With deputy mayor Ed Skyler saying good-bye to City Hall for a job at Citigroup today, Mayor Bloomberg will announce former Indianapolis mayor Stephen Goldsmith as his replacement. As mayor, Goldsmith was heralded as an innovator who sought to use conservative principles, such as privatization of government services and lower taxes, to revitalize his city. In 2000, he served as the chief domestic-policy adviser to the presidential campaign of George W. Bush. “He and I share a conservative philosophy,” Bush told the Washington Post about Goldsmith at the time. “I think both of us understand the need to empower and uplift the individual. We understand that there is a role for government.” The Daily News says the pick will provide Bloomberg with “an outsider’s perspective on how New York operates and shakes up his inner circle even more,” while noting that Goldsmith also lacks a deep understanding of New York. The Post, meanwhile, is already speculating that the 63-year-old Goldsmith could be a candidate for mayor in the future, so they’re kind of excited.
Bloomberg Said to Tap Former Indianapolis Mayor Goldsmith as Deputy Mayor [NYO]
Ex-Indy mayor tapped as Bloomy aide [NYP]
The new Ed Skyler is older, more experienced and more Midwestern » [Daily Politics/NYDN]
