Mayor of New York City

File:Bloomberg Inaguration.jpg

Second inauguration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the steps of City Hall, 2006.

The Mayor of New York City is the head of the executive branch of the Government of New York City. The office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within the city. The Mayor is directly elected by popular vote for a four year term, and faces a two-term limit.

The budget overseen by the Mayor's office is the largest municipal budget in the United States. The city government spends about $50 billion a year, employs 250,000 people, spends about $15 billion to educate more than 1.1 million children, levies $27 billion in taxes, and receives $14 billion from federal and state governments.

The Mayor's office is located in New York City Hall and has jurisdiction over all five boroughs of New York City: Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. The Mayor appoints a large number of officials, including commissioners who head city departments, and his or her deputy mayors.

Current mayor

Main article: Michael Bloomberg

The current mayor is Michael Bloomberg, a former Democrat elected as a Republican in 2001 and re-elected in 2005 with 59% of the vote. In 2007, Bloomberg dropped his affiliation with the Repulican Party, becoming an Independent. He is known for taking control of the city's education system from the state, rezoning and economic development, sound fiscal management, and aggressive public health policy. In his second term he has made school reform and strict gun control central priorities of his administration. On 19 June 2007 he filed papers to leave the Republican party.

History of the office

"New York's new solar system": Tammany Hall revolves around Boss Croker in this 1899 cartoon in Puck.

In 1665, Governor Richard Nicolls appointed Thomas Willett as the first "mayor of New York." For the next 156 years, the mayor would be appointed and have limited power. Between 1777 and 1821 the mayor was appointed by the Council of Appointments in which the state's governor had the loudest voice. In 1821, the Common Council, which included elected members, gained the authority to choose the mayor. An amendment to the New York State constitution in 1834 provided for the direct popular election of the mayor. Cornelius W. Lawrence, a Democrat, was elected that year.

Gracie Mansion has been the official residence of the Mayor since Fiorello LaGuardia's administration in 1942. Its main floor is open to the public and serves as a small museum.

In 2000 direct control of the city's public school system was transferred to the Mayor's Office. In 2003 the reorganization established the New York City Department of Education.

Tammany Hall

Main article: Tammany Hall

Tammany Hall, which evolved from an organization of craftsmen into a Democratic political machine, gained control of Democratic Party nominations in the state and city in 1861. It played a major role in New York City politics into the 1960s, and was a dominant player from the mayoral victory of Fernando Wood in 1854 through the era of Fiorello LaGuardia.

Deputy Mayors

The Mayor of New York City may appoint several Deputy Mayors to assist him and to oversee major offices within the executive branch of the city government. The powers and duties, and even the number of deputy mayors, are not defined by the City Charter. The post was created by Fiorello LaGuardia (who appointed Grover Whalen as deputy mayor) to handle ceremonial events which the mayor was too busy to attend. Since then deputy mayors have been appointed with their areas of responsibility defined by the appointing mayor. There are currently seven deputy mayors, all of whom report directly to the Mayor. Deputy mayors do not have any right to succeed to the mayoralty in the case of vacancy or incapacity of the mayor (the order of succession is Public Advocate, then Comptroller).

The current deputy mayors are:

• First Deputy Mayor: Patricia Harris

Advises the Mayor on citywide administrative, operational and policy matters.

• Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding: Daniel Doctoroff

Oversees and coordinates the operations of the Department of Buildings, the Department of City Planning, and related agencies.

• Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services: Linda Gibbs

Oversees and coordinates the operations of the Department for the Aging, the Administration for Children’s Services, and related agencies.

• Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs: Carol Robles-Roman

Oversees and coordinates the operations of the Coordinator of Administrative Justice, Office to Combat Domestic Violence, and related agencies.

• Deputy Mayor for Governmental Affairs: Kevin Sheekey

Directs the City’s relations with federal, state and local governing entities and serves as the Mayor’s chief liaison with elected officials.

• Deputy Mayor for Administration: Edward Skyler

Assists the Mayor in managing the Police Department, Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management, Office of Management and Budget, etc.

• Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development: Dennis Walcott

Inter alia, oversees and coordinates the operations of the Department of Education and the Department of Youth and Community Development.

The Mayor in popular culture

The New York City mayorality has played a central role in several films and television series. Spin City (1996-2002), set in City Hall, starred Michael J. Fox as a Deputy Mayor making efforts to stop the dim-witted Mayor from embarrassing himself in front of the media and voters. City Hall (1996) starred Al Pacino as an idealistic Mayor and John Cusack as his Deputy Mayor, who leads an investigation with unexpectedly far-reaching consequences into the accidental shooting of a boy in New York. The comic-book series Ex Machina posits an alternate history in which the 2001 election is won by the independent Mitchell Hundred, a former superhero called the Great Machine who sweeps to victory after saving the second tower of the World Trade Center on September 11.

Local tabloid newspapers often refer to the mayor as "Hizzoner," a corruption of the title "His Honor". In the 1990's, Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on Saturday Night Live on several occasions, sometimes mocking himself in a sketch. Giuliani and Bloomberg have both appeared, as themselves in their mayoral capacities, on episodes of Law & Order. Giuliani has made cameos in films such as the Out-of-Towners and Anger Management.

See also

• List of mayors of New York City
• Government of New York City
• History of New York City
• New York City Council
• New York City Civil Court
• New York City Criminal Court

External link

• Office of the Mayor