Expert: Mayor de Blasio's Constant Tardiness Will Impact Public's Trust
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- In his short tenure in office Bill de Blasio has earned a new title, "Johnny come lately," for his frequent tardiness at public events.
Experts say if he doesn't start setting his alarm clock it could affect his reputation, CBS 2's Marcia Kramer reported Friday.
Four-year-old Jael Jesus Ramirez refused to clap at Mayor de Blasio's first bill signing on Thursday, probably because he was overtired. The mayor was 45 minutes late for the event and then it was another 30 minutes until he picked up the pen.
Earlier, during the mayor's press conference, the little boy broke with protocol and sat down on the ground, apparently because he couldn't stand it.
Although some days are worse than others, a lack of punctuality has become a hallmark of the de Blasio administration. Some call him Bill de Blate.
Last December, a child passed out after waiting for more than an hour for the then-mayor elect to formally name new Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina.
Psychologists say it's a trait that could ultimately harm his image.
"There's no question that if you are late that it affects your reputation and that people lose their ability to trust you, especially in politics, especially when you're in public office," psychologist Dr. Harris Stratyner said. "I feel badly for the mayor that he's doing that to himself."
To be fair, the mayor was only 10 minutes late on Friday, early by de Blasio standard time.
Kramer: "Mr. Mayor, why are you frequently late to public events?"
De Blasio: "We've got a lot going on. We have a lot that we have to deal with each day. A lot of unexpected things come up each day and we make sure that we deal with all of the people's business and we make sure when we get here we are fully prepared."
Kramer asked the mayor if thought the stories about his tardiness were unfair.
"You know, Marcia, I think the important this is when you get elected to do a job like this, responsible for 8.4 million people with every conceivable subject matter, my job is to do the best for the people," the mayor said. "That's what matters. The rest is noise."
Dr. Stratyner suggests that instead of being the host of the "late show," the mayor could improve his punctuality by investing in a good watch and setting it ahead one hour.
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