◎黃裕美輯譯

Seven years ago, Michael R. Bloomberg brashly introduced himself to New Yorkers as a billionaire can-didate for mayor. Since then, he has periodically upbraided them for ex-pecting government to solve every problem. At times, he seemed to sug-gest that constituents bedeviled by adversity just get over it. Meanwhile, he graduated from a mere gar-den-variety billionaire to possibly the richest person in New York.

七年前，彭博意氣風發地向紐約市民毛遂自薦，自稱是億萬富豪市長候選人。從那時起，他時而訓斥選民指望政府解決所有問題，偶爾他似乎自認被經濟困境所苦的選民已經熬過來了。在此同時，他也從一位普通平凡的億萬富豪翻身，可能成為紐約最富有的人。

But a funny thing has happened: A growing number of Bloomberg's constituents, regardless of their own income, say he cares about people like them. The gain is most pronounced among New Yorkers earning under $75,000 a year. Early in his first term, only about 1 in 20 New Yorkers making less than $30,000 said he em-pathized a lot with their needs and problems. Now, according to a com-parison of New York Times polls, about 1 in 4 do — nearly the same proportion as among people who make more than $75,000.

令人不解的是：愈來愈多彭博的選民，不管收入多少，都說他關懷他們那種人，尤以年薪不到75,000美元的紐約市民對他最讚譽有加。在他第一任內初期，年薪不到三萬美元的紐約客，只有大約二十分之一表示，他視民如親，了解他們的需求和問題。如今，據紐約時報民調所進行的交叉比對，百分比已提高到四分之一，幾乎和年薪超過75,000美元的選民比率相當。

Put another way, five years ago 44 percent of those in the lower income group said the mayor cared "not at all" about their needs. Now, only 12 percent say so. Among people who make over $75,000, the doesn't-care proportion started at 14 percent and has declined to 9 percent.

另一方面，五年前，低收入戶有44%說，市長「根本一點都不」關心民瘼，如今只有12%的人持同樣看法。收入逾75,000美元的選民，不關心的比率也從14%降到9%。

And this is a man who has been known to appear out of touch, insen-sitive and more likely to imply "suck it up" than "I feel your pain."

這個人素以貌似狀況外、感覺遲鈍，和比較可能暗示「打落牙和血吞」而不是「我可以感受你的痛苦」知名。

In June, when some parents com-plained about sweltering classrooms, Bloomberg was quoted as replying: "This is going to come as a very big surprise to you, but people of my generation went to schools without air-conditioners. ...I think it's fair to say that if we closed the schools, most of the kids would be out there playing in the sun, as would I if I were a teenager or an adolescent."

六月間，當某些家長抱怨教室酷熱難當時，有人引述彭博的話回答說：「各位可能會很意外，但我們那一代上學時根本沒有空調。…我想，持平而言，如果學校不上課，大部分孩子會在外頭陽光下嬉戲，如果我現在還是十來歲的年輕小夥子，我就會這麼做。」

Just last month, responding to complaints that black rubber mats and other playground equipment get dan-gerously hot in the summer, the mayor said: "If it's hot, don't sit on it. Air-conditioning the slide is not something we can afford to do." He later added: "Government can only do so much. Parents have a responsi-bility. The fact that rubber gets hot when it's out in the bright sun in July and August shouldn't be a surprise to anyone."

就在上個月，回應有人申訴黑色橡膠和其他操場設備夏天酷熱，可能引起危險，市長說：「如果熱，就別坐。為了溜滑梯開冷氣，我們承擔不起。」他後來又說：「政府能做的就這麼多了。家長也有責任。七、八月天，橡膠在外面艷陽下曝曬會有多燙，應該沒有人會感到意外。」

Despite all that, Bloomberg has managed to project himself as just one of the guys. Just why that is the case remains a subject of some debate a-mong political analysts. Maybe, while life has gotten better for many, the mayor has succeeded in lowering ex-pectations about how much govern-ment can deliver. Perhaps New Yorkers have become more receptive to unvarnished common sense than to political pandering. Perhaps it relates to his focus on public education, his subway riding or the fact that his for-tune is self-made.

儘管如此，彭博仍設法以平凡百姓的姿態出現，至於到底孰令致之，政治分析家仍有些辯論。也許，當很多人生活條件改善時，市長伯成功降低選民對政府施政的期望；也許紐約客已經變得比較能夠接受未加粉飾的常識，而不是政治迎合；又或許這和他把重點放在公共教育、他搭地鐵或他白手起家致富有關。

"Obviously, he cares," Hilary Mar-mon, 73, a former teacher who lives in Queens on an income she said is less than $30,000, said in a follow-up interview to the latest poll. "I like what he does for the city. I like his attitude toward the arts, education." Kevin Flynn, 44, of the Lower East Side, a former cabbie who said he lives on disability payments of less than $15,000, said: "With just his at-titude, that he does a lot with educa-tion, I think he looks out for people like us."

「顯然，他關心，」73歲的喜萊莉．馬蒙說。她原本是老師，住在皇后區，年收入不到三萬美元，在最近這次民調的後續採訪中她說：「我很欣賞他為紐約市所做的一切，我喜歡他對藝術和教育的態度。」44歲的佛林住在下東城，原來是計程車司機，現在靠領不到15,000美元的殘障津貼度日，他說：「光是他的態度，他對教育盡心盡力，我認為他關心像我們這種市民。」

Of course, there is also that 12 percent of people making under $30,000 who say he doesn't care at all. Still, in the latest poll, conducted in June, nearly 6 in 10 New Yorkers whose income is under $30,000 say the mayor cares at least some about their needs, compared with about 1 in 4 who said so in 2003. Bloomberg is not the city's first wealthy mayor, but his net worth is the highest — up-ward of $20 billion.

當然，年收入不到三萬美元的市民中還是有12%說，他根本不關心民間疾苦。但根據六月進行的最新民調，將近十分之六年收入不到三萬美元的紐約市民表示，市長至少關心部分他們的需要，和2003年比，只有四分之一。彭博不是紐約市第一位最富有的市長，但他的淨財富是最高的，上看兩百億美元。

Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic po-litical consultant, said that New Yorkers "have decided that identifying with a mayor for ethnic, racial or so-cial-class reasons is less important than accepting a management style that works, as defined by low crime and other outcomes. His personal style, which includes rapid intervention in racially charged settings, has worked against people's general instinct to op-pose or be wary of the rich."

民主黨政治顧問沈科普菲說，紐約人「判定，和一位以種族、膚色或社會階層等為訴求的市長相比，接受一套由低收犯罪率等政績界定的可行管理經營風格更重要，他個人的行事風格，包括在種族引發的衝突中快速介入，使人無形間忘了對富人執政的普遍直覺反感。」

Or, as Ms. Marmon, the former teacher, put it: So what if Bloomberg is worth a lot more today than when he became mayor "His money is his," she said. "He doesn't have to give it to me."

或誠如前教師馬蒙所說：彭博今天身價比他剛當市長時還高又如何？她說：「他的錢是他的，他不用分給我。」（取材自紐約時報）