Bloomberg Retreats

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “After Three Months, Mayor Replaces Schools Leader,” describes a rare retreat by Mayor Bloomberg from a questionable appointment he had championed despite deep reservations by many at the time. The appointment, Cathleen Black for Schools Chancellor, was questioned because she had no educational experience, and her main qualifications in management were as a publishing executive.

The appointment went from bad to worse. Ms. Black frequently sat quietly at high-level meetings and muffed basic statistics when she was being trained for appearances before the media. At one point, she taunted a crowd of parents when they questioned the closing of a neighborhood school.

Disillusioned, many top education officials resigned from the department, and Ms. Black was actually starting to detract from the Mayor’s popularity when he canned her. Mayor Bloomberg is still recovering from a controversy about ineffective snow removal during the winter.

The replacemlent is a much safer choice. Dennis Walcott is a deputy mayor with educational experience and is popular in government circles. The controversy over Ms. Black should die down as he moves vigorously into the job.

Mayor Bloomberg, meanwhile, is continuing to lose the teflon touch he has used so adeptly in the past. After the snow and Ms. Black, he may just have one more strike to go before the public declares him “out.”