U.S. Women's Soccer Parade Gives De Blasio Perfect Arena To Talk Pay Equity
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The "Canyon of Heroes" will be the "Canyon of Heroines" on Friday for the kind of celebration only New York City can throw.
And the celebration for the world champion U.S. women's soccer team comes with a big price tag and something a city mayor hasn't done in decades.
They were putting the finishing touches on parade floats in a New Jersey warehouse, on Thursday -- a rush order for an event that's going to cost $2 million.
EXTRAS: Guide To NYC's U.S. Women's World Cup Parade | Complete Parade Coverage
The city is anteing up $1.5 million for police, sanitation and other services, while private sponsors contributed $450,000 for the floats, banners and ceremony.
But the possibility of political gain for Mayor Bill de Blasio is priceless, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported.
"Oh it's going to be magical," the mayor said on Thursday.
De Blasio seems ready to break from tradition and actually ride on a float. Former Mayor John Lindsay did it some 50 years ago, but mayors often wait at City Hall to welcome dignitaries like the Giants' Super Bowl team or the Yankees' World Series team.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of it," de Blasio said.
He should be, because in addition to all the hoopla it will allow the very ideological mayor to send home his message about equal pay for equal jobs to an audience of often underpaid women, Kramer reported.
The U.S. women's soccer team is a case in point, a case of pay disparity. The total payout for the Women's World Cup is $15 million, as opposed to the $575 million paid out at the men's World Cup last year in Brazil.
"Their victory, I think, sends a message about the changes that we need to make in our society," de Blasio said. "If we're going to have a more equal society, this victory sends a powerful message about it. If we're going to have pay equity, this victory sends a message about it."
The mayor will also give each member of the team a key to the city.
"This is an extraordinary moment in American history," de Blasio said.
The city's cost will include extra money for police because New York is still on an ISIS terror alert during Ramadan, and for an army of sanitation crews, Kramer reported.
And in case you're interested, the most debris came from the October 1999 Yankees World Series parade – 67.4 tons. John Glenn and the NASA astronauts generated just 12.9 tons in November 1998.
