Jon Swaine
Jon Swaine is the Daily Telegraph's New York correspondent. He was a member of the MPs' expenses reporting team.
John Lindsay and New York snowstorm: A chilling lesson for Michael Bloomberg
By Jon Swaine World Last updated: December 30th, 2010
Can the Mayor of New York recover from Bloomberg's Snowstorm? (Photo: Getty)
A blizzard dumps tonnes of snow on New York, crippling large sections of the city. Outer borough residents go for days without seeing a snow plough, and complain furiously as people begin to die. The mayor, a popular, party-switching chap tipped as a future US presidential candidate, suddenly finds his administration – which was slow to react – is in crisis. The year? 1969.
Forty-one winters later and, to use Mark Twain’s expression, history is rhyming. As he attempts to finally get a grip on the “snowpocalypse” continuing to blight the city, Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, may have one name running through his mind: John Lindsay.
Mr Lindsay was in charge when, on a Sunday in February, 15 inches of snow fell on the city, exceeding the expectations of the national weather forecasting agency (unlike this week, when they were spot-on). To make matters worse his environmental protection chief was stuck upstate and much of the city’s snow-clearing equipment was in disrepair.
The results were catastrophic. In all, 42 people died and 288 were injured. Schools were closed, everything was cancelled. The city’s transport system ground to a halt and (like this week) emergency services could not reach stricken people stuck in their homes. Mr Lindsay soon came under fire for his underwhelming response. The blizzard became known as Lindsay’s Snowstorm.
While plenty of residents have vented their anger at the mayor on local media this week, Mr Bloomberg has so far avoided a single blow as devastating as the one delivered to Mr Lindsay by Ralph Bunche, a senior US diplomat at the United Nations.
Dr Bunche happened to live in Kew Gardens, Queens, and wrote to Mr Lindsay to tell him what he could see. “We have never experienced such neglect in snow removal as now,” he said. “The snowstorm came on Sunday. This message is sent Wednesday morning. In all that period no snowplow has appeared on our street or in our vicinity.
“There are no buses, no taxis, no mail, newspaper or other deliveries, and there have been no trash or garbage collection since last Friday. The shelves of our neighborhood grocer are empty. As far as getting to the United Nations is concerned, I may as well be in the Alps.”
The mayor was suddenly minded to visit Queens, where he was roundly abused by people attempting to dig themselves out of the snow. A woman told him he should be ashamed of himself. Later that year, he lost the Republican primary for the mayoral election.
Mr Lindsay’s career was not immediately destroyed by his eponymous blizzard. He was re-elected as an independent mayor (Mr Bloomberg has already done that) and served a full second term. But it never quite recovered. After becoming a Democrat, he failed to win his new party’s nomination for the 1972 presidential election, earning a miserable 1.23 per cent of primary votes in the contest eventually won by George McGovern. At just 52, he retreated from public office and took up acting, novel-writing and media punditry. At least one historian ranks him New York’s worst mayor of the 20th century.
Mr Bloomberg has repeatedly stressed he is not interested in running for president. But rumours persist that he would launch a bid as an independent if or when the political conditions indicate that he could win. If the chaotic aftermath of the Blizzard of 2010 – or should that be Bloomberg’s Snowstorm? – lasts much longer, he may be waiting a long time.
Forty-one winters later and, to use Mark Twain’s expression, history is rhyming. As he attempts to finally get a grip on the “snowpocalypse” continuing to blight the city, Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, may have one name running through his mind: John Lindsay.
Mr Lindsay was in charge when, on a Sunday in February, 15 inches of snow fell on the city, exceeding the expectations of the national weather forecasting agency (unlike this week, when they were spot-on). To make matters worse his environmental protection chief was stuck upstate and much of the city’s snow-clearing equipment was in disrepair.
The results were catastrophic. In all, 42 people died and 288 were injured. Schools were closed, everything was cancelled. The city’s transport system ground to a halt and (like this week) emergency services could not reach stricken people stuck in their homes. Mr Lindsay soon came under fire for his underwhelming response. The blizzard became known as Lindsay’s Snowstorm.
While plenty of residents have vented their anger at the mayor on local media this week, Mr Bloomberg has so far avoided a single blow as devastating as the one delivered to Mr Lindsay by Ralph Bunche, a senior US diplomat at the United Nations.
Dr Bunche happened to live in Kew Gardens, Queens, and wrote to Mr Lindsay to tell him what he could see. “We have never experienced such neglect in snow removal as now,” he said. “The snowstorm came on Sunday. This message is sent Wednesday morning. In all that period no snowplow has appeared on our street or in our vicinity.
“There are no buses, no taxis, no mail, newspaper or other deliveries, and there have been no trash or garbage collection since last Friday. The shelves of our neighborhood grocer are empty. As far as getting to the United Nations is concerned, I may as well be in the Alps.”
The mayor was suddenly minded to visit Queens, where he was roundly abused by people attempting to dig themselves out of the snow. A woman told him he should be ashamed of himself. Later that year, he lost the Republican primary for the mayoral election.
Mr Lindsay’s career was not immediately destroyed by his eponymous blizzard. He was re-elected as an independent mayor (Mr Bloomberg has already done that) and served a full second term. But it never quite recovered. After becoming a Democrat, he failed to win his new party’s nomination for the 1972 presidential election, earning a miserable 1.23 per cent of primary votes in the contest eventually won by George McGovern. At just 52, he retreated from public office and took up acting, novel-writing and media punditry. At least one historian ranks him New York’s worst mayor of the 20th century.
Mr Bloomberg has repeatedly stressed he is not interested in running for president. But rumours persist that he would launch a bid as an independent if or when the political conditions indicate that he could win. If the chaotic aftermath of the Blizzard of 2010 – or should that be Bloomberg’s Snowstorm? – lasts much longer, he may be waiting a long time.
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