Mayor Bloomberg received some boos yesterday when he walked in the annual St. Patrick’s Parade in Rockaway, Queens, “his first Irish outing” since the time he noted that, on St. Patrick’s Day, he was used to seeing “a bunch of people totally inebriated hanging out the window waving,” and then had to explain, “I certainly didn’t mean anything that anybody should take offense to.” Aside from making that quip, Bloomberg also may have alienated some Rockaway residents with his efforts to overhaul the city pension system, fire more than 4,000 teachers, and change the “last in, first out” rule for teacher layoffs. “Go back to Manhattan!” yelled some angry parade-goers. “Take the A train home!” shouted one person, “amid the sea of bagpipes, green face paint and Irish flags.” Then they called him a “union-buster!” and shouted, “Respect the teachers!” Bloomberg kept walking, acting like nothing was happening while he was berated, as politicians are wont to do, and it sounds like it was all in a day’s parade!
Mayor Bloomberg Boo’d in Rockaways St. Patrick’s Day Parade [NYP]
