Bloomberg, Giuliani confer on transition

Bloomberg: "This was a very tough, close race... but the good news is, we have won."

By Manuel Perez-Rivas
CNN Washington Bureau

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg visited New York City Hall on Wednesday -- a day after his stunning come-from-behind victory in the city's mayoral race --and began planning a transition with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a fellow Republican who will soon leave office.

Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman, rode a last-minute surge spurred on by a crucial endorsement from Giuliani to defeat Democrat Mark Green in a ferocious, nail-biter of a race. Despite pouring $50 million of his private fortune into the campaign, he was a double-digit underdog in the polls just a few weeks ago. And then came the Giuliani endorsement.

With all the precincts counted, Bloomberg took 719,819 votes to Green's 676,560.

On the morning after his victory, the mayor-elect reveled in a tour of what will soon be his new offices, and met with Giuliani, who showed him around. "The city will be in very good hands," Giuliani predicted.

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Bloomberg will seek Giuliani's advice in selecting a City Hall staff to help rebuild an area still reeling from the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He said he will announce the head of his transition team within days, and Giuliani said he has asked his chief counsel, the city's four deputy mayors and the police commissioner to work on the transition team.

"The big challenge ahead of us now is the transition," Bloomberg said. "The operative word is seamless."

City's economy a top priority

The billionaire -- and first-time candidate -- acknowledged the economic atmosphere that his administration is heading into. The nation's largest city, already facing an economic downturn, was severely hobbled on Sept. 11, when two hijacked jetliners were crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers, killing more than 4,600 people and destroying much of the financial heart of the city.

"We're going into a period where job retention is going to be a very big problem," he said. "If we stick to the basic values of what Mayor Giuliani had, if we are fiscally prudent and keeping streets safe, we can move forward."

In the weeks after Sept. 11, much of the debate in the mayoral race focused on which candidate would best be able to take up where Giuliani left off, and help the city recover from the effects of the terrorist attacks.

Green sought to portray Bloomberg as a political novice who lacked the know-how and the experience to lead the city in at this critical time in its history.

Bloomberg, 59, countered that his experience atop his media empire qualified him to occupy the mayor's office at City Hall. He cited his lack of political experience to cast himself as an outsider who was not beholden to the city's political machine.

"I think that my experience through building a company and managing people through economically trying times, providing leadership to 8,000 employees and 200,000 customers, makes me qualified to lead this city," he said during a last-minute push for votes on Election Day.

Democrat Mark Green concedes the NYC mayoral race early Wednesday.

In addition, he said, his experience in the private sector would help him revive the city economy and rebuild a downtown financial district that lost tens of thousands of jobs, and hundreds of thousands of square feet of prime office space.

It was a message that seemed to resonate with many New Yorkers, giving Bloomberg an unforeseen edge over Green, a career politician.

Hispanics a key swing vote

Yet, despite his millions, Bloomberg had a huge obstacle to overcome in the city's voting rolls, where just one out of five registered voters is a Republican. It is an obstacle only a handful of Republicans -- including Giuliani -- had been able to overcome in a city dominated by Democrats for more than a century.

His money and Giuliani's endorsement may not have been enough to win if not for a divisive Democratic primary believed to have cost Green -- the city's public advocate -- crucial votes from Hispanic voters.

In a runoff tinged with racial politics, Green defeated Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, who was bidding to become the city's first Hispanic mayor. Exit polls Tuesday showed that Latino voters split their support between Green and Bloomberg, even though they have historically voted with the Democrats in New York.

The importance of the Hispanic vote in Tuesday's race was underscored early in the morning on Wednesday. Before stopping at City Hall, he shook hands and thanked supporters near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

And he also had breakfast at a deli with Ferrer.

"I'm a big believer that if we're going to have a great city, we have to make sure that not only is everybody included, but that everybody is heard and given that opportunity. And I'll take great steps to make sure it reflects the community," Bloomberg said.

Democrats looking for answers

His come-from-behind victory follows Giuliani's two straight mayoral victories for the GOP, and leaves the city's once mighty Democratic machine searching for answers after suffering a third straight defeat.

Some Democratic party activists let out their frustrations during Green's concession speech, loudly booing his mention of Bloomberg's name. But, at the end of a rough-and-tumble campaign, Green urged his supporters to get behind the mayor-elect.

"Over the years he has given so much philanthropically to so many good causes, now he has to bring that spirit of generosity to his greatest challenge, helping rebuild and recover our city," Green said. "I ask the city to support him as he begins the hard work and hard choices ahead."

And likewise, in his acceptance speech early Wednesday morning, Bloomberg offered an olive branch, inviting Green and Democrats to "join with us to make this city better."

Indeed, victory comes at a time when Bloomberg will need that support to address the series of tall challenges that face New York.

In addition to rebuilding Manhattan and trying to fill Giuliani's oversized shoes, he will take the reins of a metro region beset by mounting budget deficits and pressing needs in schools, housing, transportation and other key areas.

"The easy part is done. Now comes the hard part," Bloomberg said when it was clear he would be the city's 108th mayor. "I will not let you down."