Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has been frank about why he took pains to keep his search for a new schools chancellor secret, saying he wanted to avoid a public spectacle.
But a spectacle is exactly what Mr. Bloomberg has unleashed, and one week after announcing his choice of Cathleen P. Black, a publishing executive, to succeed Joel I. Klein at the helm of the country’s largest school system, the mayor’s aides are trying to fend off mounting skepticism about her selection.
City Council members are asking the state to deny Ms. Black the waiver she would need to fill the post. Lawmakers and parents active in the schools are calling for public hearings. Even some of the mayor’s supporters are questioning his decision.
The leader of the city’s teachers’ union said the furor underscored how poorly he believed Mr. Bloomberg had handled Ms. Black’s selection.
“This woman is under complete attack,” said Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers. “You should manage the process so you don’t leave the candidate open for attack right from the beginning.”
Ms. Black has repeatedly declined interviews, allowing other voices to fill the void. Some have called her a second coming of Mr. Klein, often criticized as stubborn. Her harshest detractors have compared her to Sarah Palin for her lack of experience.
The uproar has frustrated City Hall aides, who feel as if they have lost control of the story line and who are looking for ways to beat back accusations that Ms. Black is unqualified, said an individual close to the process who requested anonymity for fear of upsetting the mayor.
The Times says even Eli Broad is skeptical of Black.
You know the mayor has screwed this up when even Eli Broad isn't so sure about the appointment.
But the rationale for the appointment really comes down to this little ditty here:
To take office, Ms. Black, the chairwoman of Hearst Magazines, needs a waiver from the state to bypass rules requiring the chancellor to hold specific education credentials. Mr. Bloomberg plans to submit a letter to the state this week arguing that Ms. Black’s business acumen is needed in a time of financial peril.
She was appointed to downsize the system, lay teachers off, cut additional staff, save the mayor some money and do it all with a smile.
Only Bloomberg got more than he bargained for with this.
Had he chosen someone from the DOE to do the same thing, he would have gotten away with this easily.
But instead he went for a crony and now all of a sudden it's Bonfire of the Bloombergs.
Like I have been saying for a while, third terms are wacky that way.
Weird things happen.
Things that used to go the mayor's way suddenly don't.
We'll see how this plays out.
But I have to hand it to the people running the DUMP BLACK campaign - they have played their hand well so far.
And of course Bloomberg, smug and arrogant as usual, may have overplayed his.
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