his son, Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. ; former Democratic Congressman Floyd Flake (who had previously endorsed Bloomberg in 2001), and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz . On October 2, 2008, Bloomberg announced he would seek to extend

399-536: A former Democratic congressman , to become the Republican nominee. After a runoff , the Democratic nomination went to New York City Public Advocate Mark Green . Bloomberg received Giuliani's endorsement to succeed him in the 2001 election. He also had a huge campaign spending advantage. Although New York City's campaign finance law restricts the total amount of contributions that a candidate can accept, Bloomberg chose not to use public funds and therefore his campaign

456-556: A gain of $ 4.5 billion over the previous year, the world's biggest increase in wealth from 2008 to 2009. Bloomberg moved from 142nd to 17th in the Forbes list of the world's billionaires in only two years. In the 2019 Forbes list of the world's billionaires, he was the ninth-richest person ; his net worth was estimated at $ 55.5 billion. Currently, Bloomberg's net worth is estimated at $ 106 billion, ranking him 12th on Forbes' list of billionaires. Bloomberg assumed office as

513-575: A record for the most money ever spent on a presidential primary campaign. His campaign blanketed the country with campaign advertisements on broadcast and cable television, the Internet, and radio, as well as direct mail . Bloomberg also spent heavily on campaign operations that grew to 200 field offices and more than 2,400 paid campaign staffers. His support in nationwide opinion polls never exceeded 15 percent but stagnated or dropped before Super Tuesday , while former vice president Joe Biden had become

570-539: A rezoning of large areas of the city, which facilitated massive and widespread new commercial and residential construction after the September 11 attacks . Bloomberg is considered to have had far-reaching influence on the politics , business sector , and culture of New York City during his three terms as mayor. He has also faced significant criticism for the city's stop and frisk program, support for which he reversed with an apology before his 2020 presidential run. After

627-530: A sixfold increase in documented stops. The policy was challenged in U.S. Federal Court , which ruled that the city's implementation of the policy violated citizens' rights under the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution and encouraged racial profiling. Bloomberg's administration appealed the ruling; however, his successor, Mayor Bill de Blasio, dropped the appeal and allowed the ruling to take effect. After

SECTION 10

#1732868660985

684-544: A speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in which he called Hillary Clinton "the right choice". Bloomberg warned of the dangers a Donald Trump presidency would pose. He said Trump "wants you to believe that we can solve our biggest problems by deporting Mexicans and shutting out Muslims. He wants you to believe that erecting trade barriers will bring back good jobs. He's wrong on both counts." Bloomberg also said Trump's economic plans "would make it harder for small businesses to compete" and would "erode our influence in

741-533: A swastika over a 110, presumably for the 110th Police Precinct. Elmhurst Park Built between 1910 and 1921, the gas tanks were built to hold gas. Until the 1960s, the gas tanks had been maintained by an inspector using a rowboat . Due to the increasing prevalence of much more compact gas cylinders , Brooklyn Union Gas began dismantling the gas tanks in 1996. Because the Long Island Expressway frequently became congested in that area, "backup at

798-438: Is a financial information, software and media firm that is known for its Bloomberg Terminal . Bloomberg spent the next twenty years as its chairman and CEO. As of April 2024, Forbes ranked him as the thirteenth-richest person in the world , with an estimated net worth of US$ 106.2 billion. Bloomberg, who has signed The Giving Pledge , has given away $ 17.4 billion to philanthropic causes in his lifetime. Bloomberg

855-435: Is a flag pole. In the center of the elliptical space is a granite map showing the area around Vietnam, with several places mentioned in the historical text marked as well. The vertical seam running through Vietnam on the map marks the longitudinal great circle that the memorial lies on. The plantings around the memorial were selected to provide color throughout the year, with a focus on the fall colors of Green, Yellow, and Red,

912-472: Is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P. , and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the mayor of New York City for three terms from 2002 to 2013 and was a candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president of the United States . In 2024, Bloomberg received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden . He has served as chair of

