As de Blasio Boasts of a Mandate, Second-Term Storm Clouds Gather on the Horizon

 

By Sally Goldenberg and Gloria Pazmino

After clinching an easy victory Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio immediately signaled an interest in the national stage, but growing problems at home loom as he begins his second term.

A litany of unresolved municipal issues will demand the mayor's attention in the coming four years, all while economic growth is slowing and the federal government plans to cut funding for some of the city’s most cash-strapped services, like public housing and hospitals.

Topping de Blasio's City Hall to-do list will be addressing the homeless crisis, closing and replacing Rikers Island jail and expanding affordable housing.

In Albany the mayor faces a second front where his enemies outnumber his allies. To compensate for the budgetary shortfall and fund the city's deteriorating subway system, de Blasio will push for a tax increase on high-income earners. He also intends to ask for more cash from the state to fund the next phase of his pre-kindergarten expansion plan.

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Source: Politico (via The Empire Report)