If he wins a third term, Mayor Bloomberg promised yesterday to transform the city so it’ll have the best public schools in the nation by 2013, a far lower crime rate, better mass transit and more waterfront and park options than ever.
Eight days before Election Day, Bloomberg outlined a vision for the future that focused on key projects and quality-of-life initiatives undertaken during his first two terms, from completing the No. 7 subway train to the Far West Side to opening two miles of new parkland along the Manhattan side of the East River.
“And we will do it all by living within our means, not by spending money we don’t have,” the mayor said in a speech at NYU.
Topping the list were further improvements to the school system, to the point where families “from around the nation and the region” will be clamoring to come here so their kids can get a quality education at “top-quality schools that are as good as — or better than– some of the suburban schools,” the mayor said.
On the crime front, Bloomberg set the bar high. He said his goal was to reduce crime by another 15 percent — on top of the 35 percent reduction achieved since 2001.
Mayoral rival Bill Thompson dismissed Bloomberg’s vision as campaign trash talk.
“It is unfortunate that the mayor continues to make promises that I think the people of New York have seen and heard before,” said Thompson, the city comptroller.
He pointed to the mayor’s high-profile broken pledges, including eliminating homelessness and keeping term limits intact.
The latest Quinnipiac University poll, however, showed Bloomberg was headed for a “blowout” victory.
He was leading 53 percent to 35 percent, with 10 percent undecided.
In a bit of bizarre timing, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn — a Democrat and longtime Bloomberg ally — finally got around to endorsing Thompson yesterday.
The final mayoral debate will be televised tonight on Channel 7 starting at 7 p.m.