It’s time for Mayor de Blasio to reset his snooze alarm on events that define the city he was elected to govern.
The chronically late mayor missed the tolling of the bell at 9:16 a.m. Nov. 12 in a ceremony in Rockaway Park that marked the 13th anniversary of the American Airlines Flight 587 crash that killed 265 people. Five died on the ground.
De Blasio blamed his tardiness on having a “very rough night” and his aides cited a delayed police boat ride from Gracie Mansion. But the victims’ relatives — many of whom are Dominican and had traveled to the memorial from the Bronx — were outraged at what they saw as a sign of disrespect for their community.
Most of the passengers on the Santo Domingo-bound flight were Dominican. But the crash also took a heavy toll on the Rockaway community just weeks after 30 people in Breezy Point perished in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Many were firefighters and police officers.
After months of keeping government officials, community leaders and the press waiting, de Blasio is finally being forced to confront his perpetual lapses with the time clock.
DNA.info reported the mayor was 30 minutes late getting to the boat outside Gracie Mansion before the trip even began.
It was not lost on the Rockaways that the mayor might have gotten to the memorial as planned if he had not terminated the Rockaway ferry Nov. 1.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg managed to reach the isolated peninsula from the Upper East Side in time to make some brief remarks and observe a moment of silence every year during his administration.
De Blasio may have heard his critics. He kicked off a press conference on immigration in Jackson Heights late last week right at the scheduled time.
His chronic lateness has raised questions about his leadership ability and his accountability to the people he represents. New York is the largest city in the country and a player on the world stage.
We need a mayor who can lead by example, show up on time and give his constituents the respect they deserve.
