At first, I was like - wha? Thwarted terror plot in Portland? That's not cool, jihadists. Not cool. Portland is maj amazing, as anyone who knows me knows I know. Please redirect your anger at Houston or Butte.
And worst of all, while my baby brother was there. In other words, while this kid was indoctrinating himself with jihadist propoganda, he was going to school each day seeing faces of people he thought should be dead including my own brother and other people I personally know and love. And then, a few years later acted on a plot to kill thousands of people in my hometown. This kid grew up a few miles from where I did. His parents probably shop at the same grocery store as my mom. Our paths have undoubtedly crossed.
Well, well, well! A situation where Bloomberg completely disregards the rules and acts like a billionaire businessman whose latest toy is a board game called Who Wants to Run New York City, can you imagine???
Yes, you can, because if you're been reading this blog or clicking on the Bloombergtag at right, you know I am no fan of my city's current mayor (illegally serving a third term just because he felt like it). And finally a large group of people are calling him out for his typical behavior, most recently manifested in his appointment of Cathie Black to NYC City Schools Chancellor(ess) - a publishing exec with zero education experience.
Am I saying it's impossible for her to be good at this job? Of course not. But when I'm hiring, relevant experience is at least as important as managerial skills. I do think it can be innovative to bring someone in from a different industry, but there has to be a connection. And this connection should not be "industry that is failing miserably with little hope for the future."
But my real issue with Black is the same as my issue with Bloomberg: what, other than ego, is the incentive for her to succeed? Her kids are in private school. She has no ties to public education. And I'm guessing she's taking a big salary cut. So, like Bloomberg, whose livelihood comes not from his city salary of $1 but from private holdings, this can only be a hobby to her. What will drive her when the going gets tough and the solutions aren't as cut-and-dried as a for-profit corporation? How can her thinking, her impulses, her modus operandi, possibly consider the good of the children first and foremost (not to mention teachers, unions, communities, government workers) when her whole career has been about the bottom line?
Hey peeps - sorry I've been away, but it's a good sign when my posts are infrequent, at least for me, as it means my business is doing well. Or Jezebel is killing it with their posts and taking up all my surf time. Also,
Ms. Pressler is a New Yorker who, years ago after attending a marvelous staged reading of Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle, thought it would be most hilarious if she were mayor and made everyone refer to her as The Mayoress. The nickname stuck. She works as a marketing consultant and in her spare time, volunteers on campaigns and runs a lot. She likes the arts, marathons, SVU, hip hop, opera, brunch, the Obamas, WNYC, style, fun events, and people who read her blog.
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