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Mayor Bloomberg Tries to Turn the Page on Third Term Blunders

By DNAinfo Staff on April 8, 2011 2:20pm  | Updated on April 9, 2011 10:51am

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the surprise resignation of Schools Chancellor Cathie Black on Thursday.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the surprise resignation of Schools Chancellor Cathie Black on Thursday.
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

By Jill Colvin

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — It's no secret that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's third term has been a challenge.

From the botched snowstorm cleanup effort to the CityTime scandal, the mayor has faced one setback after another, sending his poll numbers tumbling to eight-year lows.

"Bloomberg has had a bad case of third term-itis," said Mickey Carroll, who tracks public perception as director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, and notes that third terms are typically bad news in New York.

Bloomberg's team has blamed the slump on the grim budget and impending cuts.

But in recent weeks, observers say, the mayor appears to have begun a push to change the tide of public opinion, knowing that his legacy-shaping days are numbered.

First there was the slick campaign-style ad featuring old election footage and mailers promoting his message.

Then came a series of reversals on some of his most unpopular plans. He agreed not to veto a package of bills aimed at improving the city's emergency response next time another major snow storm hits, following negotiations with the City Council.

A day after the Council's vote, the mayor's office confirmed that it would drop the highly controversial so-called "crash tax," where the FDNY would charge drivers involved in accidents to recoup funds.

"The Speaker made a convincing argument," Bloomberg spokesman Jason Post explained of the 180-turn the mayor made on the plan.

Then, late Thursday morning came the mayor's bombshell announcement that he had rid himself of his most visible handicap: embattled Schools Chancellor Cathie Black. The decision came after three months of protests, lawsuits and calls for her resignation, fueled by her frequent public gaffes.

And while some have interpreted the reversals as a sign of Bloomberg's weakness, others argue that its a smart political move.

"All of a sudden, he's acting like a real politician and cutting his losses," said Carroll, who praised the mayor for his recent political acumen.

Bloomberg said the decision to replace Black was mutual, and that Black had become the story, drawing attention away from city schools.

Still, he shouldered the blame for her departure.

"I take full responsibility for the fact that this has not worked out as either of us had hoped and expected," Bloomberg said during a press conference at City Hall.

Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said it was likely difficult for the billionaire mayor to admit that the "superstar manager" he had hand-picked wasn't the right choice for the job.

"It's a humbling experience for someone that powerful to have to admit he made a mistake," he said.

Still, Sheinkopf said Bloomberg didn't have anything to worry about. Down the line, he predicted, Black won't even be remembered — so long as her replacement, Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, does a good job.

"Bloomberg, oftentimes doesn't have as tin an ear for politics as people think," Sheinkopf said, adding that Black's departure, "is all part and parcel of trying to ensure that the third term is not what third terms usually are, which is an exercise in futility."

Bloomberg, meanwhile, dismissed suggestions that his third term was in trouble.

"They talked about 'second term-itis' if you don't remember," Bloomberg told WOR's John Gambling during his weekly sit-down Friday.

He said that he plans to spend the coming years focusing on economic development and other projects that will define the city years down the line.

"Whether it's making the city more green or whether it's attracting more businesses or universities here, those are the things that history will show really made a difference," Bloomberg said Thursday.