How does a billionaire convince the little people that he knows what they are going through? That is the dilemma facing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has 18 months left before leaving office by term limits.
The mayor has done well, although he appears to assume that what is good for Manhattan is good for the outer boroughs. That is not the case. Former mayors Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani and David Dinkins tended to fall victim to Manhattan myopia.
In Sunday's Post, the mayor was criticized for his plan to close off part of Park Avenue during the summer for use by pedestrians and bicyclists. The Bronx borough president claims he was repeatedly rebuffed by City Hall when he asked permission to do the same on the Grand Concourse.
But the mayor is right in the long term. New Yorkers need to make greater use of public transportation, and automobile companies and others must quicken efforts to find alternatives to fossil fuels. In the short term, he appears insensitive to the average working Queens resident.
He must make a greater effort to let the people of the outer boroughs know that he understands the difficulties they face every day.
