If New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s future political opponent needs a clip for an attack ad, then de Blasio just served one up on a silver platter with the way he treated a concerned New Yorker trying to relay his plight.
While in Chinatown on what some were calling a photo-op trip, de Blasio ran into a bakery owner who attempted to tell the Mayor that his business was suffering due to the COVID lockdowns.
“We need more help,” said the baker after telling de Blasio all the hits his business has taken. “We need more confidence.”
But before he could even get that out, de Blasio was already turning his back on him.
“That’s very unfortunate,” said de Blasio walking away from the man who was clearly upset.
A bakery manager tells de Blasio that his business is suffering from reduced foot traffic in Chinatown: “We’re all hurting.” pic.twitter.com/9qCLi2IOXX
— elizabeth meryl rosner (@elizameryl) August 11, 2020
According to New York Post reporter Elizabeth Meryl Rosner, who posted the video, the baker noted that de Blasio “brushed me off” and added that he was only there for a photo-op mission.
.@NYCMayor “brushed me off,” said the bakery manager. And added de Blasio was only in Chinatown today for a “photo op mission.”
— elizabeth meryl rosner (@elizameryl) August 12, 2020
As recently reported by my colleague Mike Miller, New York’s Mayor has been named the worst mayor in New York City’s history by New York Post columnist Micahel Goodwin for his indifference. Goodwin noted that de Blasio’s approach to being mayor is “apathy” and said he “doesn’t care about the city”:
Not all his predecessors were above average, but de Blasio stands out for his indifference. Nothing makes him tick.
Gotham, the closest thing our nation has ever had to the shining city upon a hill, is in a sharp and obvious downward spiral.
With dizzying speed, more than two decades of prosperity and public safety are crashing to a halt.
Persistent warnings that the bad old days were coming back were accurate, but in vain. The bad old days are here.
Violent crime is soaring, the homeless are everywhere, empty storefronts proliferate and people are fleeing neighborhoods that were safe six months ago.
Alongside this moment, Goodwin also described others where de Blasio seemed to shrug off the horrific things happening in his city:
- A toddler gets killed by stray gunfire and he says it’s “not acceptable.” For weeks, he blamed the rise in crime on the court system, then denied he said what he repeatedly said.
- He blames the dramatic rise in murder and gunplay on the coronavirus and the weather, but says not to worry. He assured reporters the situation will “turn around” thanks to the police and because “summer will be over soon.”
- He gets the worst possible press, his staff demonstrates against him and aides leave with a blast at his woeful work habits.
- Businesses are dying by the thousands, but the Mayor doesn’t publicly shop or encourage others to do so.
De Blasio’s lack of concern for everything but photo-ops has sent his city spiraling into a murder rate that hasn’t been seen in a very long time. He’ll help paint the words “black lives matter” on his streets but when it comes to real action, he’s absent.
In fact, he’s not just absent, he’s unconcerned.
