GOP’s Bloomberg Wins New York Mayor’s Office; Race Touched on Uninsured, Abortion, Post-Attack Public Health

Michael Bloomberg (R), a "self-made billionaire" and media entrepreneur, on Nov. 6 won election as New York City's next mayor, defeating New York City Public Advocate Mark Green (D) in a closely contested election (Nagourney, New York Times, 11/7). Though polls two weeks before the election showed Green with a "double-digit" lead over Bloomberg, a late endorsement of Bloomberg by current Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) facilitated the turnaround. With 100% of precincts reporting in, Bloomberg had 50% of the vote, or 719,819 ballots, while Green had 47%, or 676,560 ( AP/Boston Herald, 11/7). While the campaign was a "lackluster affair during the spring and summer," voter attention was refocused on the race after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center (Getlin, Los Angeles Times, 11/7). After the attacks and the anthrax scare, the campaign focus shifted largely to rebuilding the city and preparing for possible bioterrorism.

Public Health and Safety
In a televised debate on Nov. 1, both Green and Bloomberg addressed the Sept. 11 attacks and how to ensure that New Yorkers are "as safe as possible." Bloomberg emphasized the importance of communicating with the public and working with federal authorities to "ensure ... safety" (Debate excerpts, New York Times, 11/2). Earlier, Bloomberg called for the creation of a "bioterrorism task force," which would include members of various government agencies (Cooper, New York Times, 10/29). In a statement, he said, "We will continue to work with the state and federal governments and our network of private health care institutions to ensure the health and safety of all New Yorkers, but the next mayor will have a special responsibility to lead these efforts" (Bloomberg release, 10/28). Green said he would strengthen the Health Department, calling specifically for better "disease surveillance" and for additional "points of departure" -- places for people to go to receive vaccines in the event of an outbreak of disease (New York Times, 11/2).

Addressing the Uninsured
With an estimated 1.8 million New Yorkers uninsured, expanding coverage is also expected be a significant issues for the Bloomberg administration. City Councilman Victor Robles (D) said before the election, "There is no doubt that whoever takes over as mayor will have a serious issue to deal with in the city's large uninsured population. ... This is something we can no longer sweep under the rug" (Taylor, Newsday, 2/11). Green, who as city public advocate had worked to boost enrollment in public insurance programs, outlined his health care plans in an August speech, saying that he would build on current outreach efforts and use city agencies, including food stamp enrollment sites, to increase participation in insurance programs (Steinhauer, New York Times, 8/9). Bloomberg did not address the issue comprehensively until later in the campaign, when he unveiled a "blueprint for public health" on Oct. 28 that addressed issues ranging from Medicaid eligibility to physical fitness in public schools. Bloomberg called for streamlining the enrollment and recertification process for public health programs such as CHIP and Medicaid and backed existing programs such as HealthStat, a citywide initiative to increase enrollment in public insurance. Bloomberg also called for the reorganization of the city's public Health and Hospitals Corporation; a city-organized lobbying effort to boost Medicaid reimbursement rates; an increased focus on preventive medicine and a commitment to giving school health services better funding and staffing (Bloomberg release, 10/28).

The Abortion Factor
Both Green and Bloomberg are abortion-rights supporters. On Nov. 5, however, Green released a last-minute "harsh" ad campaign that focused on a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Bloomberg, in which a female employee charged him with instructing her to have an abortion. The ad, aimed at women, mentioned the sexual harassment suit, which was settled out of court. Bloomberg "deplored" the ad, stating that Green "has no shame and is absolutely desperate" (Nagourney, New York Times, 11/6). The New York chapter of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League announced its endorsement of Green on Oct. 29, stating that his "commitment to abortion rights" was the basis for the group's decision. NARAL/NY Executive Director Kelli Conlin said that although the candidates' views were similar, the "choice was clear" in that Green's "history of involvement and leadership in this issue ... sets him apart" (Siegel/Saul, New York Daily News, 10/30). The New York Times called the endorsement "unusual" because both candidates support abortion rights and because the group stayed neutral during the primary campaign (Cooper, New York Times, 10/30). The national chapter of NARAL did not endorse either candidate (Daily News, 10/30).