Bloomberg Legacy: Renaming Critical Infrastructure

For over 100 years the only other name the Queensboro Bridge had was the Manhattan-centric “59th Street Bridge” — that is about to change:

The Bloomberg administration is set to announce plans on Wednesday to rename the Queensboro Bridge, the Midtown muse of Simon and Garfunkel and a steel signature of the city’s skyline, after former Mayor Edward I. Koch, who turns 86 this month.

Why Koch? Mayor Koch was the last third term mayor the city had, third terms being notoriously lame. Maybe Bloomberg is telegraphing something . . . I’m just not sure what. Maybe this means that in twenty years Cathie Black will rename the Manhattan Bridge for him?

Location Scout: Queensboro Bridge.

It’s So Much Less Sincere To “Examine Subtexts” Than It Is To “Read Stories,” But It’s Also So Much More Fun

Maybe all the magazine executives and tunnels to New Jersey had a larger purpose — covering this, for example:

Mayor Bloomberg today is expected to order thousands of layoffs next year in bruising budget cuts intended to close a massive gap, sources told The Post last night.

Bloomberg will announce the widespread job reductions and service cuts as he tries to close the nearly $3.3 billion budget deficit the city is facing next year.

When In Doubt, You Can Always Beat Up On High Fructose Corn Syrup

The Times notes that Cathie Black was a Coca-Cola board member, and raises the issue of that company’s troubling push to keep sugary drinks in schools:

As America awoke to a national obesity epidemic and schools tried to rid their hallways of sugary drinks, Coca-Cola emerged as the biggest and most aggressive opponent of the scientists, lawmakers and educators who tried to sound the alarm.

The company unleashed a flurry of lobbyists, donations and advertising to fight the efforts, prompting local officials to describe it as “bullying” and “unconscionable.” Even as other large food manufacturers embraced the public-health measures, Coca-Cola dug in its heels, rewarding schools that kept selling its products and threatening those that would not, officials said.

Through most of these battles, Ms. Black, the magazine executive nominated last week to lead the nation’s largest school system, was one of 14 people on the company’s board of directors, and she sat on a company committee that focused on policy issues including obesity and selling soda to children. On a board that meets six times a year, she was privy to internal debates about the company’s combative strategy, and there is no public evidence that she ever questioned it.

“I don’t think we’ve gone to a single meeting in the last two years where we haven’t discussed that issue,” said Donald McHenry, a longtime Coke board member and a professor at Georgetown University who sat on the committee with Ms. Black.

On the other hand, The Daily News’ Juan Gonzalez notes that Cathie Black was a Coca-Cola board member, and raises the issue of that company’s troubling human rights record in Latin America:

Her business résumé that Bloomberg keeps touting also deserves close scrutiny.

For most of the past 17 years, Black sat on the board of directors of Coca-Cola. Last year alone, the soft drink giant paid her $195,000 compensation in cash and stock for attending 10 board meetings.

During much of that time, Coke’s human rights record and its marketing tactics to children in Latin America have generated major controversy.

It would be satisfying — refreshing, like a sip of ice cold Coke even — to see the Mayor’s flashy campaign against soda pop bite him in the rear this way . . .

What, Jackie Mason Wasn’t Available? But He Sounded So Good When He’d Hector Me About Using A Seat Belt . . .

Even better than the “sponsored-by Councilmember” trash can is the 40-second survey spot:

The Taxi and Limousine Commission chairman is the star of a 40-second video now playing inside cabs before your regularly scheduled Taxi TV programming. But unlike the mix of news and advertising, you can’t switch off [David] Yassky’s cheery plea for you to participate in a survey about the future of New York City’s yellow cabs.

Sillier Than A Soup Sandwich

Let’s hope their latest campaign is more accurate than their last campaign, because even “only” $130,000 of city taxpayer money* seems like a lot to waste on sensational claims:

The ads, which will be plastered on subways for the next two months, feature a half-opened can of soup with a geyser of salt spewing from the top and forming a heap around the can.

I’m still waiting for a truly useful health campaign, by the way.

*Don’t worry — the federal government came up with the balance of the $500,000 campaign, though it’s not like we’re really paying for that, too . . .