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Mayor Bloomberg Avoids Question, Calls Reporter A "Disgrace"
By
Jen Chung
Published May 28, 2009
Modified May 28, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 28, 2009
Modified May 28, 2009
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Is the unofficial first rule of Mayor Bloomberg-Press Fight Club "Don't ask Mayor Bloomberg about term limits"? That's what it seems like when you watch this video from PolitickerNY's Azi Paybarah. Bloomberg, at a press conference touting how the city received $32 million in federal stimulus money for job training, said of the economy, "I’m reasonably optimistic that we’ve turned the corner" on the recession. So Paybarah asked if, since the economy was turning around, that meant Bloomberg oversold his pitch for overturning term limits—which the mayor didn't think was a "serious" question.
Paybarah's video is above (and a clearer one from MyFoxNY is after the jump) and here's the transcript from CityRoom:
Mr. Paybarah: If the economy is turning around, as you said, does that mean the rationale for changing term limits—-
Mr. Bloomberg: I don’t know why … if we have a serious question…
[At this point, Mr. Paybarah tried to finish his question, but he was cut off by the mayor.]Mr. Bloomberg: The rationale for extending term limits is that the City Council passed it and the voters will have a chance on Nov. 3 to say what they want. I don’t think we have to keep coming back to it. … If you have a serious question about the economy I will be happy to answer it.
And then Bloomberg looks at Paybarah and says, "You're a disgrace." Previously, Bloomberg avoided questions from reporters at an event by noticing Paybarah's haircut.
Tagged
Azi Paybarah
disgrace
mayor bloomberg
media
PolitickerNY
press
reporter
term limits
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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