By LILLIAN ROBERTS
Executive Director
District Council 37, AFSCME

Michael Bloomberg has failed us, the working people who keep this city running. He protects his Wall Street friends, but he has failed the most important tests on economics and education and cheated the voting public out of basic democratic rights.

More New Yorkers every day are seeing through his never-ending TV ads and glossy mailings, and more DC 37 members than ever are volunteering to get involved in political action and elect a mayor who cares about the problems real people face — Democrat Bill Thompson.

Four more years of Bloomberg would be a tragedy for DC 37 members and all working and middle class families — including the million-plus children whose chances in life depend on the public schools.

As Bloomberg shredded the results of two public referendums that overwhelmingly supported the two-term limit, he claimed that the city needs his financial genius for a third term to get through the current economic crisis.

While he tripled his personal fortune to $16 billion during his eight years in office, he has done nothing about the suffering of regular New Yorkers. Unemployment is soaring above 10 percent and is far worse for African Americans and Latinos. Poverty is up, hunger is rising and the number of families with children living in homeless shelters has set a new record.

The mayor has repeatedly promised to create jobs, but instead, his contracting-out policies ship work to other states and even overseas, and he has just added to the unemployment rolls by laying off almost 1,000 city employees.

Bloomberg fought against “fair share” taxes for the wealthy, but for working people he and his appointees have raised sales and property taxes, doubled water rates, hiked rents and subway fares and issued 10 million parking tickets, turnign them into a new tax on the public.

The mayor promised to fix our school system, but under his control the schools teach for testing, not learning, and waste millions of dollars on overpriced consultants while they lay off vital support staff and drug counselors.

Bloomberg flunks the test on education

Instead of giving our kids a better education, Bloomberg’s schools are cooking the books — dumbing down the tests and inflating the scores. If our students are getting the schooling they need, why do 74 percent of public high school graduates need remedial education in English and math when they enter the City University?

We have said “Enough!” to this disastrous administration by backing Bill Thompson in the November 3 election.

It’s time for change in City Hall. It’s time for a mayor who attended public schools and went on to make real improvements in student achievement as head of the Board of Education — Democrat Bill Thompson.

It’s time for a mayor who will balance the budget by creating jobs, not by laying off working people. It’s time to elect Bill Thompson.

Thompson’s running mates, John Liu for Comptroller and Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate, built tremendous momentum for the slate with their impressive victories in the September 29 runoffs. The team is heading aggressively for the only polls that count — the ones on Election Day, November 3.

For DC 37 members, it’s time to say goodbye to the out-of-touch billionaire who is trying to buy a third term. It’s time for a mayor who will focus on human needs instead of business profits — Bill Thompson.

Together, we can make history again the way we did with Barack Obama. Just call 212-815-1550 and volunteer to help elect Bill Thompson as the next mayor of New York City.