A True American Maverick, Essay Example

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio: A True American Maverick

Introduction

As the City of New York’s 108th mayor, Bill de Blasio has been described by some as a true maverick or a person who attempts to make needed changes by going against the grain and often against the advice of others with more experience. According to Raanan Geberer of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, many New Yorkers see de Blasio as a traditional liberal Democrat with similarities to past political figures like former New York mayor LaGuardia, Senator Hubert Humphrey, and even Robert Kennedy. De Blasio has also been compared to former New York City mayor Ed Koch who represented the old-fashioned face of the Democratic Party (“Opinion: Is de Blasio Symbolic of a New Nationwide Trend?”).

Gerberer also notes that many New Yorkers see de Blasio as different which has given rise to descriptions of him as a maverick. One reason for this maverick label is due to de Blasio’s intentions as mayor to challenge the old power structure in the city which some New Yorkers consider as a risky undertaking. But nonetheless, when we consider his priorities and what he wishes to accomplish as mayor, it becomes clear that Bill de Blasio is indeed a true American maverick.

Under the de Blasio Administration, the prospects for the City of New York appear to be bright and full of hope, due to the fact that de Blasio made a number of pivotal promises during his campaign to become mayor that will ultimately affect every person living in the city and perhaps some of the outlying boroughs. For example, de Blasio understands that the city is actually two cities that help to foster the ever-widening gap between the wealthy people of Wall Street and those who work ordinary jobs as custodians and janitors (“Don’t Screw This Up”). He also realizes the problems associated with the New York Police Department and their tendency to frisk young black and Hispanic men simply because of their ethnicity. Apparently, due to electing de Blasio as mayor, the voters of New York City are ready for some radical and much-needed changes which hopefully will come about through a number of priorities, most being based on de Blasio’s tendency for maverick politics which have set him apart from the Democratic pack as a risk taker, an optimist, and a believer in the determination of New Yorkers to accept some drastic changes.

Affordable Housing for All New Yorkers

As he pointed out in many of his campaign appearances while running for mayor, de Blasio has some ambitious plans to help eliminate inequalities found in the New York City real estate market by mandating that developers build affordable housing for the city’s middle classes which de Blasio sees as necessary in order to separate what he refers to as the “two cities” and make it one city that treats all New Yorkers fairly and equally. The foundation for this maverick of an idea is mandatory inclusionary zoning which would require developers and builders to “set aside a certain percentage of a building’s units as permanent affordable apartments” in exchange for allowing developers and builders to increase the height of their structures (more room of course) and several important tax breaks (Rosenbaum, “De Blasio Pins Affordable Housing Hopes on Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning”). Overall, de Blasio’s main goal is to create aggressive new policies that will force the real estate industry to build proper housing for all New Yorkers regardless of income and social status, particularly in Manhattan where buildings are constantly on the rise.

“Vision Zero”

Not surprisingly, a number of serious traffic accidents and traffic fatalities occur in the streets of New York City every single day. So in order to help change this fact of life in the city, de Blasio introduced what he calls his Vision Zero report which explains in simple layman terms his maverick approach to helping reduce traffic violence associated with accidents, along with providing some details on his legislative agenda that requires the sister city of Albany to allow the city to control its speed limits and enforcement of traffic laws rather than the state (Fried, “First Look at Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero Report and Street Safety Agenda”).

This approach is a clear indication that de Blasio has placed a “high priority on reducing traffic deaths and injuries” (Fried, “First Look at Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero Report and Street Safety Agenda”), many of which are caused by heavy traffic congestion in the area of New York’s two major bridges and on major roadways that wind through lower Manhattan. De Blasio has also included in this new program specific incentives to help the New York City Department of Transportation to re-dedicate itself to increasing street safety while also bringing the NYPD into the mix with incentives to help make all police precincts more efficient and effective, introduce new computer technologies for controlling crime, and more officer training. One other area concerns the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission which de Blasio wishes to hold responsible for reducing the dangers often posed by reckless for-hire drivers while also keeping in mind street safety concerning the huge fleet of vehicles that operate mostly in lower Manhattan (Fried, “First Look at Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero Report and Street Safety Agenda”).

Preparing Every Student for Academic Success

As de Blasio explains it in his official mayoral report for 2013, one of his pet priorities is to see that every student is fully prepared to seek a college degree or to pursue another career path outside of academics. Statistically, only 23% of New York City high school students are ready for the rigors of a college education, not to mention only 13% of black and Latino students, a number which de Blasio refers to as “abysmal” (One New York, Rising Together, 11). De Blasio adds that in order for the City of New York to grow and prosper and to stabilize its huge economy, it must possess one of the best educational systems in the U.S. that provides every student with the opportunity to do their best academically or in a chosen career path (One New York, Rising Together, 11).

A Safer More Accessible City for All Immigrants

Lastly, perhaps Bill de Blasio’s most important priority for the City of New York and its nine million inhabitants is to make the city safe and secure for those who visit the city as tourists and choose to make the city their home. Of course, New York City has a long history of immigration and de Blasio knows that immigrants from all of the world are responsible for the city’s past and for its future successes. Some of the areas that de Blasio intends to focus upon includes expanding language access via translation services; supporting the growth of immigrant-owned businesses in the city; eliminating detention center injustices for juvenile immigrant offenders; and creating DREAM scholarships with the aim being to benefit undocumented college and university students (One New York, Rising Together, 37).

In summation, Bill de Blasio’s ambitious plans related to affordable housing for all New Yorkers, lowering traffic accidents and fatalities in the streets of New York, making certain that all students are prepared for academic or career success, and making the city more accessible to immigrants, are indications of his tendency for maverick politics via attacking the city’s long-held power structure through independent thinking and going against the grain of often cherished city traditions.

Bibliography

“Don’t Screw It Up.” The Economist. 2013. Web. Accessed 29 March 2014.

Fried, Ben. “First Look at Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero Report and Street Safety Agenda.” Streetsblog NYC. 2014. Web. Accessed 29 March 2014.

Geberer, Raanan. “Opinion: Is de Blasio Symbolic of a New Nationwide Trend?” Web. Accessed 31 March 2014.

One New York, Rising Together. 2013. Web. Accessed 29 March 2014.

Rosenbaum, Sophia. “De Blasio Pins Affordable Housing Hopes on Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning.” Gotham Gazette. 2013. Web. Accessed 29 March 2014.