De Blasio gets high marks for city’s fiscal plan

[hrmjustin]

Sally Goldenberg

Mayor Bill de Blasio received high marks on Tuesday for his financial plan for the city.

In testimony before the New York State Financial Control Board, city Comptroller Scott Stringer applauded de Blasio for saving billions of dollars in reserves and accounting for the multi-billion-dollar cost of settling New York City's open labor contracts.

"I'm pleased to report that the Fiscal Year 2015 adopted budget is balanced and responsible," Stringer, a fellow Democrat, said.

Stringer sat beside de Blasio at the meeting in Midtown Manhattan, where members of the state board spoke approvingly of the city's $75 billion budget, which took effect July 1.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2014/07/8549894/de-blasio-gets-high-marks-citys-fiscal-plan

[hrmjustin]

1. The sustainable mayor?

David Giambusso

In his first six months as mayor, Bill de Blasio has prioritized pre-kindergarten, affordable housing and banning horse carriages, with varying degrees of success.

One policy area he has yet to prioritize, according to some mainstream environmentalists, is sustainability.

It’s not for lack of ideas: As a candidate, he laid out an ambitious-looking program—“A Framework for a Sustainable City,” as packaged on his now-defunct campaign website—that embraces key elements of the lofty environmental agenda of his predecessor, like expanding the city’s investment in clean energy production, reducing air pollution and making every city-owned building “as green as is financially viable by 2020.” He also set a goal for zero waste in the city, improving water ecosystems and embracing smart grids and smart metering.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2014/07/8549694/sustainable-mayor