Chancellor Black Speaks

Cathie Black finally granted an interview to a reporter who doesn't work as gossip columnist at the Murdoch Post.

She spoke to Channel 7 on Friday and said she's not out of touch with ordinary New Yorkers:

"I did not grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. It's as simple that. I've been working steadily, supporting myself for 40 years," the media exec told Channel 7.

"I've had a successful career. It didn't land in my lap like a gift from God," she added. "Do I live well yes? But am I an empathetic person? Absolutely yes."

That's funny, because anybody who defends herself against criticism about her lack of credentials with the following quote really does seem OUT OF TOUCH:

"I feel fantastic," said Black in the Upper East Side. "I just went to a couple of parties and people said, "How wonderful. Thank you for doing this for the city.' And I feel great."

Yeah, that sounds pretty out of touch to me.

But you know, maybe she is in touch with ordinary New Yorkers.

I bet they clean her three houses, her cars, and her clothes for her.

That's kinda like being in touch, right?

Meanwhile Cathie with an "i" defends herself as an "empathetic" person while saying she's ready to make the "hard decisions" that are going to be necessary in the system now that Mayor Moneybags is calling for all these budget cuts and layoffs.

What she means is, she'll STILL going to be closing 56 schools across the city and laying off 8,000 teachers in June, but she's going to put a very sad face on when she makes those announcements.

How nice.

Save me the condescending jive, Cathie.

The only thing worse than having a dour Dickensian villain like Joel Klein laying off thousands of teachers and closing 50+ schools is having Cathie Black doing the same, only with some jive-ass empathetic look on her face that belies the cutthroat corporate predator she is on the inside.

Believe me, she didn't survive 40 years in the publishing business shutting down magazines and laying off people by being "empathetic."

She survived by being cold, calculated and ruthless.

We'll see more of the same from her as chancellor.

Bloomberg Defends Cathie Black Media Gag

Says she's not a DOE employee yet, so she can't, you know, talk to the press:

Here's how the Daily News covered the story yesterday:

Chancellor-in-waiting Cathie Black continued to duck public appearances today, our Rachel Monahan reports. She's scheduled to visit the central Tweed Courthouse offices, though she'll depart by 3 p.m., officials said.

That's early enough she'll likely avoid confrontations with protesters planning to demonstrate on Tweed’s front steps. Still outraged over the media exec's appointment and state Commissioner David Steiner's decision to grant her a waiver to take office, the Deny Waiver Coalition is convening outside.

Black paid a secret visit to two schools yesterday. At the end of the school day, the city Education Department released the information to the public:

...

Black, who will receive the same $250,000 a year salary as Klein, has yet to join the city payroll, officials said. Her first official day will be Jan. 3, but the chancellor-in-training will continue to visit schools and meet with educrats.

Mayor Bloomberg defended Black's hide-and-seek routine -- while acknowledging that people “probably don’t” know her positions on the major issues.

“She’s still working for the Hearst Corporation. She doesn’t start here until January 2nd. I don’t know what you want her to do,” he said.

You don't know what we want her to do?

How about talk about her plans for the public school system?

How about talk about the budget problems facing the school system?

How about talking about the space problems facing the school system?

How about talking about all the schools the DOE wants to close and what her plans are for those schools, plus those students and the staff at those schools?

How about addressing parents' concerns about her lack of qualifications and credentials to lead the nation's largest urban school system?

How about saying something other than this?

"I feel fantastic," said Black in the Upper East Side. "I just went to a couple of parties and people said, "How wonderful. Thank you for doing this for the city.' And I feel great."

Because when that's your only official pronouncement as chancellor, and when the only interview you have granted to the NY press is with a NY Post gossip columnist, your opponents and other skeptics are going to fill in the blanks about you and just assume the worst.

I figured she's be bad as chancellor.

But I never thought she would be this bad.

It's almost a month since she got tapped to head the DOE and we STILL don't know what she plans to do or what she knows about education and the system.

That's a problem, Mr. Mayor, don't you think?