Mayor spells out liberal agenda

Bill de Blasio became the first Democrat mayor of New York in nearly two decades yesterday, vowing to pursue a liberal agenda for the largest US city.

He took the oath of office moments after midnight in front of his Brooklyn home and hours later was sworn in on a far grander scale on the steps of City Hall.

“We are called to put an end to economic and social inequalities that threaten to put an end to the city that we love,” Mr de Blasio told the crowd.

The new mayor was elected two months ago by a record margin on the promise of being a sharp break from billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Mr Bloomberg leaves office after 12 years that reshaped New York, making it one of the nation’s safest and most prosperous big cities but also one that has become increasingly divided between the very rich and the working class.

Mr De Blasio, 52, was joined by his wife Chirlane McCray and their two teenage children, a closeknit interracial family who played a central role in his campaign and to some are a further symbol of a new era after the data-driven, largely impersonal Bloomberg years.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio