The following letter was sent by Public Advocate Bill de Blasio to Mayor Michael Bloomberg regarding his handling of Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith’s

THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK

Bill de Blasio – PUBLIC ADVOCATE

September 2, 2011

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

City Hall

New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor Michael Bloomberg:

Your decision to mislead the public and key figures of your own administration—including NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly—about the circumstances leading to Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith’s resignation is unacceptable. Given the revelations over the past forty-eight hours, the people of New York City deserve your apology and a thorough accounting.

Your claim that Deputy Mayor Goldsmith was “leaving to pursue private-sector opportunities in infrastructure finance” was a misrepresentation of the facts. While I recognize that both Mr. Goldsmith, and particularly his wife, are entitled to some level of privacy, I cannot accept the leader of the City of New York lying to its citizens.

Under current law, when City officials are arrested in New York City, their arrest is reported to the Department of Investigation (DOI). Stephen Goldsmith’s arrest in Washington, DC, reveals an obvious hole in this policy. I am introducing legislation requiring that the arrests of City officials in jurisdictions outside New York City be immediately reported to the NYPD and the DOI, so that incidents can be properly reviewed and investigated. I urge you to support this measure.

Public servants are rightly held to high standards—and we must live up to them. The people of New York City deserve your honesty and your leadership on this issue.

Sincerely,

Bill de Blasio

The Public Advocate for the City of New York