The new ‘special relationship’: between London and New York
24 May 2008
Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, unveils his new partnership with Boris, and their plans to forge a transatlantic alliance between the two greatest cities on earth to promote state-of-the-art public policy, cultural links and economic prosperity
When I was in London two weeks ago, I met Boris to discuss our shared challenges, and I offered him a few bits of advice that have served me well in New York:
Hire the best — and give them room to innovate. Mayors, like CEOs, are only as good as their teams. In politics, hiring tends to centre on party and financial relationships, which is a recipe for mediocrity. Of course, if you want to attract the best and brightest, you also must give them the opportunity to be creative. Mayors and CEOs who micro-manage operations stifle innovation. In both the public and private sector, the best leaders are those who are not afraid to try new ideas, no matter which party proposes them.
Do the hard things first. Incoming mayors, like incoming presidents and prime ministers, enjoy a honeymoon. In many cases, politicians worry about how to extend the honeymoon for as long as possible. That’s exactly the wrong approach. The honeymoon is the best time to push through the most controversial priorities, because if you delay, you fail to give people sufficient time to see the benefits of your work. For instance, I banned smoking in all workplaces in my first year in office. It was terribly controversial, but over time it proved spectacularly successful — and popular. Had I waited a few years, city council members might not have been willing to risk their re-election by passing the law. As it turned out, there were few critics left by the time we all ran for re-election.
Remember La Guardia. New York’s greatest Mayor, Fiorella La Guardia, famously said that there is no Democratic or Republican way of cleaning the streets. Leave the ideological battles and party politics to the national legislators. Mayors are elected to be doers, not debaters. Voters want clean streets, good schools, affordable housing and — above all — safe neighbourhoods. Boris has wisely made public safety a top priority, and his decision to ban alcohol on public transport was a brilliant stroke. Our crime-fighting success in New York has centred on the same kind of ‘zero tolerance’ for petty crimes, as well as on targeted, data-driven law enforcement that utilises the most advanced technological tools. Today, New York City is the safest big city in America, and we have done it with fewer officers and in the face of rising crime across the nation. I am confident that Boris can achieve similar success in London if he champions the same approach — and he’s already got me beat in helping the police net a knife-wielding youth.
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Martin Morrow
May 22nd, 2008 6:02pm Report this commentMethinks Bloomberg has an inflated opinion of himself.
He has traded away much of the structure and policy put in place by his worthy predecessor. His moralizing is worse than Nu Labour's and he thinks, because he has made a lot of money, that he knows best.
He doesn't.
New York will pay dearly for his egotism.
Water
May 22nd, 2008 6:25pm Report this comment"no two cities combine such staggeringly rich and diverse economic and cultural opportunities as New York and London." Now this is certainly true and it will be interesting to see what comes out of this relationship.
peter adler
May 24th, 2008 8:42am Report this commentHi Martin Morrow,
I would suggest you give us some arguments for your invectives. Do you live in NYC? Please give us some first-hand info!
Robera McLaren
May 24th, 2008 5:24pm Report this commentWell that's Boris off to a good start isn't it. First stop, brown nose the Yankee Doodle Dandies. Or is it a case of 'Birds of a feather...?'
Isn't it about time for someone to point out to the US that they are the Fat Owl of the Remove?
Shame about Boris really. Should have stuck to the HIGNFY job while it was going.
Sandeep M
May 24th, 2008 5:43pm Report this commentFirstly, I thought Mr. Bloomberg made some excellent points about the future of New York and London as cities, and how this future depends on increasing their collaboration, sharing the best ideas and making it easier for their citizens to travel and share cultural experiences across the "pond".
Mr. Bloomberg speaks, thinks and writes likes a professional not a politician and that is why he is so refreshing to read. His emphasis on accountability, transparency, public input and clear communication in government is something that all politicians could learn from.
GK
May 27th, 2008 3:41pm Report this commentthe two greatest cities in the world: Not according to the Fuehrer. He was always referring
to Paris and Vienna as world class cities. Berlin, he would say, was a big city but not a world class city (hence, he wanted to make it using Speer, but war intervened). London in the '70s looked like Bulgaria and only Arabs seemed to have money to keep casinos going.
In the '80s things started to change and I was told by an economics professor that London was the biggest finance centre of the world. But surely, the
Fuehrer had architectural issues
in mind when he was making the comparison.
peter adler
May 28th, 2008 11:21pm Report this commentRobera McL and Martin M can form a club - "We who dislike Boris Johnson and Michael Bloomberg, but have no arguments just a lot of vacuous nasty words".
James Robinson
May 30th, 2008 10:03pm Report this commentBloomberg sounds about fifty times cleverer than anyone in the depressing camp known as New Labour. Sounds like a smashing ally and mentor for Boris. Let's just hope that big oaf Brown bumbles off back to nowhereville from whence he came before he bankrupts the country. Boris and Cameron - what a welcome change that will be!
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