Using some of his strongest language to date, Mayor Bloomberg gave the Senate Democrats
a tongue-lashing this morning [2] - even calling some of them out by name - for failing yet again to pass a bill [3]
reauthorizing his control over the public school system. During his weekly WOR radio show, Bloomberg told host John Gambling Gov. David Paterson should force the Senate to return to Albany "every single day" for the rest of the summer until they pass a mayoral control bill, even employing the State Police to "drag them back" if necessary. "This is what he should do," Bloomberg said of Paterson, noting that he has been "defending" the governor throughout the Senate stalemate. "Giving them the summer off is as we say in Gallic, ‘Meshuggena'". "I cannot for life of me understand what the agenda is of the people, there were 15 people last night who voted for a bill which would end all of the progress that we’ve made in the schools, in terms of bringing down crime and improving test scores and graduation rates and bringing down the drop-out rate." "You wonder what goes through their heads, and they all come from neighborhoods where improvements in the schools have been dramatic. And you wonder what on earth they are thinking about in term of voting for a bill that would literally end all of that." Bloomberg accused the opponents of the Assembly bill, which would largely preserve his power, of wanting to "ruin the schools: and accused them of trying to establish a "slush fund to train parents so parents can disrupt the schools." He also called the allegation that the administration refused to negotiate "total bull". Bloomberg went on to single out a number of the senators who had voted in favor of Sen. Kevin Parker's so-called "Better Schools Act," which
critics say would gut his control over the system [4]
. (The bill failed). "(Sen). Tom Duane...I always thought was a smart guy, represents a district in Manhattan, why he wants to go to his constituents and say, ‘I’m trying to deliberately ruin the schools.’" "(Or) Toby Stavisky, or Joe Addabbo , who just got elected. Some of these people you wonder, Hiram Monserrate, I don’t know what the heck he wants. A former cop. He wants the cops out of the schools. He should understand we brought crime down 44 percent." "...John Sampson, who I always thought was a smart guy. He voted for mayoral control the last time. And in his district, test scores have gone up dramatically. Now he is against it, trying to push a bill that would keep [Joel] Klein from serving as chancellor." (Thanks to the DN's Frank Lombardi, who was on Bloomberg radio duty this morning, for sending in the quotes). By Elizabeth Benjamin on July 17, 2009 11:32 AM |
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