Do More With Reuters
Partner Services

FACTBOX-Who's who in the new N.Y. City government

Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:28am IST
 
Email | Print | | Single Page
[-] Text [+]

Nov 4 (Reuters) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg won re-election in a surprisingly close vote on Tuesday and will be surrounded in city government by at least three politicians who will compete with the lame duck mayor for power and possibly seek his job four years from now.

JOHN LIU, COMPTROLLER

Liu, a Democrat, won the spot as the city's chief fiscal guardian with about 77 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Liu became the first Asian American to serve on the City Council when he won his first term in 2002.

Liu, whose family emigrated from Taiwan when he was a child, holds a degree in mathematical physics from Binghamton University, and is a former PriceWaterhouseCoopers manager.

He opposed Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan, which would have required drivers to pay fees in much of Manhattan during rush hour. As chairman of the transportation committee, he grilled the state mass transit agency officials about their budgets.

Liu also has pushed to strengthen renters' rights, halt predatory bank loans and urged more hiring of minority businesses, according to his biography. He calls himself an advocate for small businesses and unions.

BILL DE BLASIO, PUBLIC ADVOCATE

The public advocate monitors city government, lambasting agencies that fail to serve the public and is sometimes considered the main counterweight to the mayor. De Blasio, a Democratic Council member, won 77 percent of the vote.

The office has dwindled in stature in recent years and De Blasio promised to create a "real parents bill of rights" to give parents more control over education. Bloomberg won direct control of the city's schools but his critics say he has ignored parents.  Continued...

Dubai Debt Fears

Villas are seen on the The Palm, Jumeirah, with Atlantis, The Palm, under construction on the breakwater (crescent), May 3, 2008.  REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh

Banks outside the Gulf played down their exposure to Dubai debt, after fears the emirate could default and even derail world economic recovery prompted a sell-off in global markets.  Full Article | Slideshow 

People light candles at a vigil to commemorate the victims of last year's militant attacks in Mumbai, in front of the India Gate in New Delhi November 26, 2009. Mumbai held tearful memorials and police staged a show of strength on Thursday as India's financial hub marked the first anniversary of militant raids that killed 166 people and pushed up tensions with Pakistan. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri
One Year Later

Mumbai held tearful memorials and police staged a show of strength as it marked the first anniversary of militant raids that killed 166 people and pushed up tensions with Pakistan.  Slideshow | Full Coverage