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Bloomberg with a Bob?
Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) and Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) have worked well together, and speak warmly of each other. She says he will likely be remembered as one of the city's greatest mayors; he calls her "one of the leaders here in trying to make this city one we can be proud of, and a city that will have a great future," using the glowing language which has become typical of his comments about her.
The secret to a successful event, Bloomberg wrote in his autobiography, is not providing enough space. Quinn seems to have taken that to heart. To present the Council's budget response, she packed Council members, staffers, reporters and good government group representatives into a little room on the third floor of the Chatham Square public library for a half-hour PowerPoint presentation.
Light on her feet and at ease with the data behind the slides, she delivered a rehearsed, though loose speech.
Data-driven, digestible and intensely detailed, the presentation could easily be mistaken for one of Bloomberg's. There are significant differences between the substance of Bloomberg's executive budget and Quinn's response. Quinn wants to add several new costly programs and comb through some existing ones for places the budget can be trimmed.
Not that she imagines any of this will create many problems for Bloomberg.
"I don't expect there to be conflicts," she said. "I expect there to be focused negotiations."
Quinn still voices shock that this is a topic of conversation.
"It seems odd that it's noteworthy, that two people that are charged with making government work, that when they're doing that, that deserves comment," she said. C
—EIRD