De Blasio Chastised For Leaving New York After Cop's Murder
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio -- back Sunday from Germany -- is headed to Officer Miosotis Familia's wake Monday evening after coming under fire for leaving the city so soon after her murder.
As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, de Blasio was two minutes early for his 10:30 a.m. appointment with the family of the slain NYPD officer Monday.
De Blasio's Decision To Travel To Germany During G-20 Draws Criticism
But his rush to her Bronx apartment after his controversial trip to Germany may not undo the public anger over the fact that, just hours after her assassination, he left the country to attend a protest rally in Hamburg. He also skipped an NYPD ceremony to swear in new recruits.
At the wake, police union president Patrick Lynch criticized the mayor.
"His compass is off," Lynch said. "His compass led him to Germany rather than to the Grand Concourse. He should have been there throughout the weekend to tell the story, to start the dialogue, to say 'we need to support our police officers'."
The mayor was silent when pressed for answers Monday.
New Yorkers, not so much.
"I don't think that's something he should have done," Bronx resident Barbara Johnson said. "He should be here in times of mourning."
"It's really really poor timing," Upper West Side resident Lionel Flax said. "A moment like this, our mayor needs to be here with us."
Others didn't have a problem with the mayor's travels.
"I'm okay with that," Harlem resident David Dinkin said. "I think he's doing the best he can in the city and taking care of all the other agendas in the world."
Pundits wonder if the animosity will have a lasting effect.
"It looks terrible," political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said. "Why would you leave the city when a police officer is assassinated? Why would you do such a thing? The cops will never forgive you, the citizens who care about the cops will never forgive you."
The mayor's political opponents are hammering him, wondering if his goal is to run for president -- not mayor.
"Does he want to keep his job? Clearly he's off travelling the country, travelling the world, instead of actually doing his job addressing the quality of life issues in this city that continue to deteriorate," GOP mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis said.
Opponents want to know how much the city shelled out for the mayor's security detail to travel with him.
De Blasio's spokesperson referred CBS2 to the NYPD, which has not answered.
