I've listened to opinions on Mayor Bloomberg for almost eight years now. I have to laugh when I hear him proclaim how wonderful things are in New York City. He clearly doesn't watch our show. Or more accurately, he doesn't listen.

During his final "State of the City" address, Mayor Bloomberg told New Yorkers that "each of the five boroughs is better off today than ever before, and the state of our city has never been stronger." Bloomberg cited major development projects, record-low crime rates, and the response to Hurricane Sandy as examples of the successes of the past year.

During his speech at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Mayor Bloomberg also laid out plans for his final months in office. He wants to double the city’s recycling rate, create more parking spaces to charge electric cars, develop a long-term plan for extreme weather events, and open 26 new charter schools in September. Bloomberg said his vision for the public school system is working, despite "special interests who want to prohibit that from happening."

Looking back on his three terms in office, the Mayor said his administration has "beaten the odds, and the obstructionists, over and over again, not just here in Brooklyn, but in neighborhoods all across the city." What do you say?

How would you describe the state of the city? Are each of the five boroughs better off today than ever before? Do you welcome the 26 new charter schools opening this fall? Do you want to see more sustainability measures introduced? What's your reaction to Mayor Bloomberg's comments that he's beaten "the obstructionists" over and over again?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

Are u kidding me right now. This piece of $&!* is saying what a great job he did?? He is by far the worst mayor I can remember and how he's handling this bus strike is far outweighing his go green BS. He will be remembered for ruining 9000 workers lives not for getting rid of styrofoam. He is for making the rich richer and putting the middle class into poverty.

Michael

How ludicrous it is for this megalomaniac to stand up and declare himself "successful". Then again, that pretty much summarizes the tone of his pathetic overextended tenure as mayor. He always has to tell us what his status his because evidently we are all too stupid to see for ourselves.

Schools are a disaster area and much worse off than they were 11 years ago. Teachers, students, and parents are fed up with the Bloomberg Dynasty's selective deafness. Of the 100+ union contracts in the city, all have expired. The cost of living has escalated during Bloomberg's economic Reign of Terror and the average wage has declined. Purchasing power is at an all time low in this city. The only 'successes' are those of his cronies, the thieves on Wall Street, the thieves in the banks, the developers and the charter school snake oil salesmen. Charter schools are an elitist sham serving those they choose to serve and ignoring the neediest students.

Only the rich have benefitted from Bloomberg's power grab. His response during the snowstorm was pitiful, his response during the hurricane two years ago was non existent, his choice of Cathie Black as chancellor was a national joke, his response to Sandy was downright insulting, and his treatment of the homeless is just abusive, to name a few examples. The cost of traffic tickets has skyrocketed. This man is a blight on this city and it is truly time to tar and feather him and run him out of town.

Good Riddance!!!!!
Q.

The old billionaire attempted to beat the obstructionist but what he really means, he is a union busting billionaire. So long mayor and do not let the door hit you on the way out.

Howard from Fresh Meadows

The disparity between rich and poor has never been wider, public education is being dismantled and privatized; housing for the poor and middle class has been non-existent, in other words the city has been good for Bloomberg but not for the vast majority of New Yorkers.

Felix
Bay Ridge

I am SO tired of the rampant charter school expansion. It is costing our neighborhood schools dearly. The mayor should be going out of his way to support and save the community schools we already have, rather than farming out our kids' education to private entities that are not even accountable to the NYC Dept of Ed!! This administration is a sickeningly out-of-touch leader of the national trend toward privatizing education.

My complete disagreement with Bloomberg on education aside, I DO thank him for upping the green bar - more recycling and electric car chargers, and no more styrofoam (schools in NYC use a two-mile high stack of those styro trays every day!).

Anni - Upper West Side

John,

Bloomberg has destroyed the NYC we all know and love. I didn't move here to be dictated to about what and where I inhaled, what I ingested, what I imbibed or what I shot up. He and Sadik-Khaniac have increased street congestion with bicycle lanes and plazas. The sooner he's out of office, the quicker we can start restoring the City to its premier position in the world.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

Hi John,

This I guess is coming from PLANET BLOOMBERG. I guess it's a guess on his part or someone is misinforming him about how good things are in the outer boroughs and please don't include us in the 5 boroughs because we are like the step children and are separated in more than by name being known as the outer boroughs. [4] I guess he is tooting his own horn again.

LET'S HOPE THAT THIS IS THE LAST WE HAVE TO SEE AND FROM HIM AND HIS CONTROLLED CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. MAYBE THIS MAYOR CAN GET A FEW BUSES TOGETHER AND BACK THEM UP AT CITY HALL AND FINALLY GET RID OF THESE STOLEN 3RD TERM POLITICIANS.

Thank you John,
maxxiee
mp

Hi John

To me the state of the city is good but Mayor Bloomberg need to sit down with my buddies that work for the MTA its been over a year and they still dont have a decent contract. The school bus drivers need a contract too the kids need to get to school education is very important

Herman
upper west side

Mayor Bloomberg are you taking your crazy meds? you say we are stronger than ever?? well, maybe in La La Land where you live

Carmen, Bay Ridge

Our City is thriving, and when you visit other States you realize how lucky we are. We may not agree with all of Mayor Mikes decisions, but I believe we all him a big thank you.

