The Blizzard of 2010 may have forever dented Mayor Bloomberg’s popularity.
The mayor admitted today that the botched snow removal effort this week was a “character building” experience for him.
“This year is not ending the way I would have preferred, but it’s still been a good year,” he said this morning on his radio show. “Nobody has a career that goes straight up.”
He added that the city’s failure to clear streets days after the blizzard was “character building.”
Bloomberg said he also asked the Department of Investigation to look into claims that some disgruntled Sanitation workers purposely failed to plow streets.
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“I don’t know if it took place but if it did, it’s a disgrace,” he said.
The Post reported today that several neighborhoods were on the workers’ hit list — including Borough Park and Dyker Heights in Brooklyn and Middle Village in Queens — because residents there have more money and their politicians carry big sticks.
“It was more targeted than people actually think,” said a labor source. “Borough Park was specifically targeted [because of] . . . its ability to sort of gin up the p.r. machine.”
The plan worked. Residents of those neighborhoods — who, after three days, were still trying to dig out their cars — are apoplectic.
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“It’s hurting people for greed,” seethed Barry Coogan, 60, who lives on 64th Road in Middle Village. “Whoever made those decisions should lose their jobs.
“Don’t hurt the neighborhood so you can’t get medical help.”
In Brooklyn, Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind called the clean-up “an absolute disaster.”
“You have the most unbelievable anger I’ve ever seen,” he said of his Borough Park constituents.
Meanwhile, New Jersey will seek federal aid to help cover the costs related to the winter storm.
Gov. Chris Christie traveled to Freehold today to formally sign a letter seeking money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The event will be Christie’s first public appearance since the blizzard hit last weekend.
The governor had traveled to Florida last Sunday for a family vacation at Disney World and remained there until returning home early Friday.
Some Democrats have criticized Christie for not cutting short his trip.
His spokesman Michael Drewniak said the governor was constantly briefed while in Florida.
With AP