BILL DE BLASIO MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY Life in Brief Quick Summary Born: May 8, 1961 Activist organizer who spearheaded progressive causes and campaigns Before Becoming Mayor Hometown: Cambridge, Massachusetts of New York City • Inherited a progressive identity from his Current Residence: Manhattan, New York City parents, who were denounced during McCarthyism Religion: Spiritual but not religious • Distributed aid in Nicaragua while working for a nonprofit during the Sandinista era, which he Education: says reinforced his beliefs in government’s duty • BA, New York University to protect the poor • MIA, Columbia University • Rose through NYC politics as a skilled campaigner, earning respect from the Clintons Family: • Vocal leader on NYC City Council and its • Wife: Chirlane McCray, community activist General Welfare Committee; strongly pushed • 2 children, boy and girl housing, education, and equality legislation • Makes incremental progress on longstanding Work History: issues through deals but has used executive • Mayor of New York City, 2014-present orders to make fast progress on priority issues • Public Advocate of New York City, 2010-14 (e.g., pledging NYC to Paris agreements) • Member of the New York City Council from the • Uses his ascendency to Mayor as a stump to 39th District, 2002-10 push a progressive agenda about inequality • Campaign Manager, Hillary Clinton, 2000 and fairness in speeches and on TV • Regional Director of the U.S. Department of • Made an unsuccessful bid for President in Housing and Urban Development, 1997-2000 2020; later endorsed Bernie Sanders • Campaign Manager, Charles Rangel (D-NY) Approach and Motivations and Bill Clinton, 1994-96 • Aide, NYC Mayor David Dinkins, 1988-93 Former provocateur who evolved into a • Political Organizer, Quixote Center, 1987-88 dealmaker upon entering politics • Motivated by his parents to work for justice and Past and Present Board and Advisory Roles transparency through proactive government • Past Head of the New York City Council's solutions attuned to the needs of communities General Welfare Committee • Developed a proclivity for direct action at an • School Board for District 15 Brooklyn, 1999 early age; involved in political movements since high school, publicly celebrated the Cuban Electoral Overview revolution, and has been arrested multiple th • Won primary for NYC Council’s 39 district in times, including protesting US foreign policy 2001 with 32%, easily won the general election • Adopted a more diplomatic approach upon and two reelections with more than 71% entering politics; known as a shrewd dealmaker • Handily won 2009 election for Public Advocate • Persistent in trying to find common ground with Won a landslide general election and reelection Andrew Cuomo; despite not seeing eye to eye, for Mayor in 2013 and 2017 (72% and 65%) the politicians typically come back to the table PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 1 BILL DE BLASIO MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY Policy Positions and Areas of Focus Core Communities Fierce advocate for welfare policies that Profound connections to liBerals in New York promote equality and ease burdens on families and Beyond Inequality: Fighting structural inequities with Prominent New York Democrats: Cognoscente policy reform of the New York political scene for more than • Raised NYC’s minimum wage to $15 per hour thirty years and instituted required paid sick leave • Worked in City Hall for David Dinkins – the last • Created ID card system helping undocumented Democratic Mayor before de Blasio – before immigrants to access financial services campaigning for former Rep. Charles Rangel • Organized “The Progressive Agenda to Combat • Friends with actress/politico Cynthia Nixon and Inequality,” a forum for liberal leaders to craft Howard Dean, a New Yorker and former policy urging tax fairness, worker protections Governor of Vermont and chair of the DNC • Worked with Harold Ickes on Hillary Clinton’s Housing: Promotes policies to make housing 2000 Senate campaign, who credited him with more affordable for the underprivileged guiding Clinton through NYC politics • Pushed legislation on the NYC City Council to • Testy ties to Andrew Cuomo, who has criticized prevent discrimination against tenants holding de Blasio’s policies and made decisions federal subsidy vouchers and to help New affecting NYC without consulting him Yorkers with HIV/AIDS access housing services • As Public Advocate, he launched the “NYC’s New York Working Class: Active engagement Worst Landlords Watchlist,” putting pressure on with constituent groups landlords with mounting violations and helping • Commended by citizens of the South Bronx for tenants to organize repairs, access building info HUD outreach and work there in the late 90’s • As Mayor, he proposed and passed Mandatory • Was