Bloomberg stays quiet, so his would-be successors get loud
Michael Bloomberg donating blood. Spencer Tucker / nyc.gov
5:42 pm Sep. 1, 2011
Michael Bloomberg may be giving the Stephen Goldsmith story legs by ignoring it. At the very least, he is giving his would-be successors an opportunity to make a little hay.
Goldsmith, who served for a very short time as a deputy mayor of New York City, and his wife are disputing a very detailed police report about a domestic dispute that led to his July 30 arrest. They now say that incident is the reason he left the Bloomberg administration after only 14 months. Mayor Bloomberg's spokesmen now say that too. So, good: there's no real dispute about what happened.
When Goldsmith left the administration on August 4, the mayor and Goldsmith indicated he was leaving to go work in the private sector, and made no mention of the domestic altercation and subsequent arrest. "At the time," recalled the Washington Post, "the New York mayor’s office said Goldsmith was leaving for 'private-sector opportunities.'"
Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson told the New York Times today that City Hall did not "have anything to add to Mrs. Goldsmith's accounts." Initially, Wolfson had declined to comment.
Tomorrow, it should be noted, is Friday, a day when Bloomberg normally answers questions in a soft segment on WOR's John Gambling Show. But there's no show tomorrow, according to his schedule. A spokesman did not provide a reason [clarified].
So no Bloomberg today, and depending on what Bloomberg's press office decides, maybe no Bloomberg tomorrow.
It's clear what he'd say, actually, beyond that he, too, has nothing to add to what Goldsmith said. But the people looking to replace him in 2013 see an issue here, and will no doubt continue to call for the mayor to say something until he finally does.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said: "We have a right to know what happens at all times with high-rank mayoral officials." Bill De Blasio and John Liu said similar things.
Even City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Bloomberg's ally, weighed in, if half-heartedly: "Facts relevant to [Goldsmith's] termination should be made public."
Some other things happened today, happily.
Lots of Goldsmith news:
The Goldsmiths disagree with the very detailed police report, and say "These events do not represent our family, as anyone who knows us would say." [Mary Beth Schneider]
"You're not going to do this to me again," his wife reportedly said during the incident. [Scott McCabe]
Goldsmith hasn't been formally charged. [AP]
He's a former prosecutor. [Debra Cassens Weiss]
"At the time, the New York mayor’s office said Goldsmith was leaving for 'private-sector opportunities.'" [Nikita Stewart]
Deputy Mayor Wolfson said City Hall did not "have anything to add to Mrs. Goldsmith's accounts." Initially, he had declined to comment. [Michael Barbaro]
"We have a right to know what happens at all times with high-rank mayoral officials," said Scott Stringer. [Stan Brooks]
"What is it with domestic violence and New York pols these days?" [Gail Robinson]
And in other news:
Scarlett Johansson is supporting Scott Stringer, who employs her brother. The Johanssons join Lady Gaga's entourage in Stringer's corner.
Chris Christie doesn't want to talk about budget cuts while "our people are suffering now." ["Liz Benjamin]
The co-chair of the Prayer Caucus sent a letter to Bloomberg urging him to allow prayers during the 9/11 anniversary. [Joe Hack]
David Weprin's slow embrace of the president has attracted notice. [Taegan Goddard]
"[O]bviously David knows that the national debt is $14 trillion," said his spokesman. [Anna Gustafson]
"He is, it seems, the opposite of the man who most recently represented the 9th Congressional District." [Anna Gustafson]
"I’m on the same page, but labels & funny hats, I avoid that," said Turner, when asked if he's in the Tea Party. [Anna Gustafson]
A local paper co-hosting a debate said Weprin's excuse for skipping the event was "lame." [Howard Koplowitz]
And appearing at this year's Clinton Global Initiative: Chelsea Clinton.
