Bill de Blasio calls arrested Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) was “a man of integrity”

Standards...

Via TPM:

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said on Thursday that New York’s powerful and longtime Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) was “a man of integrity” despite having just been arrested and charged with corruption.
Silver surrendered to federal authorities earlier in the day after being charged with allegedly taking millions of dollars in bribes. However, de Blasio stood by the speaker during a news conference at City Hall.
“Although the charges announced today are certainly very serious, I want to note that I’ve always known Shelly Silver to be a man of integrity, and he certainly has due process rights,” de Blasio said. “And I think it’s important that we let the judicial process play out here.”
De Blasio noted that “allegations are allegations” and said he didn’t believe Silver should step down at this point.

Tweet of the Day: NYC Police Unions blame Mayor de Blasio for murder of two cops...

The blood of 2 executed police officers is on the hands of Mayor de Blasio.  May God bless their families and may they rest in peace.
— SBA (@SBANYPD) December 21, 2014

Man of the people alert: Mayor Bill de Blasio has privacy fence built around Gracie Mansion.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is a flaming hypocrite.

Via NY Post:

Mayor Bill de Blasio, a self-declared progressive “man of the people,” has erected a massive new “privacy fence” to keep his constituents from looking in on Gracie Mansion.
The new fence — constructed just inside an existing red brick wall and a wrought-iron fence ringing the historic property — was actually dubbed a “privacy fence” by de Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray, sources told The Post.
“So much for being mayor of the people. That brick fence was good enough for Rudy Giuliani and his family, and for Ed Koch and all the mayors before him,” a law enforcement source said.
Sources said the increasingly thin-skinned mayor demanded the extension because he was sick of nosy people in Carl Schurz Park peeping in while he hung out in the yard.

Mayor Bill de Blasio killed the groundhog used during the Groundhog Day celebration

Where's PETA? Oh, they are focusing on cannibals now. 

Via Fox News:

New York’s Staten Island Zoo attempted to cover up news that the groundhog accidentally dropped by Mayor Bill de Blasio during the Groundhog Day celebration died from internal injuries a week after the fall, The New York Post reported.
Sources told the paper that the groundhog was a female replacement named “Charlotte.” She died from internal injuries a week after the fall, the source said.
The paper reported Thursday that the zoo pulls in $3.5 million a year from the city. The staff was reportedly told by the zoo to avoid telling the mayor’s office. The zoo went with the story that the animal died from natural causes.

Stupid: Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to bring back the big gulp ban.

Liberalism...it's all about the control.

Via Newsmax:

Hide your Big Gulps again, New York.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week his administration will pick up where former Mayor Michael Bloomberg left off and will continue the battle to ban sodas larger than 16 ounces. The city will appeal a state court ruling that pulled the plug on the ban last year.
City lawyers will argue the case at the Court of Appeals on June 4, the New York Daily News reported this week.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg got plenty of headlines in 2012 when he declared war on Big Gulps and other large sugary drinks.
The much discussed ban on sodas over 16 ounces was an edict issued by the city's Health Department and never got approval from city council. A state judge in March 2013 blocked the ban and said Bloomberg overstepped his authority in issuing it without the city council's consent.
De Blasio and Bloomberg have not seen eye to eye on everything, but the new boss is the same as the old boss when it comes to regulating away that special kind of joy that can only be found at the bottom of a half-gallon of Coca-Cola.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio only paid an effective tax rate of 8.3% on $217k in income...

Shouldn't a tax-loving socialist be willing to pay his fair share? 

Via Zero Hedge:

Mayor Bill de Blasio is the first New York City mayor to release his tax returns in 12 years, according to the WSJ. de Blasio earned $165,000 as public advocate last year and brought in an additional $52,000 in rent on a second home he owns in Park Slope, according to his 2013 tax returns. Mr. de Blasio’s effective tax rate was 8.3%.

As WSJ reports, Mr. de Blasio’s predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire who served as mayor from 2002 through 2013, released highly redacted copies of his return that gave scant information about his net worth.

Keep reading…

Mayor Bill de Blasio drops the groundhog (Video)

Incompetence takes many forms...