Rudy Looks Back

A reflective Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, after a year where both his marriage and U.S. Senate hopes collapsed, said Thursday that his highlights for the year 2000 were more political than personal.

"The year 2000 was a difficult year for me personally," Giuliani told a City Hall news conference discussing the status of the nation's largest city in year one of the new millennium.

"Maybe it's ironic, but it probably was the year we accomplished the most for the city," he continued. "At some point, when I write a book, I'll figure out the connection between those two things."

The mayor, who is also undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, said he had learned a lot from the tribulations of the past 12 months: his illness, the very public end of his 16-year marriage to TV personality Donna Hanover, the decision to abandon his U.S. Senate run against eventual winner Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"I understand life better, I understand myself better," Giuliani said. "I value things more than I did before. It's more internal and spiritual growth. ... I just value life more, and what the important things are."

The two-term mayor, who starts his final year at City Hall next month, said that he had made an effort to reach out to the city's minorities in the past six months even if his critics say differently.

Giuliani cited a program to provide medical coverage for 900,000 uninsured New Yorkers, and the selection of new Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, as tangible signs of that effort.

"The conundrum for people who criticize - they're going to have to deal with the following fact: Under my mayoralty, there's much more help for people in the minority community," Giuliani said.

"Many more jobs, much less crime, much less victimization. ... The things I do are painted racist, as being racist. The things that I do, actually, are just the opposite."

Giuliani cited several indicators of how life had improved for New Yorkers: the city posted its highest bond rating in 35 years, enjoyed a record year of job growth, and saw a violent crime decrease of 5.48 percent.

The mayor also said that he planned to appoint a City Charter commission to review his administration's work, and see if any of its positive changes could be inserted into the existing charter.

Giuliani acknowledged that he doesn't sit down to chat with his critics. There's a simple explanation, the mayor said: Actions speak louder than words.

"If you engage in dialogue with political leaders and panderers ... then you end up watering down the change," Giuliani said. History will be the true judge of his administration's efforts for minorities, the mayor added.

"When somebody writes the history of this period, they will see that I was right," Giuliani said. "Go look at Harlem today, compared to 10 years ago. Go look at Brooklyn today. Are there more peoplworking? Are there fewer people that are victims of crime?"