Bloomberg Legacy: Mayor Mike Went Where Many Didn't Have Guts To Go
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Michael Bloomberg era in New York City ends in just two weeks.
He leaves with friends, enemies and a long list of accomplishments, which, in true Mayor Mike style, he wants to be the first to tell you about, CBS 2's Marcia Kramer reported Monday.
The mayor known as "El Bloombito" for his fractured Spanish and the dogged way he tried to speak it publicly these past 12 years is about to say adios Nueva York.
And in true Bloomberg style he's going out with what passes for a "bang" in his techno-centric world – a new self-funded website -- progress.mikebloomberg.com -- to highlight his accomplishments, also known as his legacy.
But even people looking for a fresh face admit, even grudgingly, that he's done some pretty memorable things.
"He was kind of autocratic the way that he was mayor, but the things that he did -- I liked smoking ban; I think the soda ban was well intentioned; I like the trans fats and the health," one New Yorker said.
Yes, you can say what you want about nanny Bloomberg, but he's certainly left his mark on New York City -- from closing times and Herald Squares to traffic, to bike lanes and Citi Bike. Bloomberg has been unafraid to go where others dared not tread – or drive.
His web site brags how his health initiatives mean life expectancy here is 2.2 years longer than the national average. And, he claims, crime is down more than 30 percent, with murders cut in half, compared to a 15 percent reduction nationally.
So after 12 years, are New Yorkers ready to hug it out with Mayor Mike?
"I personally think he's done a good job," one person said.
"Yes and no," another person said.
"I think he has improved the city," a third added.
"I think he was a little bit opinionated on some of the personal matters he talked about which were breast feeding, things like that. It's really not his role," added Arianne Damrow of Woodside.
And give him his due, Spanish wasn't his mother tongue, but Bloomberg did try to reach the city's Hispanic population in theirs.
Bloomberg also came cheap. He took a salary of only $1 a year. Think about it, $12 for the entire three terms. That saved the city $2.7 million.
And he's not going quietly. He's forming a new company, Bloomberg Associates, to help other cities do the same things he's done in New York.
And his services will be even cheaper – he's doing it for free.
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