Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others

[Guest SUNTZU]

New York’s Mayor, but Bermuda Shares Custody

By MICHAEL BARBARO

HAMILTON, Bermuda — At Greg’s Steakhouse, the power lunch spot on this sun-soaked island, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is such a regular that he has his own booth, with a view of the Parliament building. The waiters have memorized his order: coffee-rubbed New York strip steak.

The cabdrivers in Bermuda know Mr. Bloomberg by sight and jockey for a chance to drive him around town. (The billionaire mayor, they say, tips well.)

Members of the Mid Ocean golf club, where he plays up to two rounds a day, can rattle off the strengths and weaknesses of his game.

“He’s a bit slow, to be honest,†said one of them, who found himself stuck behind the mayor’s foursome recently.

Mr. Bloomberg, who owns a waterfront estate here, has walled off his life in Bermuda from voters in New York, arguing it is none of their business. He steadfastly refuses to say when he is on the island, and to blindfold prying eyes, he has blocked aviation Web sites from making public the movements of his private planes.

Yet residents here view him as one of their own — as much a Bermudan as a New Yorker. They follow his battles against term limits and New York City crime, and argue that their island plays a key role in restoring his energy and helping him succeed in office.

“We provide him with a place to unwind for a day or two, and then go back to a very important job, not just to New York, but to the world,†said John Swan, Bermuda’s former premier and a frequent Bloomberg lunch guest.

In dozens of interviews, residents described Mr. Bloomberg, 68, as a fixture on the island, dining out with lawmakers, cruising its streets in his golf cart and hosting small parties at his house.

It is difficult to say exactly how often he stays on the island; neighbors and friends say he is here about twice a month, depending on the weather in Bermuda (no sun, no Bloomberg) and the political climate in New York.

SNIP

The mayor also takes along a police detail when he travels, flying two officers on his private plane and paying as much as $400 a night to put them up at a hotel near his house; the city pays their wages while they are there, as it does whether Mr. Bloomberg is New York or not. Guns are largely forbidden in Bermuda — even most police officers do not use them — but the mayor’s guards have special permission to carry weapons. A spokesman for the Police Department declined to comment.

SNIP...

New York

[memphismason]

It sure is nice on top!

[kb4ns]

It sure is nice on top!

Must be...

[Mike.357]

if you were the SOB that guy is you could make a case for needing armed protection 24-7

[Guest SUNTZU]

if you were the SOB that guy is you could make a case for needing armed protection 24-7

Except that he is against gun ownership but goes everywhere with armed guards...even to a British territory where most of the police force don't have guns.

[kb4ns]

if you were the SOB that guy is you could make a case for needing armed protection 24-7

Touché

[jgm219]

I read this and I'm thinking of Mel Brooks from History of the World Part 1; It's good to be the king.

[Guest oldsmobile98]

Great title, SunTzu.