At the conclusion of his privately funded $102 million mayoral campaign—the most expensive in city history—Mayor Michael Bloomberg wanted to turn things down a few notches, with a low-key inauguration January 1 that highlighted service and city students.
The event took place just after noon on the steps of City Hall, where the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and frequent city event collaborators Production Glue had set up a modest stage for the program attended by more than 1,000 and broadcast live on NY1.
The Mayor's Office contacted Production Glue in early December, after everyone had settled down from the election. "There was definitely a desire to make the event appropriate for the city now," said Production Glue executive producer Jennifer Kurland. "They wanted to have the festivities focus on the kids and look towards the future."
Kids found their way into the event in a number of ways. Unlike in years past, when the mayor called on high-profile M.C.s such as John Lithgow to steer the program, all of the hosts were teenage students from Newcomers High School, a program for recent immigrants. The mayor's office wanted the newest New Yorkers a part of the festivities.
Other students were called on for entertainment. Fifth graders from Staten Island's PS 22 chorus, fresh off a series of widely viewed YouTube clips, closed the show with a performance of Jay-Z's "Run This Town."
Instead of an after-party, Mayor Bloomberg spent the rest of the day volunteering in each of the five boroughs.
