Dems Feel Loved Again
New mayor opens City Hall
to those Rudy shut out
By JOEL SIEGEL
Daily News Senior Political Correspondent
ormer Mayor David Dinkins gazed at the inauguration festivities swirling around him at City Hall yesterday and confided, "I feel a lot more welcome here than I have in a very, very long time."
A few paces away, another Democrat rarely seen at Rudy Giuliani's City Hall, Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel, flashed a 100-watt grin and said, "It's like a heavy load has been lifted off our shoulders."
Michael Bloomberg could not have captured the mayoralty without Giuliani's backing, but as the billionaire took office yesterday, it was clear that a new era was beginning at City Hall.
With gestures large and small, the new Republican mayor signaled that he will try to govern in a more bipartisan and inclusive fashion than his famously pugnacious predecessor, while sticking to Giuliani's core agenda of slashing taxes and crime.
Many of the politicians who rarely found a welcome mat in the Giuliani years were back yesterday. Bloomberg personally invited Dinkins and Rangel, two Democrats who backed Mark Green for mayor, to attend and singled them out — among others — for praise.
Even the Rev. Al Sharpton landed an invite, but from Controller William Thompson, although he was a no-show. "He's focusing on national issues these days," Sharpton aide Rachel Nordlinger explained.
Bloomberg aides said the invites underscore his resolve to be a conciliator, and that he considers such efforts as crucial to succeed in a Democratic city. Bloomberg was a Democrat until 2000, when he changed parties to run for mayor.
The outreach drew some initial dividends. From the podium, Bloomberg could see Gov. Pataki, ex-Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, former Mayor Ed Koch and Dinkins, all of whom found reasons not to attend Giuliani's second-term inauguration in 1998.
Sens. Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton also attended. A chair was reserved for former President Bill Clinton, but he apparently stayed home. Green also was notably absent.
'Incredible Start'
The theme of racial inclusion was threaded throughout the inaugural, from Bloomberg quoting black author Toni Morrison to performances by salsa star Willie Colon, jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the Housing Authority Chorus.
"People across the ideological spectrum, and all different ethnicities, feel included. It's an incredible start," said City Councilman Bill DiBlasio (D-Brooklyn).
Mets hurler Al Leiter jokingly picked up on the theme as he explained why he was the master of ceremonies.
"Mike said that he was going to reach out to constituencies that may have felt like they have been ignored," Leiter said, referring to Giuliani's passion for the Yankees.
For all the political debts Bloomberg owes the now-former mayor — he lavishly praised Giuliani seconds into his inaugural speech — it was clear his administration will not be an extension of Giuliani's.
Nearly all of the Giuliani allies who filled the same chairs at his 1994 swearing-in — and in many cases went on to serve in his administration — were nowhere to be seen.
Gone from the stage were Ray Harding, the Liberal Party leader who was a key Giuliani backer, and Roy Innis, the conservative black gadfly. Absent, too, were longtime Giuliani officials like Deputy Mayor Rudy Washington, and Herman Badillo, who gave Giuliani credibility with Hispanic voters in 1993, and fought Bloomberg for the Republican nomination.
For all the warm glow of bipartisanship yesterday, there were hints of the battles that inevitably lay ahead.
The new public advocate and controller shook their heads in opposition when Bloomberg called on them to join him in slicing their agencies by 20%.
And the newly energized and overwhelmingly Democratic City Council, remade by term limits, has yet to name a new speaker, who will be a City Hall counterpoint to Bloomberg in the years ahead.
"It all feels pretty good today," said Kevin Sheekey, one of Bloomberg's closest advisers. "Ask again tomorrow."
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