De Blasio’s Progressive Agenda Pulls Plug on Iowa Presidential Forum

But de Blasio insisted Monday that his plan, dubbed Vision Zero, is working and noted that the city is on pace for a record low number of traffic fatalities.

“As you work toward final passage of a long-term surface transportation authorization”, he continued, “we urge you to support provisions providing critical funding support and flexibility for transportation projects in NY City”. He had also made it explicitly clear that he would much rather spend his time and energy on actually getting his job done rather than spending time answering the reporters’ questions. “We’re going to put a lot more emphasis on going out to communities”, de Blasio said.

A spokeswoman for de Blasio’s administration declined to comment about the cancellation. 5 percent increases each year after that until the seventh year. Howard Edelman of the state Public Employment Relations Board, ruled that the officers should receive a 1% pay raise per year.

The independent arbitrator was called in after contract talks between the union and the city stalled.

Lynch apparently ended last night’s protest on the early side with a pledge: “We’ll be back”.

The organization was supposed to hold a forum for presidential candidates to discuss income inequality in the nation on December 6.

Lynch says Edelman should have raised patrol officers’ salary to match that of the 1,500 Port Authority of NY and New Jersey police, who earned an average $108,000 after six years, 23 percent more than New York’s $88,000 in 2009, according to the Citizens Budget Commission, a non-profit, business-funded fiscal monitor. But as de Blasio’s own poll numbers fell, none of the presidential candidates signaled their attention to attend.

He said the two “finish each other’s anonymous quotes”.

But the executive director of the group said Tuesday that the event has been scuttled.