Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a proud resident of the Upper East Side, a registered voter and, naturally, a civic minded individual.
But like many New Yorkers, even the mayor can sometimes forget who represents him in the Council.
On Friday, in his regular appearance on John Gambling’s radio show on WOR, Bloomberg responded to a question about Council Member Jessica Lappin’s proposed crackdown on food truck violations by saying he was opposed to the specific legislation while praising Lappin’s overall goal and calling her “very smart.”
After all, he knew her well.
“Jessica Lappin, my City Council person,” Bloomberg said. “I think she’s mine.”
Except she is not. Though Gracie Mansion is at the north end of Lappin’s district, the East 79th Street townhouse where Bloomberg lives is several avenue blocks away from the boundary of Lappin’s district. That area is represented by Council Member Dan Garodnick.
Asked for her reaction to the mayor’s flub, Lappin stuck closely to answers only about his position on her food vendor bill that would increase penalties on trucks which rack up parking violations. The administration had previously stated it opposed the bill, but during the radio show, Bloomberg said he agreed with what Lappin was doing, just not her methods.
“He said some nice things about me, which I’m grateful for,” Lappin said.
Lappin declined specific comment on Bloomberg’s slip, nor on whether it might speak to the mayor’s apathetic attitude toward the Council.
She added, “I was grateful for his kind words.”
Garodnick declined comment entirely, despite several requests, as did Stu Loeser, the mayor’s press secretary.
The mayor has not always been at a loss to remember who actually represents him in the Council—at recent bill signings, he has recognized Garodnick as his Council member, sometimes joking about how he knows who to complain to if he has a constituent problem.
