Citing his ‘tale of two cities’ mantra in promising to fight inequality, Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio appointed Goldman Sachs alum and a former staffer in the Dinkins administration, Alicia Glen as his Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development.

Defending his appointment, Mr. de Blasio said he’s going to get the best talent for the mission in setting up his administration and find people who hate his values and get the job done.

“I think it’s abundantly clear from what Alicia Glen said, that she has devoted her whole life to fighting inequality,” the Mayor-Elect said. “I’m convinced that she’s the right fit for the job. I don’t care about any stereotypes and assumptions. I care about who shares my values and who can get the job done.”

In announcing Ms. Glen, Mr. de Blasio reiterated his commitment to pass stronger living wage requirements tied to City subsidies and laid out strategic investments to foster economic growth across the five boroughs. He pledged to create more and better job opportunities by dedicating economic development resources to creating a new Film, Post-Production and Animation School at the Brooklyn Navy Yard; replicating the Navy Yard’s success at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, Bush Terminal and other City-owned industrial land; and launching economic development hubs in at least a dozen immigrant and low-income neighborhoods. De Blasio also charged Glen with coordinating his administration’s efforts to build and maintain 200,000 units of affordable housing, and turn around the troubled Housing Authority.

“The days of spending taxpayer dollars to fuel poverty-wage jobs are over. We’re going to demand living-wage jobs in exchange for public investment. We need to invest in key emerging industries and affordable housing so New Yorkers have a better shot at working their way into the middle class. Alicia has the record, fresh ideas and bold outlook to make that vision a reality,” said Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio.

In accepting the post, Ms. Glen enthusiastically echoed Mr. de Blasio’s priorities as a guidance in her next job as the City’s Economic chief.

“The tale of two cities is not OK. It is not OK for us to live in this city and to tolerate the inequality,” Ms. Glen stated as she took the podium.

“We can’t remain the greatest city in the world when half of New Yorkers are living in or near poverty. We can do so much more to lift people up by investing in our neighborhoods—especially in the outer boroughs,” she said. “Mayor-Elect de Blasio and I share the same vision. We believe in tough bargains that get the most out of every dollar we invest. And we believe that with the right policies, we can raise the floor on workers’ wages, develop and preserve more affordable housing and give families a shot to make it here,”

Ms. Glen said she supports Mr. de Blasio’s plan to tax high-income earners to fund universal pre-k programs, expressing great confidence that her colleagues at Goldman Sachs will also support it. “I’m a banker so I did the math, and that’s about $3.57 a day, and that’s a latte,” Ms. Glen said.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)