Ed - Murry Hill

The nerve of Professor Fuchs. First of all charter schools DO NOT operate and ARE NOT the same as regular public schools. They DO NOT have better qualified teachers to the contrary most are much less qualified thats why they're willing to work for half the salary and twice the hours. Also most of these schools are non union therefore they don't have to pay fair salaries and can make teachers work 80 hours a week. It defies logic how do you get better teachers by paying them $25,000 less and making them work 20 to 25 hours more a week? Yeah that makes sense. Also thats why there is a HUGE turnover among teachers and principals. Charter schools aren't better just cheaper and less accountable b/c when they fail it's not the D.O.E failing it's the individual charter school. It's not NYC that's failing it's Acheivement First or Success Academy.

Another thing lots of parents are against them I'm one of those parents.

This man has done unbelievable damage to the heart and soul of New York. He has no concept of what it's like to be a true New Yorker. He has totally destroyed the education system.He stops and frisks, and wants to tell everyone want to eat and drink, and if he could what to think. He should get in his jet and go and stay in Bermuda. He is out of touch with working people. He is special interests personafied.

Paul

Talk to anyone on the street---he is the worst mayor we have ever had. No one should dare mention his name with Ed Koch--that wa a mayor! If he left tonight, that would not be soon enough!!

Gerald

BLOOMBERG'S LEGACY KING OF TOURISM, LORD OF THE BIKE LANES AND PROTECTOR OF THE RICH.

PEDRO
BRONX

Hi John,

I'd tell you what I really think of Bloomberg's speech, but it's a family show.

Jordan
Flushing

If you disagree with the mayor he call you defeatists , Obstructionists is unfair that a dictatorial maner

Sent from : Joseph. D

The mayor said there's are jobs than why can't find a job. When my son going out to look for a job all company tell him to go online. He does and all there are only high position not for people that come out college. There are no level entry jobs for people in there field after there graduate college

Taurus

Despite the poor economy, the city is clean and safe. Mayor b is tackling Dome difficult issues telares to education which will substantially improve the quality of transportation and our teachers in the future.

Mary Jane

Bloomberg's legacy will be that he sold New York to the tourists, gave it to his rich cronies and treated real New Yorkers with contempt. He has been a disaster.

Frances
East Village

John & The Call -

Concerning the Mayor's State of the City speech today, I believe Staten Island would be a good test area for electric vehicles. If the Mayor would install charging stations on Staten Island, Staten Island residents who also work on Staten Island could save the environment and money by using these electric cars.

I also agree with Frank from Sunnyside on the number of vendors. As a pedestrian it is very difficult to cross the street on Park Row near Broadway since the vendors don't even leave barely enough space to cross at that corner near the new Fulton Transit station.

John, Oakwood

Hi John

It's far from the truth. The city is getting worse. Bloomberg doesn't know what is going on he lives in a bubble. How many people got "stopped and frisked" on Park Av.? The city became very sterile it's losing character. The city low income housing doesn't exist. Disparity beetwen rich and poor is getting bigger. Only $$$ matter to him not the people He talks about green city so why he has a convoy of cars following him everywhere he goes? Him being elected at all was a big mistake. Why should I listen to a guy what to eat.

Simon

Whats wrong with Bloomberg, I would not say the city is better off, I would say so so, as far as jobs, those in hiring departments "HIRE UNFAIRLY"

Ruthann
Queens

NYC will never recover from that damage that 12 years of Bloomberg has done.
Rampant overdevelopment, stadiums, gentrification and the Disneyfication of manhattan; destruction of the school system, destruction of unions and labor relations; turning middle class new yorkers into the working poor, and pushing the working poor further into poverty; increase in homelessness, especially homeless families; scandals due to privatization of city services. I don't believe any of the numbers he spouted, numbers can be manipulated and he's done that for 12 years. He lies and doesn't care about ordinary people, only the rich.

Meryl from manhattan

The professor Ester Fuchs who just spoke is blind to say that, Mayor Bloomberg have created jobs when all he is doing breaking unions and leaving New York City with a big unemployment rate. Bloomberg is a big liar because crime have been down since Rudy Giuliani. All that Bloomberg is doing hurting the lower income people of New York City. Mayor Bloomberg should go down as the worst Mayor in New York history.

Arturo from Corona

We ALL know that all of Bloomberg's supposed successes, is really just piggy-backing off of the hard work of the Guiliani Administration that Bloomberg simply continued. Bloomberg also presided over the Citytime and other massive financial scandals. Is this part of his wonderful legacy? The sooner he is back in Boston the better.

-Dan from Rego Park

Bloomberg said in Barclays Center, that almost 2000 people were employed in that center, 75% brooklyners, but what about 2000 people about to lose jobs at Long Island College Hospital just a few streets down from that center.

Anna

Bloomberg's legacy will be the destruction of the Dept. of Education!

Jennifer, Annadale Staten Island

This an eye opening forum! The fact you had a caller go live saying an education is a waste of time is obscene. The city runs as an overpopulated hub for a global audience. It is not Mayor Bloomberg's fault that we have a surplus of vets now circulating in the workforce, and an economic depression that no one is willing to admit. The fact that a caller would dispute Sadik-Khan's monumental transformation of the pedestrian zones makes me irate. This is a commuter, walking city! I concur that academia has declined, but that could be attributed to socio-economic values, which make this forum a gray, not black or white.

Nina

He has destroyed our quality of life! Remember when parking meters were free all weekend? In the past 10 years, my contribution to the DOF for parking fines has quadrupled! Bloomberg has looked to fund the city budget at the expense of New Yorkers. He is out of touch, only focused on the bottomline, and his own legacy.

Marianne