De Blasio, Health Commissioner Bassett Vow To Continue Much Of Bloomberg's Health Agenda
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed a former member of Michael Bloomberg's administration as health commissioner Thursday.
As 1010 WINS' Eileen Lehpamer reported, there will still be a bulls eye on over-sized sugary drinks and tobacco, but Dr. Mary Bassett said she wants city residents to be on board with those restrictions.
Bassett, a former deputy commissioner in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said you can't change people's health without their knowledge and consent. "They have to be engaged in that process and that's really what we intend to bring to this."
De Blasio has long said he agreed with much of Bloomberg's ambitious public health agenda.
During Bloomberg's time as mayor, he successfully prohibited smoking in public places, banned trans fats and posted calorie counts. He also attempted to ban large sugary drinks but a state court deemed the proposal unconstitutional.
De Blasio has said he would continue the Bloomberg administration's appeal of the soda ban, as well as other health initiatives, but seek more community input, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
"Let's face it, there's been areas where the policies were right, but there was a lot of misunderstanding and resistance and the community level. That means we have to do a better job of working with stakeholders," de Blasio said.
Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)