Mayor of New York City
Encyclopedia
Government of New York City
The government of New York City is organized under the City Charter and provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The government of New York is more centralized than that of most other U.S...
. The mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The budget overseen by the mayor's office is the largest municipal budget in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at $50 billion a year. The city employs 250,000 people, spends about $21 billion to educate more than 1.1 million students, levies $27 billion in taxes, and receives $14 billion from the state and federal governments.
The mayor's office is located in New York City Hall
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
; it has jurisdiction over all five boroughs of New York City: Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, and Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. The mayor appoints a large number of officials, including commissioners who head city departments, and his or her deputy mayors. According to current law, the mayor is limited to three consecutive four-year terms in office, which was previously limited to two terms. It was changed from two to three terms on October 23, 2008, when the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
voted 29-22 in favor of passing the term limit extension into law.
Current mayor
The current mayor is Michael BloombergMichael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
, elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in 2001, re-elected in 2005 with 59% of the vote, and elected to a third term in 2009 with 50.4%. He is known for taking control of the city's education system from the state, rezoning and economic development, sound fiscal management, and aggressive public health policy. In his second term made school reform and strict gun control central priorities of his administration. On June 19, 2007, he filed papers to leave the Republican Party, thus becoming an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
.
History of the office
In 1665, Governor Richard NicollsRichard Nicolls
Richard Nicolls was the first English colonial governor of New York province....
appointed Thomas Willett
Thomas Willett
Thomas Willett was a British-born American merchant, Plymouth Colony trader and sea-captain, Commissioner of New Netherland, magistrate of Plymouth Colony, Captain of the Plymouth Colony militia and was the first Mayor of New York City, prior to the consolidation of the five boroughs into the City...
as the first mayor of New York. For 156 years, the mayor was appointed and had limited power. Between 1777 and 1821 the mayor was appointed by the Council of Appointments in which the state's governor had the loudest voice. In 1821, the Common Council, which included elected members, gained the authority to choose the mayor. An amendment to the New York State Constitution in 1834 provided for the direct popular election of the mayor. Cornelius W. Lawrence
Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence
Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence was a politician from New York. He became the first popularly elected Mayor of New York City after the law was changed in 1834.-Biography:...
, a Democrat, was elected that year.
Gracie Mansion
Gracie Mansion
thumb|250px|Western sideGracie Mansion is the official residence of the mayor of the City of New York. Built in 1799, it is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and Eighty-eighth Street in Manhattan...
has been the official residence of the mayor since Fiorello La Guardia's administration in 1942. Neither Mayor Bloomberg, nor his predecessor, Rudolph Giuliani, has actually inhabited the mansion. Its main floor is open to the public and serves as a small museum.
The mayor is entitled to a salary of $225,000, but Bloomberg, the 12th-richest man in the United States, has declined the salary and instead is paid $1 yearly.
In 2000, direct control of the city's public school system was transferred to the mayor's office. In 2003, the reorganization established the New York City Department of Education
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
.
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, which evolved from an organization of craftsmen into a Democratic political machine, gained control of Democratic Party nominations in the state and city in 1861. It played a major role in New York City politics into the 1960s, and was a dominant player from the mayoral victory of Fernando WoodFernando Wood
Fernando Wood was an American politician of the Democratic Party and mayor of New York City; he also served as a United States Representative and as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means in both the 45th and 46th Congress .A successful shipping merchant who became Grand Sachem of the...
in 1854 through the era of Fiorello La Guardia (1934–1945).
