At inauguration, de Blasio reiterates liberal agenda

Upon being sworn in as mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio^[1] reiterated a series of campaign pledges that, if enacted, would represent a significant liberal shift away from the policies and politics of the city’s last two mayors.

In his inauguration speech^[2], the new mayor promised, explicitly, to “expand the Paid Sick Leave law,” to “require developers to build more affordable housing,” and “ask the very wealthy to pay a little more in taxes so that we can offer full-day universal pre-K and after-school programs for every middle school student.” In repeating those promises, de Blasio echoed the rhetoric of President Barack Obama^[3] when he said, “We know that we must invest in our city, in the future inventors and CEOs and teachers and scientists, so that our generation -- like every generation before us -- can leave this city even stronger than we found it.”

In its report, the Wall Street Journal warned that  de Blasio faces a balancing act^[4] between satisfying the constituencies that swept him into office by an overwhelming majority and other, still-powerful, more conservative groups that nervously await to see how he will govern. But de Blasio’s agenda has already received public support from Democratic party stalwarts, including Bill Clinton^[5], who conducted the swearing-in and  was quoted by Bloomberg News saying^[6] that income inequality, the mayor’s signature issue, is one that “bedevils the entire country”.

References

1. ^{^} Bill de Blasio (feeds.bizjournals.com)
2. ^{^} In his inauguration speech (www.nytimes.com)
3. ^{^} Barack Obama (feeds.bizjournals.com)
4. ^{^} de Blasio faces a balancing act (online.wsj.com)
5. ^{^} Bill Clinton (feeds.bizjournals.com)
6. ^{^} was quoted by Bloomberg News saying (www.businessweek.com)