MIDTOWN — Al Roker extended the olive branch to Mayor Bill de Blasio on the “Today” show Monday morning, less than two weeks after the famed forecaster criticized the mayor for keeping schools open during a snowstorm.
De Blasio joined the “Today” crew to cut the ribbon on a new plaza at Rockefeller Center. While there, he and Roker tried to bury the hatchet.
“We had a little chat about school closings and snow, and we both want the best for the school kids and our city,” Roker said.
De Blasio stressed transparency when it comes to storms and said he and Roker work hand in hand to communicate with New Yorkers.
“I think letting people know what’s going on with the weather, letting people know how they can be safe, that’s something we do together,” the mayor said.
Roker publicly criticized de Blasio’s decision to keep schools open on Feb. 13 after the city was smacked with more than a foot of snow.
“Talk about a bad prediction,” Roker tweeted from Sochi, where he was covering the Olympics. “Long range DiBlasio forecast: 1 term.
“It’s going to take some kid or kids getting hurt before this goofball policy gets changed."
De Blasio later addressed Roker’s comments, saying, “I respect Al Roker a lot, watch him on TV for many many years. It’s a different thing to run a city than to give weather on TV.”
De Blasio presented Roker with a Department of Sanitation hat Monday and offered him a chance to assist in snow removal.
“I’d love to do it,” Roker said. “My dad was a bus driver and he used to drive a snow-clearing bus.”
“New York’s strongest,” he added.
