New York Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to take a break from hard work in sunny Italy.
Bill de Blasio announced on Friday that he would be leaving for Italy next week for 10 days. This vacation will be the longest in recent years, which was the mayor of the city. Blasio, who has Italian roots, will be joined by his children and wife. Together, the whole family will go on a trip to the villages where the mayor's grandparents lived, and later they will glance at Rome, Venice and Naples.
De Blasio took a senior position in January this year. The official claims that he intends to pay for family vacations in his homeland at his own expense. “Returning to Italy this summer is like returning our family home,” said Chirlane McCray, the politician’s wife. “We will take this opportunity to meet with our family members, as well as with the locals who have supported us for many months. The Blasio family will leave for the Apennine Peninsula next Friday and return to New York on July 27. For the current mayor, this will be the first vacation in two years.
Unlike presidents, mayors of the largest cities in the United States, as a rule, do not go on vacation. So, de Blasio’s predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, often had a short weekend, but for all his time in power their number did not exceed seven. Likewise, Rudolf Giuliani, who held the mayor’s seat before Bloomberg, took the chance to rest only once for a whole period.
In addition to his wife and children, three of his assistants, who will everywhere accompany the mayor of New York, will go on vacation with de Blasio. It is noteworthy that they will have to pay for the trip from their own pockets. The state will pay only business expenses and provide security for the official and his assistants. The mayor admitted that in addition to admiring the Italian beauties, he also plans to solve some working issues. He plans to meet with several mayors of local cities and representatives of their administration, to give interviews to Italian reporters, many of whom covered de Blasio's activities on the way to the goal.
Thus, the mayor of New York will not be able to completely relax and enjoy a trip to Italy. In addition to all of the above, the politician will have to keep abreast of everything that happens in his city, regularly contact by phone with his main assistants. De Blasio's first deputy, Anthony Shorris, will carry out most of his boss's duties while he is away. Representatives of the mayor’s administration said that in the event of “force majeure” de Blasio will immediately fly to the United States. And such an opportunity exists: workers who are involved in the construction of the Long Island railway, one of the main transport interchanges, are supposedly going to go on strike on July 20.
