Colbert Ribs De Blasio About Planned Italy Trip Before LIRR Strike Averted
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio took a ribbing from Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert about his planned trip to Italy while the threat of a possible Long Island Rail Road strike still loomed.
De Blasio made his first appearance on "The Colbert Report'' on Wednesday night.
During the show, de Blasio was noncommittal on whether he'd cancel his planned 10-day trip to Italy on Friday, saying he's hopeful there'll be a resolution avoiding a strike that could have come this weekend.
"The Long Island Rail Road is under the jurisdiction of Gov. Cuomo, he's working very hard to come to a resolution, I'm hopeful there will be a resolution," de Blasio told Colbert.
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"Not my problem! Not my problem!" joked Colbert. "Bring me the bowl! Bring me the bowl that Pontius Pilate may wash his hands!"
He quipped stranded riders would have to talk to his wife about whether they could crash at the Gracie Mansion mayoral residence.
Earlier this week, the mayor said he would "watch along the way and see how things develop," but said he was confident the city could manage the potential strike effectively.
The mayor's hopes were fulfilled Thursday as Cuomo, along with MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast and the unions' chief negotiator Anthony Simon, announced that a deal had been reached on a contract, averting a strike.
Other topics discussed in the lighthearted eight-minute interview included income inequality, stop-and-frisk and universal pre-K.
The mayor's wife and their two children attended the show's taping.
On Thursday, with the threat of a strike no longer an issue, de Blasio told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera and other reporters that he was looking forward to the trip.
"No I'm not yet packed. Yes I'm looking forward to the trip. Eggplant parmigiana is my all-time favorite Italian meal," de Blasio said.
The mayor said his mother, the late Marie de Blasio, made that dish the best. He said he plans to explore his ancestral roots in Italy and reconnect with his wife and kids on the trip.
"This is the first time the family has been able to go away together for a week in a couple of years," the mayor said.
The de Blasios will be gone for nearly 10 days.
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