969-676: The Defense Innovation Board , an independent advisory board that provides recommendations on artificial intelligence , software, data and digital modernization to the United States Department of Defense , since June 2022. Bloomberg grew up in Medford, Massachusetts , and graduated from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Business School . He began his career at the securities brokerage firm Salomon Brothers before forming his own company in 1981. That company, Bloomberg L.P. ,

1026-672: The Iraq War . Bloomberg was re-elected mayor in November 2005 by a margin of 20 percent, the widest margin ever for a Republican mayor of New York City. He spent almost $ 78 million on his campaign, exceeding the record of $ 74 million he spent on the previous election. In late 2004 or early 2005, Bloomberg gave the Independence Party of New York $ 250,000 to fund a phone bank seeking to recruit volunteers for his re-election campaign. Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer won

1083-516: The September 11 attacks , with assistance from the Central Intelligence Agency, Bloomberg's administration oversaw a controversial program that surveilled Muslim communities on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, and language. The program was discontinued in 2014. In a January 2014 Quinnipiac poll, 64 percent of voters called Bloomberg's 12 years as mayor "mainly a success". In 2001, New York's Republican mayor Rudy Giuliani ,

1140-608: The city's term limits law and run for a third mayoral term in 2009. Bloomberg said, "Handling this financial crisis while strengthening essential services ... is a challenge I want to take on," Bloomberg said at a news conference. "So should the City Council vote to amend term limits, I plan to ask New Yorkers to look at my record of independent leadership and then decide if I have earned another term." Ronald Lauder , who campaigned for New York City's term limits in 1993 and spent over 4 million dollars of his own money to limit

1197-460: The 108th mayor of New York City on January 1, 2002. He won re-election in 2005 and again in 2009. As mayor, he initially struggled with approval ratings as low as 24 percent; however, he subsequently developed and maintained high approval ratings. Bloomberg joined Rudy Giuliani , John Lindsay , and Fiorello La Guardia as re-elected Republican mayors in the mostly Democratic city. Bloomberg stated that he wanted public education reform to be

SECTION 20

#1732868660985

1254-906: The Democratic Party to "nominate a Democrat who will be in the strongest position to defeat Donald Trump ." However, due to his dissatisfaction with the Democratic field, Bloomberg reconsidered. He officially launched his campaign for the 2020 Democratic nomination on November 24, 2019. Bloomberg self-funded his campaign from his personal fortune and did not accept campaign contributions. Bloomberg's campaign suffered from his lackluster performance in two televised debates. When Bloomberg participated in his first presidential debate, Elizabeth Warren challenged him to release women from non-disclosure agreements relating to their allegations of sexual harassment at Bloomberg L.P. Two days later, Bloomberg announced that there were three women who had made complaints concerning him, and added that he would release any of

1311-432: The Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively. Quinn came in third in the Democratic primary and Lhota won the Republican primary. Bloomberg criticized Democratic mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio 's campaign methods, which he initially called "racist"; Bloomberg later downplayed and partially retracted those remarks. On January 1, 2014, de Blasio became New York City's new mayor, succeeding Bloomberg. Bloomberg

1368-643: The Democratic nomination to oppose Bloomberg in the general election. Thomas Ognibene sought to run against Bloomberg in the Republican Party's primary election. The Bloomberg campaign successfully challenged the signatures Ognibene submitted to the Board of Elections to prevent Ognibene from appearing on ballots for the Republican primary. Instead, Ognibene ran on only the Conservative Party ticket. Ognibene accused Bloomberg of betraying Republican Party ideals,

1425-614: The Elmhurst Gas Tanks" became a familiar phrase in radio traffic reporting . Having been literal rather than legal landmarks , the two huge gas holders were completely removed by 2001. Construction on the $ 20 million park, spearheaded by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg , started in 2007. On May 24, 2011, the Elmhurst Park was opened on the former site of the gas tanks. The park contained state-of-the-art facilities including benches, lighting, lawns, and jogging paths, in addition to

1482-523: The Independence Party on October 30 and November 2, 2009. The Independence Party then paid $ 750,000 of that money to Republican Party political operative John Haggerty Jr. This prompted an investigation beginning in February 2010 by the office of New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. into possible improprieties. The Independence Party later questioned how Haggerty spent the money, which

