Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Releases Report Listing the Status of Every One of His Campaign Promises

In the hopes it would promote greater accountability in government, Mayor Bloomberg released a campaign accountability report listing every proposal made during his 2001 campaign, and the status of each proposal - good and bad, big and small, done and not done. At the release of the report, Mayor Bloomberg encouraged all New Yorkers to hold their elected officials accountable for fulfilling their campaign promises, saying, "the people of New York City have a right to know what I said I would do in the campaign, and they have a right to know what I have done about those proposals as Mayor. That's what accountability is all about. That theory should apply to every elected official, in every office." Along with the campaign accountability report, Mayor Bloomberg released an open letter to all New Yorkers, outlining his efforts to bring accountability to city government.

Of the 380 proposals made by Mayor Bloomberg during his campaign, approximately 80% have either been implemented, launched, or will be launched in 2003 (304 of the 380). Approximately 15% do not yet have start dates but the administration is still pursuing, and approximately 5% were ideas that the administration seriously considered and eventually decided against.

Category	Number	Percentage
Done	80	21%
Launched	173	45.5%
To Launch This Year	51	13.5%
Not Done	55	14.5%
Reconsidered	21	5.5%
Total:	380	100%

The Mayor's campaign promises cover a wide range of agencies, topics and ideas. Some are major changes in policy (for example, abolishing the Board of Education). Others are intended to make the city a more pleasant place to live (for example, finding asphalt areas appropriate for artificial turf to alleviate the shortage of ballfields or removing municipal uses from the waterfront). And while many of the proposals implemented, launched or planned for 2003 are in the traditional areas of education, health, economic development and public safety, many others revolve around concepts and ideas that aren't as familiar to city government: improving customer service, implementing new technology, and bringing state of the art practices and ideas into the public arena (for example, creating 311 or computerizing all HHC medical records or even creating an open office plan in city government). These principles represent the core themes of Mayor Bloomberg's campaign and will continue to be a focal point of the Bloomberg Administration.

Anyone can receive a copy of the report by emailing us at campaignpromises@cityhall.nyc.gov, calling us at (212) 788-7766, visiting our website at nyc.gov/campaignpromises, or just clicking on the link above.

The text of the Mayor's open letter follows:

February 10, 2003

Dear Fellow New Yorkers:

During my campaign for Mayor, I released a series of proposals on major issues - ranging from improving education to enhancing innovation to building our economy to strengthening law enforcement - that would make our city a better place. These were the ideas I campaigned on, and in large part, they're the reason I was elected.

Now that I have completed my first year in office, it is only appropriate to look at those proposals and see how effective my administration has been in executing them. You have a right to know what I said I would do in the campaign, and you have a right to know what I have done about them as Mayor. That's what accountability is all about.

Every promise I made during the campaign, whether we have achieved it thus far or not, is listed in this database for your review. As we progress, I will continue to update this list so you know where we stand. Of the 380 proposals made during my campaign, 80% have either been implemented, launched or will be launched in 2003. Approximately 15% remain uncompleted - often due to the budget constraints facing our city - and an additional 5% were ideas that we seriously considered and eventually decided weren't the best way to proceed.

Many of the proposals implemented, launched or planned for 2003 are in the traditional areas of education, health, economic development and public safety: the cornerstones of our city's strength and well-being. But many others revolve around concepts and ideas that aren't all that familiar to city government: improving customer service, implementing new technology, and bringing state of the art practices and ideas into the public arena. These are the principles that will make us the most innovative, effective, efficient and responsive city this nation has ever seen.

The goal of a public official shouldn't be to escape scrutiny and review. We should embrace it, because the more the people hold us accountable for results, the better we'll do. That has been my experience in over thirty-five years in the private sector. Now I'm doing my best to make it the standard in the public sector.

New York City's best days are yet to come. This is one more way to make sure we get there.

Sincerely yours,

Mike Bloomberg