Third Term Meltdown Leading Indicators: Unsurly Mayor

Perhaps he’s trying to soften his image somewhat to secure place-in-history considerations:

Mr. Bloomberg was testifying in a Manhattan courtroom as a witness for the prosecution in the trial of a political consultant, John F. Haggerty Jr., who is accused of stealing much of the $1.2 million the mayor donated to the Independence Party in 2009.

There was no sign of the sarcastic attitude Mr. Bloomberg sometimes displays when questioned or challenged. And gone was the detail-oriented take-charge executive most recently seen during Tropical Storm Irene.

He was so uncharacteristically soft-spoken and concise that many in the courtroom had to strain to hear him, and some of his answers could have been contained in 140-character posts on Twitter.

Markedly different than what took place back in 2009:

But the mayor displayed his testy and sarcastic side, as evidenced when Ms. Wong read a passage from his 1997 memoir, “Bloomberg by Bloomberg”:

“‘And God forbid one of our people go to work for a competitor, then we all heartily and cordially really do hope they fail. In their new job, they have an avowed purpose to hurt their old co-workers. They’ve become bad people. Period. We have a loyalty to us. Leave, and you’re them.’ Did I read that accurately?”

“Your reading is good,” the mayor replied.

“Thank you,” Ms. Wong said. “Do you continue to believe that statement today?”

“More so than ever before.”

Third Term Meltdown Watch: Staten Island Job Approval Ratings Lowest In City

And Staten Island is usually his wheelhouse:

Citywide, Bloomberg had a 54 to 35 percent job approval rating, up from 45 to 43 on July 27, and his best showing since the Christmas blizzard, according to a poll from Quinnipiac University.

But on the Island, Bloomberg has only a 39 percent approval rating, with 56 percent of borough voters disapproving of his performance.

It was Bloomberg’s worst showing in the city.

It’s not the kind of reception Bloomberg is used to here. The borough put Bloomberg in office in 2001 and helped him stay there in 2009.

The Island result baffled Quinnipiac pollster Maurice Carroll.

“I don’t understand why Staten Island’s number is so low,” he told the Advance. “People like him out there.”

September Promotions For Teams That Are Twenty-Three-And-A-Half Games Out Of First Include . . .

Star Wars Night:

Next Tuesday will be Star Wars Night at Citi Field. Fans will each receive a Met T-shirt featuring Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

Location Scout: Citi Field.

Pro-Eminent Domain Propaganda Or Just Another Sad Story About The Mets?

Let’s say both:

A pack of junkyard dogs is roaming the sidewalks surrounding Citi Field, menacing visitors as they exit the ballpark.

“They came at me like a locomotive,” [a Citi Field patron] said, describing her encounter this month with a 70-pound pit bull and a shepherd mix “that looked like a wolf.”

Location Scout: Citi Field.

And You Thought This Guy Might Run For Mayor Next Time

No seriously, that’s what people were saying a long time (well, 14 months) back before he pulled a Jay Walder and suddenly left:

Stephen Goldsmith, who oversaw operations as a deputy to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, announced on Thursday that he would resign after just 14 months in the position.

He will be replaced by the guy who has been the commissioner of DEP for the last 16 months or so, the thirty-something person who had zero DEP experience before taking that position.