active in the community until becoming Inclusionary Housing & Zoning for Quality and Mayor; elected to Brooklyn School Board and Affordability, putting forceful incentives in place coached Little League for developers to build low-cost housing • Endorsed by the Working Families Party and • Negotiated a 2019 agreement with HUD to other labor groups in NYC address health and safety hazards at NYCHA properties; policy creates requirements to Leftwing Activists: Major ties to groups remediate lead, mold, heating, and other issues supporting leftist causes in Central America • Focused on Latin American politics in graduate Education: Champion of government initiatives school and helped oversee aid efforts in that increase access to early education Nicaragua; supported the Sandinista movement • Top Mayoral priority was universal pre-K; in two • Heavily involved with the Nicaragua Solidarity years, enrollment tripled and his programs Network as an activist and volunteer fundraiser serve over half of NYC’s homeless children • Helped forge an alliance between New York • Lowered tuition and hired more teachers to and Nicaraguan labor unions address overcrowding of CUNY universities • Remained sympathetic to leftwing activism through $150M annual investment throughout the 1990s until becoming further • Opposes charter schools and prevented some embroiled in NYC politics from using space in public school buildings PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 2 BILL DE BLASIO MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY Relevant Financial Information Publications, Media, and Speaking Donors reflect New York and proponents of his Most media appearances regard his 2020 progressive policy priorities election Bid; shows firm Belief in values through op-ed and speeches Biggest Industry Donors (Career) • Lawyers & Lobbyists, $915,849 PuBlications: Frequently pens op-eds in national • Real Estate, $744,855 and major New York outlets • Labor Unions, $518,318 • Preferred Outlets: The NYT, Huffington Post, • Securities & Investment, $302,902 NY Mag, NBC, Wired Magazine • Education, $112,609 • Favorite Subjects: NYC-related issues like the Amazon HQ and Hurricane Sandy, taxes, Biggest Corporate Donors (Career) climate change, 2020 Presidential election, • Mason Tenders District Council, $22,340 progressivism, automation • Local 338, $18,150 • UAW Region 9A, $14,850 Media: Interviewed frequently about the 2020 • UAW International Union, $9,900 election and speaks about progressive causes; • Greenberg Traurig LLP, $9,900 does not grant very many interviews • Preferred Outlets: National cable news like Biggest Individual Donors (Career) MSNBC, NBC, Fox News, PBS, CNN; talks • Gina Argento, CEO of Broadway Stages, shows like The View and Late Night with Seth $16,800 Myers; local New York papers like NY Daily • Richard Schiffrin, Of Counsel at Grant & News and NY Mag; interviewed for magazines Eisenhofer, $14,850 like The Atlantic and Vanity Fair • Despina Konstantinides, Independent Artist, • Favorite Subjects: education, 9/11, charter $14,800 schools, unions, inequality, housing, NYPD, • John Zuccotti, Real estate developer and civic child care leader, $13,375 • Social Media Habits: Manages own tweets and • Henry Gutman, Of Counsel at Simpson posts consistently (around twice a day) Thatcher & Bartlett $13,375 Speaking: In addition to mayoral duties, often Political Donations talks with students and attends rallies for • Barack Obama, 2012, $500 progressive causes • Daniel Roberti, 2012, $250 • Favorite Subjects: inequality, education, safe • Ted Strickland, 2010, $100 and affordable living, climate change, police- • Wendy Greuel, 2013, $100 community relations • Joan Millman, 2000, $50 • Preferred Audience: New Yorkers generally from the Mayor’s Office; union groups like AFL- CIO and the United Federation of Teachers; schools like the Coalition School for Social Change, Columbia University and The New School PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 3 BILL DE BLASIO MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY Family and Personal Background Criticisms and Controversies Raised with an active interest in liBeral politics Scrutinized By constituents for not Being visiBle • Born Warren Wilhelm Jr. in Manhattan but in the city and handful of highly puBlic incidents raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts • Adopted mother’s maiden name, first as a Chronically late and criticized By New Yorkers for a lack of focus on the city hyphen when he was 22 and then fully in 2001 • Frequently chastised for being late to events, • Both parents’ careers were derailed by including showing up two hours late to a slain McCarthyism: Maria de Blasio worked in the police officer’s funeral Office of War information when she was accused of Communist sympathies and was • Criticized for running for president instead of denounced