(A shorter version of
this article originally appeared in the Winter 2013 issue of the Lower East
Side underground/alternative newspaper, “The Shadow”)
As the New York Daily News observed in a
Sept. 22, 2013 article, “the records examined by The News…show that from
1995 to 2001, the now-candidate for mayor was registered with the city Board of
Elections as Bill de Blasio and voted 10 times under that name, even though he
had not yet petitioned the court to change his name from Warren de
Blasio-Wilhelm;” and “on a June 25, 2003, mortgage with JPMorgan…he was listed
as `Bill AKA Warren de Blasio AKA Wilhelm’ and he signed it, `Warren de
Blasio-Wilhelm AKA Bill de Blasio. Yet registering to vote under a different
name than your legal name—and then voting under a different name than your
legal name in various elections-- was apparently considered legally “kosher” by
New York City’s Board of Elections with respect to Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm
(who perhaps dropped the “Wilhelm” part of his name when he realized that
people in New York City who voted on the basis of ethnic background rather than
political philosophy might be more inclined to vote for a Democrat whose last
name was just “de Blasio” rather than “de-Blasio-Wilhelm.”)
After getting elected as the Big Apple’s Public Advocate in
2009, de Blasio apparently used his office as a stepping-stone to more easily
win election as New York City’s mayor in 2013. In addition, as New York City ’s Public
Advocate de Blasio apparently served special economic and corporate interests
instead of serving the public interest. As the New York Times recalled
in an Aug. 31, 2013 article:
“New York City was planning to allow thousands of new taxis
to operate outside Manhattan…It was hard to imagine Mr. de Blasio…opposing a
proposal to improve transportation for his chronically taxi-starved
neighbors….Mr. de Blasio would emerge as the taxi plan’s most prominent
opponent…and using his office to fight it in court — and confounding allies who
found his stance incongruous with his typical stands.
“`I was flabbergasted,’ said David S. Yassky, the taxi and
limousine commissioner whose former City Council district borders Mr. de
Blasio’s. `After hearing all his rhetoric about standing up for the outer
boroughs, here’s a program that actually would help 80 percent of New York City , and he did
everything he could to stop it.’”
“The powerful taxi and limousine industry, which bitterly
opposed the city’s plan, made its gratitude clear, sending about $200,000 in
contributions to Mr. de Blasio’s mayoral campaign in the last two years, far
more than his rivals received. And Mr. Kabessa, the chief executive of Carmel
Car and Limousine Service, now sits on the campaign’s finance committee and was
a host of a fund-raiser for Mr. de Blasio this spring.
“But a review of his years as public advocate shows that the office often served another aim: Elevating Mr. de Blasio’s political ambitions and his profile in anticipation of a run for mayor… “
(end of part 9)
