New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson on Manhattan blackout

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - In the midst of the blackout that saw more than 40 blocks of Manhattan go dark on Saturday, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson quickly became an important voice for anyone looking for updates on what was happening. 

Johnson spent much of the evening speaking with various agencies and utilities, tweeting out information so that anyone affected by the blackout could know what was going on.
 
“The thing people want is they want accurate, calm, responsibly communicated information to them, and that’s what I tried to provide,” Johnson said. 

Johnson also addressed the criticism Mayor Bill de Blasio has received for being on the campaign trail when the blackout struck. 

“The thing I would say is that this is one of the challenges that he faces that no-one else faces who is running for President,” Johnson said. “No-one else in this field of 23 candidates has the responsibility that he has running the largest city in America.”

Con Edison is still investigating the cause of the blackout, but have also come under significant criticism.

“I think there’s still some pretty significant outstanding questions and answers that we are seeking,” Johnson said. “We need to get to the bottom of it.”