Deputy Mayors
The Mayor of New York City may appoint several deputy mayors to assist him and to oversee major offices within the executive branch of the city government. The powers and duties, and even the number of deputy mayors, are not defined by the City Charter. The post was created by Fiorello La Guardia (who appointed Grover WhalenGrover Whalen
Grover Aloysius Whalen was a prominent politician, businessman, and public relations guru in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s.-Early years:Grover A. Whalen was born on June 2, 1886 in New York City...
as deputy mayor) to handle ceremonial events that the mayor was too busy to attend. Since then, deputy mayors have been appointed with their areas of responsibility defined by the appointing mayor. There are currently seven deputy mayors, all of whom report directly to the mayor. Deputy mayors do not have any right to succeed to the mayoralty in the case of vacancy or incapacity of the mayor (the order of succession is the city's public advocate, then the comptroller).
The current deputy mayors are:
- First Deputy Mayor: Patricia HarrisPatricia HarrisPatricia Harris is the first Deputy Mayor for the City of New York, with an annual salary of $227,219. Prior to her appointment, Harris managed Bloomberg LP's Corporate Communications Department, overseeing its Philanthropy, Public Relations, and Governmental Affairs divisions. Prior to her...
- Advises the mayor on citywide administrative, operational and policy matters.
- Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding: Robert K. SteelRobert K. SteelRobert King "Bob" Steel is an American business leader and an expert on financial institutions and markets. In June 2010, he was named Deputy Mayor for Economic Development by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg...
- Oversees and coordinates the operations of the New York City Economic Development CorporationNew York City Economic Development CorporationNew York City Economic Development Corporation is a non-profit local development corporation that promotes economic growth across New York City's five boroughs. It is the City's official Economic development corporation, charged with using the City's assets to drive growth, create jobs, and...
, the Department of BuildingsNew York City Department of BuildingsThe New York City Department of Buildings is the branch of municipal government in New York City that enforces the City's building codes and zoning regulations, issues building permits, and inspects new and existing buildings.-History:...
, the Department of City PlanningNew York City Department of City PlanningThe Department of City Planning is a governmental agency of New York City responsible for setting the framework of city's physical and socioeconomic planning...
, Department of Housing Preservation and DevelopmentNew York City Department of Housing Preservation and DevelopmentThe New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development is the mayoral agency of New York City responsible for developing and maintaining the city's stock of affordable housing. HPD is headquartered in Lower Manhattan, and includes smaller branch offices in each of the city's five...
and related agencies.
- Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services: Linda Gibbs
- Oversees and coordinates the operations of the Department for the Aging, the Administration for Children's Services, and related agencies.
- Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs: Carol Robles-Roman
- Oversees and coordinates the operations of the Coordinator of Administrative Justice, Office to Combat Domestic Violence, and related agencies.
- Deputy Mayor for Governmental Affairs: Howard WolfsonHoward WolfsonHoward Wolfson is counselor to the Mayor of New York City and a Democratic political strategist. He replaced Kevin Sheekey as Deputy Mayor of New York City for governmental affairs....
- Directs the City’s relations with federal, state and local governing entities and serves as the Mayor’s chief liaison with elected officials.
- Deputy Mayor for Operations: Cas Holloway
- Assists the mayor in managing the Police Department, Fire Department, Office of Emergency ManagementNYC Office of Emergency ManagementThe New York City Office of Emergency Management was originally formed in 1996 as part of the Mayor's Office under Rudolph W. Giuliani. By a vote of city residents in 2001 it became an independent agency, headed by a Commissioner who reports to the Mayor. In 2006 the office was reorganized under...
, Office of Management and Budget, etc.
- Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development: Dennis Walcott
- Inter alia, oversees and coordinates the operations of the Department of Education and the Department of Youth and Community Development.
The mayor in popular culture
The New York City mayoralty has played a central role in several films and television series. Spin CitySpin City
Spin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...
(1996–2002), set in City Hall, it cast Barry Bostwick
Barry Bostwick
Barry Knapp Bostwick is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Brad Majors in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, replacing Peter Scolari as Mr. Tyler in the sitcom What I Like About You, and playing mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City...
as the dim-witted mayor, but starred Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
as a deputy mayor, whose primary task was to keep the mayor from embarrassing himself in front of the media and voters. City Hall
City Hall (film)
City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. Al Pacino and John Cusack star as the Mayor of New York and his idealistic deputy mayor....