1539-581: The Market Master terminal, was released to market in December 1982. In 1986, IMS renamed itself Bloomberg L.P. Over the years, ancillary products including Bloomberg News , Bloomberg Radio , Bloomberg Message, and Bloomberg Tradebook were launched. Bloomberg, L.P. had revenues of approximately $ 10 billion in 2018. As of 2019, the company has more than 325,000 terminal subscribers worldwide and employs 20,000 people in dozens of locations. The culture of

1596-649: The NYC Young Men's Initiative, a $ 127 million initiative to support programs and policies designed to address disparities between young Black and Latino men and their peers, and personally donated $ 30 million to the project. In 2010, Bloomberg supported the then-controversial Islamic complex near Ground Zero . Under the Bloomberg Administration, the New York City Police Department greatly expanded its stop and frisk program, with

1653-520: The Vietnam War, with their ages at their death. Under the names is a timeline of the war, describing some of the major events from May 7, 1954, to April 30, 1975. There is then a short statement honoring those veterans who have lost their lives after the war due to things ranging from PTSD to Agent Orange exposure side effects. It also honors Pat Toro, a veteran who advocated for the memorial but died prior to its construction. The opposite granite wall has

1710-490: The bill into law on November 3. Bloomberg's bid for a third term generated some controversy. Civil libertarians such as former New York Civil Liberties Union Director Norman Siegel and New York Civil Rights Coalition Executive Director Michael Meyers joined with local politicians to protest the process as undermining the democratic process. Bloomberg's opponent was Democratic and Working Families Party nominee Bill Thompson , who had been New York City Comptroller for

1767-471: The candidates to succeed him. On his radio show, he stated, "I don't want to do anything that complicates it for the next mayor. And that's one of the reasons I've decided I'm just not going to make an endorsement in the race." He added, "I want to make sure that person is ready to succeed, to take what we've done and build on that." Bloomberg praised The New York Times for its endorsement of Christine Quinn and Joe Lhota as their favorite candidates in

Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Misplaced Pages Continue

1824-661: The colors of the Vietnam Service Medal Ribbon, around Veterans Day . The Memorial was donated by Borough President Melinda Katz after securing funding. She, along with the New York City Parks Department, Queens veterans, various elected officials, and community leaders broke ground for its construction. It was the first memorial to honor all Queens residents who served in the Vietnam War and were killed in action, or listed as "Missing in Action." {resent at

1881-582: The company in the 1980s and 1990s has been compared to a fraternity, with employees bragging in the company's office about their sexual exploits. The company was sued four times by female employees for sexual harassment , including one incident in which a victim claimed to have been raped. To celebrate Bloomberg's 48th birthday, colleagues published a pamphlet entitled Portable Bloomberg: The Wit and Wisdom of Michael Bloomberg . Among various sayings that were attributed to him, several have subsequently been criticized as sexist or misogynistic. When he left

1938-596: The end of 2014, succeeding Doctoroff, who had led the company since February 2008. Bloomberg resigned as CEO of Bloomberg L.P. to run for president in 2019. In January 2024, John P. Angelos reached a $ 1.725 billion deal to sell the Baltimore Orioles to a group led by David Rubenstein . The group included Bloomberg, former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke , Cal Ripken , New York investment manager Michael Arougheti and NBA legend Grant Hill . In March 2009, Forbes reported Bloomberg's wealth at $ 16 billion,

1995-559: The firm. Using the money he received from Phibro, Bloomberg—having designed in-house computerized financial systems for Salomon—set up a data services company named Innovative Market Systems (IMS) based on his belief that Wall Street would pay a premium for high-quality business information, delivered instantaneously on computer terminals in a variety of usable formats. The company sold customized computer terminals that delivered real-time market data, financial calculations and other analytics to Wall Street firms. The terminal, first called

2052-522: The fraternity Phi Kappa Psi . While there, he constructed the blue jay costume for the university's mascot . He graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering . In 1966, he graduated from Harvard Business School with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Bloomberg is a member of Kappa Beta Phi and Tau Beta Pi . He wrote an autobiography, Bloomberg by Bloomberg , with help from Bloomberg News editor-in-chief Matthew Winkler . In 1966, Bloomberg

