The Making of the President 2020: Bill de Blasio
I've lost count on how many candidates have declared their candidacy for the Democratic Party's nomination for President, I think the number is 24. Today we profile the last of these (so far), Bill de Blasio, who has been serving as the 109th Mayor of New York City since 2014. Prior to his first election to the position of Mayor, he served as New York City's public advocate from 2010 to 2013.
DeBlasio was born on May 8, 1961 in Manhattan. He graduated from New York University and Columbia University before serving briefly as a campaign manager for Congressman Charles Rangel and for Senator Hillary Clinton. He was first elected to public office on the New York City Council representing the 39th district in Brooklyn from 2002 to 2009. He was elected Mayor of New York City in the landslide 2013 election and retained his office in 2017, another landslide election.
As Mayor of New York he initiated new de-escalation training for officers, reduced prosecutions for cannabis possession, implemented the usage of police body cameras, and ended the post-9/11 surveillance program of Muslim residents. He also began a program of free universal Pre-K in the city. His effort to start a millionaire tax was rejected by New York governor Andrew Cuomo. De Blasio attempted to install an unprecedented rent-freeze citywide for rent-stabilized apartments in 2015.
For De Blasio, a signature issue was what he called attention to what he termed the stark level of economic inequality in New York City. De Blasio referred to it as a "tale of two cities" during his first campaign. He has publicly supported a socially liberal and progressive discourse on the city's economy, urban planning, public education, police relations, and privatization. He generated mixed approval rates throughout his tenure as mayor.
On May 16, 2019, de Blasio declared his candidacy in the Democratic primaries for the 2020 presidential election. He made the announcement after releasing a YouTube video in which he stated "I’m Bill de Blasio and I’m running for president because it’s time we put working people first". De Blasio stated that he supports increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
There are a number of issues which de Blasio championed as Mayor and while are expected to be important in his presidential campaign. In 2014, de Blasio released a report dedicated to "better transit for New York City." He also proposed a coordinated strategy for technology and innovation in his city. He also supported moving Amazon's headquarters to Long Island and worked with Cuomo to develop a benefits package to entice Amazon. In November 2018, Long Island City was selected as one of two sites for HQ2. After receiving pushback, Amazon withdrew their plans to open HQ2 in Long Island City on February 14, 2019. De Blasio later criticized Amazon's decision.
As Mayor, de Blasio planned on building more affordable housing with a goal of building 200,000 units. Though his plan passed the City Council, it has been very controversial. A deal was made between unions and developers on wages in qualifying construction projects. The program seeks to encourage the development. He also revoked $200 million of capital funding that had been earmarked for charter schools.
As mayor, De Blasio's signature initiative was the implementation of Universal Pre-K, the availability of publicly funded pre-kindergarten for all New York City residents. De Blasio sought to fund the program by increasing taxes on New York City residents earning $500,000 or more. De Blasio's initiative has seen an increase in Universal Pre-K enrollment in New York City through 2015, with over 70% of pre-K expansions happening within the ZIP codes of the city's poorest quartiles. In 2017, de Blasio proposed an expansion of the program to "3-K", to include three-year-olds. Preschool for three-year-olds would start in poorer neighborhoods, with the goal of covering the entire city, if the state or federal governments provided funding.
De Blasio supports 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. In December 2018, De Blasio announced his support for marijuana legalization in New York City. He worked with a marijuana task force to produce a report on licensing and regulation, which was released along with a letter of endorsement.
De Blasio has traveled to early primary states including Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. He has also formed a federal political action committee (Pac) called Fairness Pac to pay for his travel. His message has centered on economic inequality. But polls have shown that 76% of New Yorkers don’t think he should run for president. In response to news of the poll, he joked, “I’m glad I’ve unified the people of New York City”.
DeBlasio was born on May 8, 1961 in Manhattan. He graduated from New York University and Columbia University before serving briefly as a campaign manager for Congressman Charles Rangel and for Senator Hillary Clinton. He was first elected to public office on the New York City Council representing the 39th district in Brooklyn from 2002 to 2009. He was elected Mayor of New York City in the landslide 2013 election and retained his office in 2017, another landslide election.
As Mayor of New York he initiated new de-escalation training for officers, reduced prosecutions for cannabis possession, implemented the usage of police body cameras, and ended the post-9/11 surveillance program of Muslim residents. He also began a program of free universal Pre-K in the city. His effort to start a millionaire tax was rejected by New York governor Andrew Cuomo. De Blasio attempted to install an unprecedented rent-freeze citywide for rent-stabilized apartments in 2015.
For De Blasio, a signature issue was what he called attention to what he termed the stark level of economic inequality in New York City. De Blasio referred to it as a "tale of two cities" during his first campaign. He has publicly supported a socially liberal and progressive discourse on the city's economy, urban planning, public education, police relations, and privatization. He generated mixed approval rates throughout his tenure as mayor.
On May 16, 2019, de Blasio declared his candidacy in the Democratic primaries for the 2020 presidential election. He made the announcement after releasing a YouTube video in which he stated "I’m Bill de Blasio and I’m running for president because it’s time we put working people first". De Blasio stated that he supports increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
There are a number of issues which de Blasio championed as Mayor and while are expected to be important in his presidential campaign. In 2014, de Blasio released a report dedicated to "better transit for New York City." He also proposed a coordinated strategy for technology and innovation in his city. He also supported moving Amazon's headquarters to Long Island and worked with Cuomo to develop a benefits package to entice Amazon. In November 2018, Long Island City was selected as one of two sites for HQ2. After receiving pushback, Amazon withdrew their plans to open HQ2 in Long Island City on February 14, 2019. De Blasio later criticized Amazon's decision.
As Mayor, de Blasio planned on building more affordable housing with a goal of building 200,000 units. Though his plan passed the City Council, it has been very controversial. A deal was made between unions and developers on wages in qualifying construction projects. The program seeks to encourage the development. He also revoked $200 million of capital funding that had been earmarked for charter schools.
As mayor, De Blasio's signature initiative was the implementation of Universal Pre-K, the availability of publicly funded pre-kindergarten for all New York City residents. De Blasio sought to fund the program by increasing taxes on New York City residents earning $500,000 or more. De Blasio's initiative has seen an increase in Universal Pre-K enrollment in New York City through 2015, with over 70% of pre-K expansions happening within the ZIP codes of the city's poorest quartiles. In 2017, de Blasio proposed an expansion of the program to "3-K", to include three-year-olds. Preschool for three-year-olds would start in poorer neighborhoods, with the goal of covering the entire city, if the state or federal governments provided funding.
De Blasio supports 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. In December 2018, De Blasio announced his support for marijuana legalization in New York City. He worked with a marijuana task force to produce a report on licensing and regulation, which was released along with a letter of endorsement.
De Blasio has traveled to early primary states including Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. He has also formed a federal political action committee (Pac) called Fairness Pac to pay for his travel. His message has centered on economic inequality. But polls have shown that 76% of New Yorkers don’t think he should run for president. In response to news of the poll, he joked, “I’m glad I’ve unified the people of New York City”.