Has De Blasio delivered on income inequality in New York City?

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ran and won two terms in office on the promise of tackling the city’s social and economic inequality issues and ending what he called “The tale of two cities.”

However, conservative think-tank group The Manhattan Institute doesn’t think that De Blasio has delivered on his campaign promises, especially when it comes to income inequality.

“It’s not that the mayor could have done something about inequality, it’s that the promise was mistaken from the start,” said Alex Armlovich of The Manhattan Institute.

Armlovich argues that Mayor De Blasio has failed to make a significant difference when it comes to income inequality in New York City and that the city will always be a diverse city of wealthy and poor, which is out of De Blasio’s power to change.

“New York’s very identity is built on an unequal set of incomes in terms of its role in history,” Armlovich said.

Mayor De Blasio’s office disagreed with The Manhattan Institute’s findings, saying in a statement: “This Administration is steadfastly focused on improving the lives of New York City’s most vulnerable and that focus is paying off.”

The report does credit the Mayor for success of the city’s pre-K program, expansions to the New York City Ferry and some progress with Vision Zero. 

However, with a budget growing by $20B a year and the mayor still currently running for President, The Manhattan Institute researchers say that Americans deserve more than they are getting.