(1996) starred Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
as an idealistic mayor and John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
as his deputy mayor, who leads an investigation with unexpectedly far-reaching consequences into the accidental shooting of a boy in New York. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) features Lee Wallace
Lee Wallace (actor)
Lee Wallace is an American actor of film, stage, and television.Wallace was born as Leo Melis in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Celia and Eddie Melis. His movie roles include more than a dozen productions big and small, among which are Used People , Batman as Gotham City's mayor William Borg,...
as an indecisive, flu-struck mayor who is bullied by his deputy and booed by the citizenry. The comic-book series Ex Machina
Ex Machina (comics)
Ex Machina is an American creator-owned comic book series created by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, and published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint....
posits an alternate history in which the 2001 election is won by the independent Mitchell Hundred, a former superhero called the Great Machine, who sweeps to victory after saving the second tower of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
on September 11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. A fictional mayor is also featured in the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated series, mainly set in New York City. It first aired on February 8, 2003 and ended on November 21, 2009...
.
Local tabloid newspapers often refer to the mayor as "Hizzoner," a corruption of the title "His Honor". Several mayors have appeared in television and movies, as well as on Broadway - most notably in The Will Rogers Follies. In the 1980s and 90s, Mayors Ed Koch
Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989...
and Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
had appeared on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on several occasions, sometimes mocking themselves in sketches. Giuliani and Bloomberg have both appeared, as themselves in their mayoral capacities, on episodes of Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. Giuliani has made cameos in films such as The Out-of-Towners
The Out-of-Towners (1999 film)
The Out-of-Towners is a 1999 film starring Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. The movie is a remake of a 1970 film by the same name; the original version, written by Neil Simon, starred Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis.-As remake of 1970 film:...
and Anger Management
Anger Management
Anger Management is a 2003 slapstick comedy film starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, directed by Peter Segal and written by David S. Dorfman...
. Bloomberg has appeared on 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
.
See also
- List of mayors of New York City
- New York City mayoral elections (since 1897)
- Government of New York CityGovernment of New York CityThe government of New York City is organized under the City Charter and provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The government of New York is more centralized than that of most other U.S...
- History of New York CityHistory of New York CityThe history of New York, New York begins with the first European documentation of the area by Giovanni da Verrazzano, in command of the French ship, La Dauphine, when he visited the region in 1524. It is believed he sailed in Upper New York Bay where he encountered native Lenape, returned through...
- New York City CouncilNew York City CouncilThe New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
- New York City Public Advocate
- New York City ComptrollerNew York City ComptrollerThe Office of Comptroller of New York City is the chief fiscal officer and chief auditing officer of the city. The comptroller is elected, citywide, to a four-year term and can hold office for three consecutive terms. The current comptroller is Democrat John Liu, formerly a member of the New York...
- New York City Board of EstimateNew York City Board of EstimateThe New York City Board of Estimate was a governmental body in New York City, responsible for budget and land-use decisions. Under the charter of the newly amalgamated City of Greater New York the Board of Estimate and Apportionment was composed of eight ex officio members: the Mayor of New York...
(1897–1990) - Borough PresidentBorough presidentBorough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...
- New York City Civil CourtNew York City Civil CourtThe New York City Civil Court is a court hearing civil cases within New York City. By volume, it is the largest civil jurisdiction court in the United States, and handles about 25% of the total filings of the entire New York state court system.-Jurisdiction:...
- New York City Criminal CourtNew York City Criminal CourtThe New York City Criminal Court is the general term describing the entry-level court for criminal cases in the five boroughs of New York City....
- New York City: the 51st StateNew York City: the 51st StateNew York City: the 51st State was the platform of the Norman Mailer-Jimmy Breslin candidacy in the 1969 New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary election...