Being the son of a mayor unquestionably has its advantages. Dante de Blasio will have four years or more to learn what those advantages are, and to decide how he will play them. But it has taken just one day - the one frozen and overcast day since his father’s inauguration on - to experience the drawbacks.
The Facebook page of Dante, 16, is private, but according to a screenshot making the rounds on Wednesday, his friends wasted no time pursuing an urgent matter with him.
The exchange raised a host of questions. Would Dante oblige the request, tipping off a few key contacts before the rest of the city was informed? Did Dante’s post (“I’m trying yo convince my dadâ€) contain a typo, behind which lies the revelation that he is trying to influence city policy? Or was it correctly typed, and an invitation for his friend to undertake lobbying efforts of his own? When did “Old man winter†join the administration, and what does his appointment portend about the many City Hall offices that Mayor Bill de Blasio has yet to fill?
Officially, the de Blasio administration says the schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña, will make the decision based on the forecast and in consultation with other city agencies. As for Dante’s role, the administration had no comment.
