De Blasio Appears More Relaxed As His Term Winds Down
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- After seven and a half years of holding down one of the toughest jobs in America, Mayor Bill de Blasio seems to have more spring in his step, showing a new blissful side to himself.
Is it coincidence, or is there a bigger reason? CBS2's Marcia Kramer explains.
One picture may be worth a thousand words, but one is easily worth a thousands tweets -- de Blasio talking to a garbage bin, from the correct, socially distanced six feet, of course.
"The bin is here. You know, I'm confused. I was told the bin had remarks and, clearly, it's a bin, a very good looking, sleek bin but with nothing to say," the mayor said Thursday.
It was part of a composting announcement, but also an uncharacteristically light moment from a mayor not normally known for letting down his hair. It was just one of several recently that have people asking "Is this the new Bill?"
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A devout Red Sox fan, he put on a Yankees cap at the opening of the vaccine clinic at Yankee Stadium and he braved the 86-foot plunge of the Cyclone roller coaster at the opening of Coney Island.
So, what's going on? A personality transplant? No more buttinski governor? The waning of the pandemic?
"Is it that fat that you now see light at the end of the tunnel with COVID? is it because you no longer feel you're under the thumb of Gov. Cuomo?" Kramer asked.
"Marcia, look, there may be more than one reason, but I'll tell you the number one reason to me is the city is coming back," de Blasio said.
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He dodged the Cuomo question, but aides to the mayor have made it abundantly clear that the governor's preoccupation with his own troubles have contributed to what they call "The Spring of Bill."
New Yorkers have noticed. Some like the new Bill. Some don't.
"He seems a lot more relaxed," Ardi Dwornik said.
"I think he says all the right things, but I don't think that the things get done," added Barbara Matter of Hell's Kitchen.
"He's very arrogant. He thinks he's too high up in his castle. He's gotta bring himself down," said David Haiderzad of Flushing.
"I like them him more than I used to," another woman said.
In the wacky world of New York politics some pundits may be wondering if "Goofball Bill" is part of a strategy to become "Gov. Bill."
De Blasio's mayoral term is up on Dec. 31. He has played it coy in the past when asked about running for governor.