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"The private sector doesn't have the money to support all city functions..." That from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as he spoke out against a City Council proposal to use corporate sponsorships to finance the firehouses he had recommended
Speaking at a parade in Staten Island on Sunday, Bloomberg added, "If you save these eight, what do you do with the next eight?"
The mayor has proposed closing the eight firehouses to help the fire department close an estimated $3.4 billion budget gap.
Council Speaker Gifford Miller presented a four-point plan last week that recommends recruiting corporate sponsors for at least five firehouses, hiring 100 firefighters, retaining an outside company to collect delinquent Emergency Medical Service revenues and reducing five percent of the Fire Department's civilian staff.
Miller said his proposal would trim $13.5 million from the FDNY's budget and keep the firehouses open.
But Bloomberg expressed his disapproval for the plan on Sunday, saying, "The City Council thing was just done just to get a little publicity."
