Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bloomberg To New Yorkers: Why Won't You Love Me?
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 16, 2011
Modified Jul 16, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 16, 2011
Modified Jul 16, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Time and again, Mayor Bloomberg has sworn he has no plans to run for higher office, nor has he declared himself the rightful heir to the Iron Throne of Westeros. And yet, Bloomberg has spent $5.6 million in March and April alone on a series of TV ads, polling and mailings designed to bolster his image. So doesn't it sound kind of desperate for Bloomberg to spend all that money trying to get people to think he's cool?
Bloomberg wants to buy your love back, because his popularity has taken a nose dive during his tumultuous third term as Hizzoner, particularly in the last year. There's been the controversial smoking ban, the OCD-health initiatives, the budget crises, the Cathie Black calamity, the blizzard cleanup mess-up, and the never ending City Time scandal.
Maybe that $5.6 million would have been better spent if he put it toward the things he does do well, like fight on behalf of marriage equality, disperse free wi-fi, promote new technologies and start-ups, and um, answer scientific questions about magnets.
Tagged
bloomberg
cool
mayor bloomberg
money
popularity
why won't you like me
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
Some regulars at the East Village park want to preserve its not-so-fancy offerings.
By
Willow Higgins
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .