Reclaiming Gotham: Bill De Blasio And The Movement To End America’s Tale Of Two Cities
by Juan González /
2017 / English / EPUB
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In November 2013, a little-known progressive stunned the elite
of New York City by capturing the mayoralty by a landslide.
Bill de Blasio’s promise to end the “Tale of Two Cities” had
struck a chord among ordinary residents still struggling to
recover from the Great Recession.
In November 2013, a little-known progressive stunned the elite
of New York City by capturing the mayoralty by a landslide.
Bill de Blasio’s promise to end the “Tale of Two Cities” had
struck a chord among ordinary residents still struggling to
recover from the Great Recession.
De Blasio’s election heralded the advent of the most
progressive New York City government in generations. Not since
the legendary Fiorello La Guardia in the 1930s had so many
populist candidates captured government office at the same
time. Gotham, in other words, had been suddenly reclaimed in
the name of its people.
De Blasio’s election heralded the advent of the most
progressive New York City government in generations. Not since
the legendary Fiorello La Guardia in the 1930s had so many
populist candidates captured government office at the same
time. Gotham, in other words, had been suddenly reclaimed in
the name of its people.
How did this happen? De Blasio’s victory, journalist legend
Juan González argues, was not just a routine change of
government but a popular rebellion against corporate-friendly
policies that had dominated New York for decades. Reflecting
that broader change, liberal Democrats Bill Peduto in
Pittsburgh, Betsy Hodges in Minneapolis, and Martin Walsh of
Boston also won mayoral elections that same year, as did
insurgent Ras Baraka in Newark the following year. This new
generation of municipal leaders offers valuable lessons for
those seeking grassroots reform.
How did this happen? De Blasio’s victory, journalist legend
Juan González argues, was not just a routine change of
government but a popular rebellion against corporate-friendly
policies that had dominated New York for decades. Reflecting
that broader change, liberal Democrats Bill Peduto in
Pittsburgh, Betsy Hodges in Minneapolis, and Martin Walsh of
Boston also won mayoral elections that same year, as did
insurgent Ras Baraka in Newark the following year. This new
generation of municipal leaders offers valuable lessons for
those seeking grassroots reform.