Business tycoon Michael Bloomberg spent his first day as mayor-elect of New York City building bridges to key political figures in the city. Republican Bloomberg edged out veteran Democrat politician Mark Green by about 43,000 votes. Solid support from New York's Hispanic community helped seal Michael Bloomberg's victory. It was no surprise that one of the first people he met with the day after was Fernando Ferrar, the Hispanic president of the Bronx. Mr. Ferrar lost the Democratic Party nomination to Mark Green in an earlier vote.
Mayor-elect Bloomberg says he will need all the help he can get to run New York. "My main concern is building communications so I can going forward ask his advice not only on issues related to the Bronx but issues relating to all eight million people in New York City," he said.
Mark Green won over 50 percent of the Hispanic vote. The rest went to Mr. Bloomberg.
Also aiding the victory was the number of Democrats who crossed party lines. Polls show about 34 percent of Democrats voted for Mr. Bloomberg in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 5-1.
After his meeting with the mayor-elect, Bronx president Ferrar said the election holds lessons for New York politicians. "No party should take its members for granted, " he said. "This truly is an awakening for all of us about how people are regarded in this city and within their party. So I think this is going to be the cause for a lot of soul-searching."
Tuesday's loser Mark Green was engaged in a bitter political fight with Mr. Ferrar during the campaign for the Democratic nomination. Analysts say there is still a lot of bad feeling between the two men.
Meanwhile, mayor-elect Bloomberg also paid a visit to City Hall and the current mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, whose endorsement of Mr. Bloomberg is considered a key factor in Mr. Bloomberg's victory. The now mayor-elect was trailing by double digits in opinion polls before Mr. Giuliani stepped up to the plate with his support.