New York, NY –
In the wake of Lehman Brothers' collapse and the ongoing chaos on Wall Street, Mayor Bloomberg had a few words for a room full of reporters, namely- "Fear Not." WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.
REPORTER: As an extremely successful businessman who also happens to govern the nation's financial capital, Mayor Bloomberg clearly knows his words carry weight. Today he struck a measured tone, attempting to acknowledge the turmoil on Wall Street without sounding all that gloomy.
BLOOMBERG: Everybody wants to go out and write a story about the world coming to an end. I think the real story is that the world is not coming to an end, the world is growing. Are we growing at a slower pace here? Yes, okay.
REPORTER: Still, he said that the downturn hadn't hit bottom yet. And that Lehman's collapse alone would lead to more than 10 thousand lost jobs, locally.
Those lost jobs will take a toll on tax revenues, and have an impact on other industries. But he said New York's fiscal prudence in recent years placed it on sound economic footing, far better than other financial centers like London.
For WNYC, I'm Arun Venugopal.
-
Arun Venugopal is a reporter and the creator of Micropolis, WNYC’s multi-platform series examining race, sexuality, religion, street life and other issues that define New York City. He has been with the station since 2005, and has covered a wide range of stories, including the death of Sean Bell, the controversy over the Park 51 mosque and community center and Occupy Wall Street .
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.