As 2012 approaches, this is a great time of year to relax by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and recall all the mistakes Mayor Michael Bloomberg made in 2011.
There were many to choose from, beginning with the fallout from the 2010 snowstorm, which lingered through much of 2011 to the largest financial fraud to hit the city during his tenure, to a number of issues with his police force.
The first two terms of his rule were strong ones, bringing the country together in the wake of 9/11, and putting New York back on strong financial footing. But his third term was wracked with scandal and failure.
So put on your stocking cap and slippers, sidle up near the glow of the roasting Yule log and fire up the iPad, as this slideshow will remind you that your failures can never match up to those of Bloomberg. And that is sure to fill the heart with good cheer.
We know this is an incomplete list, so if you think of any other major Bloomberg bumbles, flubs or gaffes we should add to the list, please let us know in the comments.
On April 7, just 95 days after Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Hearst Magazines Chairwoman Cathie Black to replace Joel Klein as the city's school chancellor, she stepped down from the post. Her tenure was an absolute disgrace, exposing Black to withering criticism, which she responded to by mocking parents of public school students. His hiring of a media baron was also one of the most blatant demonstrations of Bloomberg's lack of touch with city residents. He replaced her with Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, who has been much more successful so far. nyc.govBloomy's bungling of the Dec. 26 snowstorm was one of the biggest snafus of the first half of his third term. Though it took place in 2010, the fallout plagued him for much of 2011. Bloomberg was likely in Bermuda, according to the New York Times, for the entire day before the massive storm dumped more than two feet of snow on the city, and parts of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island were left buried in snow for days. Newly-hired Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith's response under Bloomberg was as impotent as that of his boss, but Bloomberg defended his golden boy for months. That is until Bloomberg dismissed Goldsmith this past summer without revealing that Goldsmith had been arrested after his wife called the police to report a domestic violence complaint. Bloomberg again took heat for failing to report that the incident led to Goldsmith's firing.REUTERSPregnant women who are overweight and smoke endanger the heart of their babiesReutersSpirits of New York tourists may have been dampened a bit by the remnants of Hurricane Irene last year. Hurricane Sandy could be an even bigger wet blanket this year.ReutersMichael Bloomberg likely thought he would bring an end to the Occupy Wall Street protests by evicting its members from Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park under the cover of dark early Nov. 15. But he instead reinvigorated a movement that is aimed directly at the massive wealth he and his wealthy friends have accumulated right as it was seeming to taper off. OWS continues to demonstrate all across the city, and its presence worldwide remains strong. And Bloomberg came off looking like an oppressive bully when the full story of the brutal eviction came to light. Not his finest hour.occupywallst.org/This is a representational image of a police car.ReutersThe city's greatest financial debacle under Bloomberg came this year in the form of the City Time scandal. Science Applications International Corp. was hired to reduce fraud in the city's payroll system, but instead it led to a whole new regime of fraud. The company admitted to federal authorities that it will have to pay back at least $232 in fraudulently collected funds to the city, out of about $760 million the city paid the company. But authorities estimate that $600 million of that money is tainted by fraud. That leaves a lot of cash wasted by the city. Nice job, Bloomy.REUTERS
