I telephoned City Hall, actually the mayor's office, 8 am yesterday to speak to the new "deputy" in town, Deputy Stephen Goldsmith. I met him the day before at The Crain's breakfast for him and a few hundred business people and two activists, me and a friend.
Watch the YouTube I am posting and hear how he responds to my questions. He shook my hand and it was a hand shake I can only describe as a small dead fish; completely limp and disingenuous. He said, "thank you" to me twice actually. Each time I felt he was saying, "F-you, you are now dismissed." Don't actually ask me questions about politics, infrastructure and the harsh reality the people of New York actually need people in office that will be their advocate and work and fight for them.
The woman that answered the phone for the mayor's office transferred me over to Goldsmith's office. You see, he did not give me his card. He did hand out his business card but not to me. What ever I looked like or perhaps my questions some how registered as not a person to hand your business card to.
So much for Crain's and their networking. What was clear from the Crain's breakfast is besides my questions before the event started and the questions of only two news reporters who happened to be -- you guessed it -- two white males -- Stephen Goldsmith could not handle the heat or should I say pressure of their questions. He won't be here long. He won't make it as long as Dollarbill Dan Doctoroff who left king Mike's public empire to re-join his private empire.
Dan considered himself the man in charge of infrastructure until the steam pipe explosion that looked like a terror attack by Grand Central. You see, I would call and email him about the way too rapid development and NY's old infrastructure. I made it clear I felt Bloomberg and he were endangering us and were leaving a hell of a mess for when they actually left office.
Dollar bill Dan quietly and quickly left office. Bye, bye.
Stephen Goldsmith thinks he can take on Albany. Good luck Stephen. You would have better luck taking on the Mafia perhaps converting them to vegetarianism.
Good old Stephen thinks he can come in here and at the Crain's hosted breakfast talk about closing firehouses. Bloomberg and his socialite mega millionaire city planner called Amanda the peoples' Burden aided their developers pal in a reckless tsunami of shady development helping to create mass displacement, perhaps a record number of people displaced and a record number of infrastructure related problems from water main breaks, sewage, Con Ed problems as well as expansion so over the top Con Ed set a record hiring outside contractors, to the worst street conditions seen in years with DOT repaving streets not once but twice or even more than twice.
Why do the streets look like bombs went off on them. If the FDNY is not answering fire calls they are responding to infrastructure problems including man hole cover exploding with dramatic fires that so far have not caused any deaths...so far. We have had heart breaking deaths including children to fires and what does Deputy Goldsmith do at his first Crain's hosted breakfast?
This highly inarticulate man in a very expensive suit with an impressive gold tie tells us he will be closing fire houses.
Interestingly enough Crain's video taped the entire embarrassing disaster for Goldsmith and his new boss king Mike Bloomberg but Crain's did not release any of the let us say awkward or controversial moments and they were many. Crain's released just a small piece on video on their website. Mike has been very lucky with the press that way.
Listening to Goldsmith speak, I never heard some one talk so much to give so many 'non-answers'.
Why would Bloomberg hire a Republican this late in the game unless he wants to cater not to the people of NYC but to the conservatives he hopes to woe when he pursues his one big unrealized dream....running for President of the United States? That is why it is believed Bloomberg took his charitable giving national instead of local. It is why I believe he burdens the tax payers to the tune of 2 million dollars post-his third term hiring so many campaign staff with 6 figure salaries. Why hire them after the election unless he feels he wants them close at hand to pursue his last chance at perhaps one of his biggest dreams unrealized. Bloomberg doesn't fully grasp that he displaced so many people and angered even more denying us a referendum that he paid a record amount of money to barely win the most humiliating and expensive win in NYC history. He won't win a presidency or any political office again. He is very smart and accomplished but he lost sight of the fact he serves the people. He now hired Goldsmith who is not a people person and clearly doesn't represent New Yorkers. Goldsmith looks at this city as some corporate business model.
Denial is the new crack cocaine for politicos from Albany to City Hall.
The one issue Goldsmith was clear on is the devastating budget crisis coming our way here in NYC next year. As usual it was as if no one heard what he had to say and city council will continue to vote themselves raises and give slush money to charities where their life partner (what is Christine Quinn's significant other's name) sits on a board, ditto for their wives, brothers, sisters, husbands, etc.
Albany and City Hall politicians are 2nd to last to deal with the harsh reality of what are terrible economic crisis is coming our way because they contributed to it hugely and Albany still has not dealt effectively with the budget crisis. The last people to deal with and won't be able to escape it like the politicians here in NYC are the people.
Under Bloomberg the city saw a new wave of "sexual McCarthyism" with two women owned Adult Toy Stores Babeland raided and after the raid Babeland is now no longer allowed to rent adult films, some that were instructional but all that a guy like Goldsmith would call porno. Rumor on the street is the NYPD were picking their super elite hottie cops to entrap gay men in adult book stores.
Goldsmith hemmed and hawed at the Crain's breakfast but after a very long non-answer he sure sounded like he said he is anti-gay marriage which I interpret as he does not believe in equal rights. In America we have straight people that are marriage gluttons having been married 2, 3, 4, 5 times but people like Goldsmith would deny gay people the right to even one marriage?
Why would Mike Bloomberg bring in a conservative Republican who wants to privatize everything unless he has his eye on the White House? Either way Goldsmith will not be here long. He said in his non-speak. Hey guys why are you asking me such tough questions.
Goldsmith is out of touch with New Yorkers and a fish out of water in NYC.
I left him a voice mail on Deputy Goldsmith's answering machine at City Hall. I want a STRAIGHT forward answer, no hemming and hawing, do you believe in gay marriage and equal rights? I left my telephone number.
I have not heard back from him.
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