2109-565: The groundbreaking ceremony also included State Senators Joseph Addabbo Jr. and Toby Ann Stavisky , State Assemblymembers Brian Barnwell and Michael DenDekker , City Councilmember Robert Holden and then-State Senator-elect John Liu . The site is within Elmhurst Park , which opened in 2011. On June 2, 2021, the Memorial was vandalized with graffiti. The graffiti included negative references to God, "fallen souls", and “baby killers,” as well as

2166-422: The legacy of his first term and addressing poverty to be the legacy of his second. Bloomberg chose to apply a statistical, metrics-based management approach to city government, and granted departmental commissioners' broad autonomy in their decision-making. Breaking with 190 years of tradition, he implemented what New York Times political reporter Adam Nagourney called a "bullpen" open office plan, similar to

2223-555: The maximum years a mayor could serve to eight years, sided with Bloomberg and agreed to stay out of future legality issues. In exchange, he was promised a seat on an influential city board by Bloomberg. Some people and organizations objected and NYPIRG filed a complaint with the City Conflict of Interest Board. On October 23, 2008, the city council voted 29–22 in favor of extending the term limit to three consecutive four-year terms. After two days of public hearings, Bloomberg signed

2280-720: The new development of affordable housing through a plan that created and preserved an estimated 160,000 affordable homes in the city. In 2003, he implemented a successful smoking ban in all indoor workplaces, including bars and restaurants, and many other cities and states followed suit. On December 5, 2006, New York City became the first city in the United States to ban trans-fat from all restaurants. This went into effect in July 2008 and has since been adopted in many other cities and countries. Bloomberg created bicycle lanes , required chain restaurants to post calorie counts , and pedestrianized much of Times Square . In 2011, Bloomberg launched

2337-558: The past eight years and before that, president of the New York City Board of Education . Bloomberg defeated Thompson by a vote of 51 percent to 46 percent. Bloomberg spent $ 109.2 million on his 2009 campaign, outspending Thompson by a margin of more than 11 to one. After the release of Independence Party campaign filings in January 2010, it was reported that Bloomberg had made two $ 600,000 contributions from his personal account to

Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Misplaced Pages Continue

2394-438: The position of CEO to pursue a political career as the mayor of New York City, Bloomberg was replaced by Lex Fenwick and later by Daniel L. Doctoroff , after his initial service as deputy mayor under Bloomberg. After completing his final term as the mayor of New York City, Bloomberg spent his first eight months out of office as a full-time philanthropist. In fall 2014, he announced that he would return to Bloomberg L.P. as CEO at

2451-466: The record for the most expensive U.S. presidential primary campaign. Bloomberg was born on February 14, 1942, at St. Elizabeth's Hospital , in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston , to William Henry Bloomberg (1906–1963), a bookkeeper for a dairy company, and Charlotte (née Rubens) Bloomberg (1909–2011). His father never earned more than $ 6,000 a year. William Henry Bloomberg died suddenly when his son

2508-417: The three if they request him to do so. Warren continued her attack in the second debate the next week. Others criticized Bloomberg for his wealth and campaign spending, as well as his former affiliation with the Republican Party. As a late entrant to the race, Bloomberg skipped the first four state primaries and caucuses. He spent $ 676 million of his personal fortune on the primary campaign, breaking

2565-528: The world". Trump responded to the speech by condemning Bloomberg in a series of tweets. In June 2018, Bloomberg pledged $ 80 million to support Democratic congressional candidates in the 2018 election , with the goal of flipping control of the Republican-controlled House to Democrats. In a statement, Bloomberg said that Republican House leadership were "absolutely feckless" and had failed to govern responsibly. Bloomberg advisor Howard Wolfson

2622-486: Was announced in June 2017. Although planning and fundraising started in the mid-2000s, construction started in December 2018. The memorial was dedicated the following December. The semicircular memorial features the names of 371 Queens residents who died while fighting in the war. Michael Bloomberg [REDACTED] Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He

