Bloomberg learns politician role

Bloomberg learns politician role
Polls say New Yorkers want less of a technocrat, more of a leader

Michael Cooper, New York Times Sunday, October 5, 2003

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New York -- When Michael Bloomberg was running for mayor, he told voters that what New York City needed was a "professional manager, not a professional politician."

Upon taking office, Bloomberg tried to govern that way. He immersed himself in the intricacies of how the city works, taking special delight in things like its building code and the engineering behind its water system. He lamented the endless ceremonial engagements that took him away from City Hall and policy work. He seemed most at ease when giving PowerPoint presentations of his budgets plans. At times it seemed that Bloomberg was running New York like a city manager.

Many cities have professional city managers running their day-to-day, nuts- and-bolts operations. Their mayors, if they even have them, perform ceremonial functions. But New York asks its mayors to be both managers and larger-than- life figures -- equal parts cheerleader, city mascot and Greek chorus. New Yorkers may have picked Bloomberg in the aftermath of Sept. 11 for the management skills that made him a successful businessman, but it is becoming clear that they expect him to be more than a technocrat.

"He is acting like a public administrator," said Douglas Muzzio, a professor of public affairs at Baruch College. "People got exactly what they paid for, but they want more. They want to be led, they want to be engaged, they want to be inspired."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/05/MN206133.DTL

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