There were two huge stories yesterday, and both involved mayors.
First, Mayor de Blasio summoned the New York Times to his kitchen to transcribe how he and his wife Chirlane McCray were going to separate and see other people.
Everyone (or most everyone) followed: NY Post, amNY, Hell Gate and, least imaginatively, the Daily News.
We refrained from covering, or even making any jokes in the newsroom, as we respect whatever couples do to get through the day. Besides, there's really only one question we care about when it comes to ol' Bill, and our friend Jehiah asked it while we were still typing:
Honestly the only reporting I want to see on this former mayor is if he kept his promise to go car fee after leaving office. https://t.co/Y27LjUjl61
— Jehiah (@jehiah) July 5, 2023
The other big mayoral-level news was that Mayor Adams had caved to politically connected donors and chief aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin — and threw his own Department of Transportation under the bus — by ordering up new plans for the redesign of McGuinness Boulevard. Jesse Coburn had the scoop of the year, which we'll be updating all week as more and more of the elected officials who support the safety redesign fight back.
Oh, and speaking of something else that's bad about this mayor — under his watch, police vehicle chases are up 600 percent, "part of a deliberate but unofficial shift in enforcement tactics that puts civilians and cops in harm’s way," according to The City. Nice.
We'll see how all this plays out, but for now, Ross Barkan is already warning Mayor Adams to not be so thin-skinned. (Crain's)
In other news:
- Hat tip to Freakonomics Radio, which did a "War on Cars"-style podcast about America's pedestrian death crisis.
- Time Out NY has weighed in — on the plus side — on congestion pricing.
- Speaking of all the benefits of congestion pricing, other cities are watching and preparing to create their own tolling plans. (NPR)
- The Second Avenue Subway extension really is happening. (NYDN, NY Post, amNY, Gothamist)
- A 79-year-old driver killed a man on Staten Island. (NYDN)
- A DOT truck exploded in Long Island City. (LIC Post)
- You'd think the city would suspend fireworks during wildfire smoke conditions, but, no, New Yorkers love to burn stuff, too. (Gothamist)
- Taxi news: Via and Uber are partnering. (Crain's)
- Environmental good guy Eddie Bautista doesn't think the city is doing enough on climate change. (Gothamist)
- Finally, some personal news: I'll be at the Comic Strip tonight at 5 p.m. to be part of a tribute to a great comic who died last month, George Saltz. I've known Saltz for almost my whole life as my dad's best friend growing up in Williamsburg, but about 10 years ago, he made the ultimate transition: from retired clinical psychologist to stand-up comedian, a trade his mother forbade him to consider. When Saltz finally broke onto the comedy scene, I wrote about him for the Daily News, the first of lots of glowing coverage of Saltz, including appearing in a hilarious documentary, "Still Standing." So come out and hear a lot of old guys making fun of an even older guy whose loss leaves New York a lot emptier. Tonight at the Comic Strip (1568 Second Ave., Manhattan).
