The new ‘special relationship’: between London and New York

21 May 2008

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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

Make accountability a trademark. Accountability is part of the private sector’s genetic code, but in government it is still largely a foreign concept. Mayors can create a culture of accountability by insisting that data drives decisions and by making it public, because people will use it to demand change; and by thinking like a customer. When I came into office, if you wanted to call the city to report a pothole or a broken streetlight, you had to look through hundreds of listings in the telephone book and then call around until you got the right person. With the creation of a 24-hour hotline, staffed by operators who speak 170 different languages, New Yorkers can now report those problems — or find out information on any government programme or policy — simply by dialing 311.

When I met with Boris what I found most encouraging about him — and I see this in many new mayors I meet in the US — was that he has not yet learned what he can’t do. In both business and government, that is the greatest of all assets. In December 2005, after two New York City police officers were gunned down on our streets, I was told that mayors cannot do anything about the interstate trafficking of illegal guns; it’s a national problem requiring a national response. So be it: over the past two years, Boston Mayor Tom Menino and I have organised a national bipartisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and our numbers have grown from 15 to more than 320. We haven’t yet solved the problem, but we have already begun to change policy in Washington and develop regional partnerships that will allow us to do together what the federal government should be doing on its own.

The limits on a mayor’s ability to act are constrained only by the imagination, and mayors can find support for creative new solutions by tapping the private sector. I am encouraged to see that Boris has decided to create a public-private partnership to fund innovative programmes, just as we have done in New York. Business leaders have a stake in the quality of services that municipal governments provide because a city’s quality of life is a critical factor in companies’ ability to attract the best and brightest — and that is growing truer by the day.

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Martin Morrow

May 22nd, 2008 6:02pm Report this comment

Methinks 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 comment

Hi 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 comment

Well 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 comment

Firstly, 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 comment

the 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 comment

Robera 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 comment

Bloomberg 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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