2679-470: Was announced in June 2017. Although planning and fundraising started in the mid-2000s, construction began on November 29, 2018, with $ 2.3 million in funding from the Queens Borough Council . The memorial was dedicated on December 20, 2019. The Memorial is a slightly sunken elliptical space framed by two Barre Gray Granite walls. One wall contains the names of the 371 Queens residents who died in

2736-628: Was born in New York to Lithuanian Jewish parents. The family lived in Allston until Bloomberg was two years old, followed by Brookline, Massachusetts , for two years, finally settling in the Boston suburb of Medford, Massachusetts , where he lived until after he graduated from college. Bloomberg became an Eagle Scout when he was twelve years old. He graduated from Medford High School in 1960. He went on to attend Johns Hopkins University , where he joined

2793-508: Was chosen to lead the effort, which was to target mainly suburban districts. By early October, Bloomberg had committed more than $ 100 million to returning the House and Senate to Democratic power, fueling speculation about a presidential run in 2020 . On October 10, 2018, Bloomberg announced that he had returned to the Democratic party. On March 5, 2019, Bloomberg had announced that he would not run for president in 2020. Instead, he encouraged

2850-468: Was elected the 108th mayor of New York City in 2001 . He held office for three consecutive terms, winning re-election in 2005 and 2009 . Pursuing socially liberal and fiscally moderate policies , Bloomberg developed a technocratic managerial style . As the mayor of New York, Bloomberg established public charter schools , rebuilt urban infrastructure, and supported gun control , public health initiatives, and environmental protections . He also led

2907-458: Was frequently mentioned as a possible centrist candidate for the presidential elections in 2008 and 2012 , as well as for governor of New York in 2010 or vice-president in 2008. He eventually declined to seek all of these offices. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in November 2012, Bloomberg penned an op-ed officially endorsing Barack Obama for president, citing Obama's policies on climate change. On January 23, 2016, it

SECTION 50

#1732868660985

2964-437: Was hired for a job earning $ 9,000 per year at Salomon Brothers , a large Wall Street investment bank . Salomon Brothers later promoted him to the equities desk. Bloomberg became a general partner at Salomon Brothers in 1972; he headed equity trading and, later, systems development . Phibro Corporation bought Salomon Brothers in 1981, and the new management fired Bloomberg, paying him $ 10 million for his equity in

3021-664: Was in college. The Bloomberg Center at the Harvard Business School was named in William Henry's honor. Bloomberg's family is Jewish , and he is a member of the Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan. Bloomberg's paternal grandfather, Rabbi Alexander "Elick" Bloomberg, was a Polish Jew . Bloomberg's maternal grandfather, Max Rubens, was a Lithuanian Jewish immigrant from present-day Belarus , and his maternal grandmother

3078-521: Was ineligible for re-election due to the city's limit of two consecutive terms. Bloomberg, who had been a lifelong member of the Democratic Party , decided to run for mayor on the Republican ticket. Voting in the primary began on the morning of September 11, 2001. The primary was postponed later that day, due to the September 11 attacks . In the rescheduled primary, Bloomberg defeated Herman Badillo ,

3135-470: Was not subject to these restrictions. He spent $ 73 million of his own money on his campaign, outspending Green by a ratio of five to one. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Bloomberg's administration made a successful bid to host the 2004 Republican National Convention . The convention drew thousands of protesters , among them New Yorkers against George W. Bush and the Bush administration's pursuit of

3192-546: Was reported that Bloomberg was again considering a presidential run, as an independent candidate in the 2016 election , if Bernie Sanders got the Democratic party nomination. This was the first time he had officially confirmed he was considering a run. Bloomberg supporters believed that Bloomberg could run as a centrist and capture many voters who were dissatisfied with the likely Democratic and Republican nominees. However, on March 7, Bloomberg announced he would not be running for president. In July 2016, Bloomberg delivered

3249-552: Was to go to poll-watchers. Former New York State Senator Martin Connor contended that because the Bloomberg donations were made to an Independence Party housekeeping account rather than to an account meant for current campaigns, this was a violation of campaign finance laws. Haggerty also spent money from a separate $ 200,000 donation from Bloomberg on office space. On September 13, 2013, Bloomberg announced that he would not endorse any of

#984015