De Blasio Angers Mourners By Showing Up Late to Flight 587 Memorial
There are times where you really, really need to make sure to be on time to something. Like, say, a surprise party. Or, if you happen to be Mayor De Blasio, actually showing up for the moment of silence marking the 14th anniversary of the tragic crash of Flight 587 in Belle Harbor. That moment of silence occurs every year at 9:16 am, the exact moment that the plane went down. De Blasio? Yeah, he showed up at 9:24 a.m.
According to the Daily News, the mourners for the victims of the flight at first waited for the mayor, who was due to show up at 9:05 pm.
One man stood up and said, “Since he’s not here, we should start reading the names (of the dead). This is a disgrace.”
Not great, De Blasio. When the mayor did show up, he gave a few remarks honoring the dead, but didn’t apologize for his tardiness. One of the mourners confronted De Blasio after the ceremony, and he offered his regrets. A spokesperson for the city council blamed De Blasio’s tardiness on fog, which delayed the boat transporting the mayor to the ceremony.
“The mayor regrets missing the tolling of the bell, but was glad to have an opportunity to mark this solemn day with the families of those lost on Flight 587, who have the continued support of this administration,” said his spokesperson Marti Adams. “This administration still helped to organize respectful, solemn memorial service to mark the anniversary of this tragedy,” Adams said.
Lesson? Don’t invite De Blasio to your next surprise party or time-sensitive event, maybe.