Progress Is Sweet, Caramel Covered And Goes Well With Cool Ranch

That old anti-smoking argument goes something along the lines of how it’s a government’s right to limit bad choices since we all pay for smokers in the end. Obese, unhealthy City Hall employees, or those that eventually may become that way, are exempt from such reasoning:

A vending machine in the building’s basement has suddenly started featuring such high-calorie goodies as M&Ms, Snickers, Kit Kats and both Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese-flavored Doritos, both regular and Cool Ranch.

Under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, such fatty fare was strictly off limits.

Instead, workers and City Hall visitors were forced to nosh on healthier snacks, such as granola bars and sugarless fruit roll-ups.

Bloomberg had a point here (yikes . . .): We pay for these people’s health care; why willingly provide them with shit that will kill them?

I’m Not Hijacking This Plane; I’m Trying To Save It

The Grand Stander meets the grandstander:

“The rule is, the mayor shouldn’t be involved in any way about somebody’s arrest,” the city comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, told reporters on Wednesday, describing Mr. de Blasio’s actions as “problematic.”

“When you do make that call,” Mr. Stringer added, “you do have to answer a lot of questions.”

Fortunately, Giuliani has the mayor’s back:

But Mr. de Blasio received support on Wednesday from an unlikely source: former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, a Republican.

“I don’t think he did anything wrong,” Mr. Giuliani said in a telephone interview. “It sounds to me like he was just making an inquiry as to what happened with the guy.”

And then there’s this tale of two cities:

Meanwhile, the mayor’s political allies — including Public Advocate Letitia James — ducked questions about the issue Wednesday. Brooklyn Councilman and Findlayter pal Jumaane Williams said community leaders deserve special treatment.

“To say that someone shouldn’t call or inquire about an incident is weird,” he said.

Earlier: On The Other Hand, Now We Know Why He Sleeps So Late?

So Much To Do, So Many Public Opinion Surveys To Challenge

The Grand Stander, all 6 feet 5 7/8 inches of him, now goes after Quinnipiac:

Mayor Bill de Blasio is not impressed with a new Quinnipiac poll out today, which showed that voters prefer Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to fund universal pre-K using existing state funds over the mayor’s signature plan to raise the money with a new tax on the rich.

As for this, it’s hard to tell whether it’s irony or just doublespeak:

“It’s time for progressives to be fiscally responsible and to dispel any misimpression,” he added, “that the progressive agenda doesn’t go along with fiscal responsibility.”

Earlier: She Loves A Lot Of The Same Things You Do; It’s What You Love About Her.

The Seriousness Of The Mayor’s Budget, In One Paragraph

Restoring funding for borough presidents and the public advocate, keeping grandstanding safe for another fiscal year:

The plan calls for restoring $59 million to support 20 firehouses around the city that endured budgets cut and another $10 million for the offices of elected officials, including the five borough presidents and the public advocate, the position Mr. de Blasio held before being elected to mayor.

Part of why you never, ever trust a public advocate running for mayor.

She Loves A Lot Of The Same Things You Do; It’s What You Love About Her

The problem with looking at all the opinion polls means that then you have to start quibbling about what they all mean:

A new Quinnipiac University poll out this morning shows that city voters back the governor’s plan to fund pre-k with no new tax over Mr. de Blasio’s plan to tax the city’s highest-income earners by a 49-40 percent margin — just within the poll’s margin of error. The number is higher, 47-37, across the state.

The numbers clash with Mr. de Blasio’s claim that there is a wide popular consensus behind his plan (“Look at every public opinion poll. The people of New York City have spoken,” he said yesterday) and come as his plan faces increasing resistance in Albany, with Senate co-leader Dean Skelos saying he will not bring it to a vote.

But you have to appreciate how hard the administration is working doing the city’s important work — spinning poll results, for one:

de Blasio spokeswoman Marti Adams also touted the results.

“Today’s poll shows that New Yorkers from across the political spectrum want universal pre-K and a real plan to provide it,” she said in a statement. “And make no mistake: New York City’s proposal is the only plan on the table that would provide sufficient and sustainable funding needed to make high-quality early education truly universal.”