Bill de Blasio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill de Blasio
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De Blasio in 2019
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| 109th Mayor of New York City | |
| In office January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2021 |
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| Deputy | Anthony Shorris Dean Fuleihan |
| Preceded by | Michael Bloomberg |
| Succeeded by | Eric Adams |
| 3rd Public Advocate of New York City | |
| In office January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Betsy Gotbaum |
| Succeeded by | Letitia James |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 39th district |
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| In office January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen DiBrienza |
| Succeeded by | Brad Lander |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Warren Wilhelm Jr.
May 8, 1961 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | New York University (BA) Columbia University (MIA) |
| Signature |  |
Bill de Blasio was the Mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. He was the 109th person to hold this important job. Before becoming mayor, he was the New York City Public Advocate from 2010 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
De Blasio was born in Manhattan in 1961. He grew up mostly in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He went to New York University and Columbia University. Early in his career, he worked for politicians like Charles Rangel and Hillary Clinton. He started his elected career on the New York City Council. He represented a district in Brooklyn from 2002 to 2009.
As mayor, he started a program that offered free pre-kindergarten for all children in New York City. He often talked about how important it was to reduce economic inequality in the city. He supported policies that aimed to help the city's economy, improve public education, and change how the police worked with communities.
De Blasio ran for president in 2019 but ended his campaign early. He could not run for a third term as mayor because of term limits. Eric Adams became the next mayor in 2022.
Contents
Early Life and Education
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Bill de Blasio was born Warren Wilhelm Jr. on May 8, 1961. His parents drove from their home in Connecticut to Manhattan for his birth. His mother, Maria Angela de Blasio, was of Italian heritage. His father, Warren Wilhelm, had German, English, French, and Scots-Irish roots.
He changed his name to Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm in 1983. In 2001, he officially became Bill de Blasio. This was to honor his mother's family. His father was a soldier in World War II and was injured. After the war, his parents faced challenges.
In 1966, his family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bill and his brother Donald were raised by his mother and her family. He said his mother's family, the de Blasios, raised him.
He finished high school in 1979. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University. He also received a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University.
Early Career in Public Service
In 1984, de Blasio worked for the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice. After graduate school, he became a political organizer. In 1988, he traveled to Nicaragua to help deliver food and medicine. He supported the socialist government there.
After returning, he moved to New York City. He worked for a group that helped improve health care in Central America. He also volunteered for David Dinkins' mayoral campaign in 1989. After Dinkins won, de Blasio worked as an aide in New York City Hall.
In 1994, he managed U.S. Representative Charles Rangel's successful reelection campaign. Later, in 1997, he worked for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He was the highest-ranking HUD official for New York and New Jersey. In 1999, he was elected to a school board in Brooklyn. In 2000, he managed Hillary Clinton's successful campaign for the U.S. Senate.
New York City Council (2002–2009)
Becoming a Council Member
In 2001, Bill de Blasio ran for the New York City Council. He represented the 39th district in Brooklyn. This district included neighborhoods like Park Slope and Carroll Gardens. He won the election and was reelected twice. He won with a large number of votes each time.
Making a Difference
As a City Council member, de Blasio helped pass important laws.
- He worked to prevent landlords from treating tenants unfairly.
- He helped pass a law to improve housing for low-income New Yorkers with HIV/AIDS.
- He supported the Gender-Based Discrimination Protection Law. This law protected transgender New Yorkers.
- He also helped pass the Domestic Partnership Recognition Law. This law gave same-sex couples the same benefits as heterosexual couples.
- He worked on the Benefits Translation for Immigrants Law. This law helped non-English speakers get free language help for government programs.
He was part of committees focusing on education, the environment, and finance. He led the general welfare committee.
New York City Public Advocate (2010–2013)
Running for Public Advocate
In 2008, de Blasio announced he would run for New York City Public Advocate. This job is like a watchdog for the city. The New York Times newspaper supported him. They praised his work to improve schools and help people with housing.
He won the Democratic primary election in September 2009. Then, he won the general election in November. He became New York City's third Public Advocate on January 1, 2010. In his speech, he talked about helping people.
Key Actions as Public Advocate
Affordable Housing Efforts
De Blasio worked to help people find affordable homes.
- In 2010, he spoke out against cuts to housing vouchers for low-income New Yorkers.
- He started an online "NYC's Worst Landlords Watchlist." This list showed landlords who did not fix dangerous living conditions. He wanted to make sure these landlords were noticed.
Education Improvements
De Blasio often disagreed with Mayor Bloomberg's education policies.
- He wanted more public discussions about school leaders.
- He opposed a plan to stop giving free MetroCards to students. He said it would hurt school attendance.
- He spoke against budget cuts that would affect childcare services.
- He also created a plan to improve how schools shared buildings. He wanted communities to have more say in these decisions.
- He helped stop a plan to lay off thousands of teachers. He organized parents and communities to protest the cuts.
