Mayor Bloomberg's Commute

A Non-Typical Commute

When I read this article, I was a bit surprised, and disappointed. Let me set the context. I live and work in NYC, and have done so for 13 years. I live within walking distance of our mayor, and am very close to his unused mansion and across the street from one of our former mayor's -- Il Rudy's -- residences. I like mayor Mike very much, much more than Rudy. Bloomberg is smart, reasonable, pragmatic, and a superior leader-manager, and many of his policies are aligned to my way of thinking (lucky me!). I am literally worried about what will happen to NYC when he has to step down and someone else is elected. Our city needs a socially conscious business person like Bloomberg running it. Otherwise, we will have a fiscal mess.

Still, I have one little issue that has just surfaced. Mike has made it clear publicly how he is proud that he uses the subway to commute from the upper east side to City Hall. Even though we take the same line, I've never seen him, but I guess we commute at different times. In this instance, Mike is saying he practices what he preaches, using mass transit and avoiding polluting our air and streets with exhaust and congestion. However, I now find out that in order to avoid transferring from the local 6 train at 77th street (near his townhouse) to the express 4/5 trains at 59th street, he is chauffeured by a large Chevy suburban from his home to the 59th street station, so that he may get on the express train directly. This seems to defeat the purpose, taking a fat car to get to the subway (I know, the suburban vehicle is a police issued protection car, but that's not the point). Still, I'm pretty much okay with it, but not okay with publicity beforehand that he was proud to take the subway. Moreover, I'm particularly baffled by the quote from one of his aides responding to a reporter's question about the extent to which this semi-public subway Bloombergian commute typifies the average NYers subway commute. The answer was sorta: "What is a typical commute?" I tellya what it aint, it aint a ride, in a fat gas guzzling car to a subway. It's the transfer from the local to the express. No one does what Mike is doing here. So, I am perturbed that Mike and his staff did not tell it like it is from the get-go. It doesn't feel right.

Is this a big deal? No, not really, but just sticks in my craw because of the somewhat misleading impression we were given all along. "Spin." Even from one of my favorite politicians.

- walk