PANDER-HANDLER
Mike to gov: Aim to fix homeless, not to please
Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg on Wednesday publicly advised Gov. Hochul to avoid becoming a political “panderer” — and said homeless people need to be brought off the streets and subways to ensure the city’s comeback from the coronavirus crisis.
Following a meeting with Hochul over coffee, Bloomberg told reporters at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan that “she hasn’t asked me for advice yet.”
But when asked what guidance he would give the new governor, the three-term mayor and billionaire media mogul said Hochul should focus on not being “everybody’s friend.”
“She’s got to be a leader, not a panderer,” he said while standing next to her.
“And unfortunately, I see too much around this country, where elected officials are just saying what they think the public wants, rather than what they know is right.”
Bloomberg — who called Hochul “a lot tougher than I am” — also said the city’s economy was showing signs of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic but noted that the homelessness problem needed to be addressed.
“We’ve got to get people off the street,” he said.
“We cannot have the subways full of people who have no place to sleep.”
In response to Bloomberg’s remarks, Hochul — who succeeded disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Aug. 24 — touted her independence.
“I have no trouble making tough decisions and I’m not about making everyone happy,” she said.
Hochul didn’t address the homelessness issue, but was asked about it later by The Post during a news conference at her Manhattan office.
Hochul called it “something that is going to define New York and whether or not we’re going to have a full recovery — on whether or not we’re able to take care of people who find themselves on the streets but also to let people who live in, work in New York City know that they’re also safe.”
She also noted the additional people made homeless “as a result of the hurricane we all experienced” last week and pledged to spend $20 billion “over the next few years” on new affordable housing.