Mayor of New York City (2014–2021)
Becoming Mayor
On January 27, 2013, de Blasio announced he was running for mayor. He was one of many candidates. Early polls showed him in fourth or fifth place. But he gained support from many groups and famous people.
He got a lot of attention when he was arrested while protesting. He was protesting the closing of a hospital. His campaign also released a TV ad with his son, Dante. This ad helped him gain popularity.
De Blasio wanted to raise taxes on rich people. He planned to use this money for free pre-kindergarten programs. He also wanted to expand after-school programs. He was against giving free space to charter schools. He felt they took money from public schools.
He won the Democratic primary election. Then, he won the general election by a lot. He defeated Republican Joe Lhota. Voter turnout was low, but de Blasio won with 72.2% of the vote. An investigation into his campaign finances found no charges.
In 2017, de Blasio was reelected for a second term. He won against Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis.
What He Did as Mayor
De Blasio became mayor on January 1, 2014. Former President Bill Clinton swore him into office. He promised to fix "economic and social inequalities" in the city.
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Handling Snowstorms
Early in his time as mayor, New York City had many snowstorms. Some people criticized how the snow was cleared in their neighborhoods. De Blasio apologized and said they could have done better. He later added more money to the Sanitation Department for snow removal.
City ID Cards
In 2014, de Blasio signed a law to create municipal ID cards. These cards were for all residents, no matter their immigration status. This helped people get city services. Homeless New Yorkers could also get these IDNYC cards.
Affordable Housing
A big goal for de Blasio was to build more affordable housing. He aimed for 200,000 new homes. His plan was approved by the City Council. It allowed developers to build more if they included affordable units.
He also worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They made an agreement to fix health and safety problems in public housing. This included issues like lead paint and mold.
Charter Schools
De Blasio changed how charter schools used public buildings. He stopped a previous policy that gave them free space. He also took away some funding for charter schools. However, he did approve many charter school locations. He also found new buildings for some schools.
Environmental Issues
In 2019, de Blasio supported the Green New Deal. He also wanted to ban new glass and steel skyscrapers. He said these buildings contributed to global warming.
Police Relations
De Blasio had a difficult relationship with the New York City Police Department. A main part of his campaign was to end the "stop and frisk" policy. This policy allowed police to stop and search people. He ended this policy when he became mayor. He chose Bill Bratton as the new Police Commissioner. Bratton had used "stop and frisk" before, but promised to use it less often.
Technology and Innovation
De Blasio appointed Minerva Tantoco as the city's chief technology officer. Her job was to use technology to improve city life.
He also supported bringing Amazon's second headquarters to Long Island City. This plan was controversial. Many people protested it. Amazon later decided not to build its headquarters there. De Blasio criticized Amazon's decision.
Transportation
De Blasio worked to improve transportation in New York City.
- He supported rebuilding Penn Station.
- He wanted more bus rapid transit routes.
- He started the "Vision Zero" plan. This plan aimed to reduce traffic deaths. It helped lower pedestrian deaths.
- He also discussed ways to make cycling safer.
Universal Pre-Kindergarten
De Blasio's most famous program was Universal Pre-K. This program provided free pre-kindergarten for all New York City children. He wanted to pay for it by taxing wealthier residents. Enrollment in Universal Pre-K grew a lot under his leadership. In 2017, he suggested expanding the program to include three-year-olds.
2020 Presidential Campaign
| de Blasio 2020 | |
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| Campaign | 2020 presidential election (Democratic Party primaries) |
| Candidate | Bill de Blasio Mayor of New York City (2014–2021) |
| Affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Status | Inactive |
| Announced | May 16, 2019 |
| Suspended | September 20, 2019 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
| Receipts | US$1,417,609.97 (9/30/2019) |
| Slogan | Working People First |
On May 16, 2019, de Blasio announced he would run for president. He wanted to be the Democratic candidate for the 2020 election. He was the first New York City mayor to run for president in a long time.
During his campaign, he supported raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. He also talked about peace in Afghanistan. He suggested a "robot tax" for large companies that use automation.
However, de Blasio was not very popular in national polls. Many New Yorkers did not want him to run for president. His campaign did not gain much support. He failed to qualify for important debates. He ended his campaign on September 20, 2019. Later, he supported Bernie Sanders for president.
There were questions about his campaign expenses. He billed New York City for his security team's travel costs. In 2023, he was ordered to pay back over $300,000. He also received a large fine.
Personal Life
De Blasio is married to Chirlane McCray. They met while working for Mayor David Dinkins. They got married in 1994. They have two children, Dante and Chiara. They lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn before moving to Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official home. In 2023, they decided to live separately but remain friends. They still share their home in Park Slope.
At 6 feet 5 inches tall, de Blasio is the tallest mayor in New York City's history. He is of Italian American heritage. He sometimes speaks in Italian during interviews. He is a big fan of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. He has described himself as "spiritual but not religious".
Images for kids
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Bill de Blasio's signature
