Mayor de Bill Blasio took great care Thursday morning to make sure he arrived at the Flight 587 memorial service in the Rockaways on time, one year after he angered mourners at the last memorial and sealed his reputation for chronic tardiness.
NBC 4 New York cameras were rolling when de Blasio left the gates of Gracie Mansion at 7:25 a.m., an hour and 40 minutes before the service began. And even with the extra time, his detail had its emergency lights on, and blew through at least two red lights.
Elizabeth Batista, whose mother and sister died on the 2001 American Airlines flight, said she was glad the mayor made haste, even if it meant disregarding a few lights.
"I feel like it means he’s a good person," Batista said.
American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens on Nov. 12, 2001, killing all 260 passengers and five people on the ground. It was headed to the Dominican Republic.
Last year, the mayor arrived about five minutes after the ceremony’s ceremonial bell toll, meant to mark the moment that the plane crashed at 9:17 a.m.
De Blasio said he woke up feeling sluggish but should have "gotten myself moving quicker."
Local
He added that heavy fog delayed the police boat that officials had thought would be the fastest route to the ceremony in the Rockaways.
This year, the mayor arrived almost an hour before the memorial service began at 9:05 a.m., spent time comforting family members and made a speech before the tolling of the bell.
"As I’ve heard from so many people today, fourteen years, but the pain remains strong," de Blasio told the crowd of mourners.
NBC 4 New York tracked the mayor’s commute Thursday morning after receiving a tip that the NYPD was considering using a police helicopter to fly him to the Rockaway ceremony this year. A City Hall spokeswoman confirmed that the police department had considered the use of a chopper and a police boat, but due to the foggy morning weather, decided to drive instead.
As for the red lights, a police spokesman said officers in the mayor’s security detail are specially trained to transport dignitaries in a way that's safe for the public..And the mayor’s spokeswoman, Karen Hinton, pointed out that a police officer was standing in the intersection to help clear the way as the mayoral motorcade passed through those lights.
And they made good time. NBC 4 New York took a cab from Gracie Mansion to Rockaway Park at the same time the mayor drove there, and it took about an hour – 20 minutes longer than the mayor’s detail.
"I really appreciate that he made it," said Karen Taveres, who lost her mother and nephew on the flight. She said she called the mayor’s office this year to deliver a message.
"I insisted that he made it on time," she said.
