Intimidation of the city's best watchdog requests. The mayor rejects it as being "the delirium of greatness".



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He added, "I'll just say that basically, there were discussions about reports, about accuracy, about specific recommendations, about all kinds of things, but never about a conversation where he there had been an effort to prevent DOI's actions on a specific report. "

M. de Blasio could not help revealing his irritation, for he was peppered with questions about Mr. Peters. "I'm sorry that he has the delusions of grandeur in thinking that everything revolves around him," said the mayor.

If the unpleasant comings and goings seemed unusually personal, there is a good reason for this: Mr. de Blasio and Mr. Peters became friends at least in the 1990s, when they both sat at a table. local school board within the Liberal political party. Park Slope Circles, Brooklyn.

Mr Blasio's political career has started. In 2013, he was a mayoral candidate, with Mr. Peters as campaign treasurer. Once elected, Mr de Blasio appointed Mr Peters to head the Investigations Department. The choice sparked criticism: could Mr. Peters have the independence to scrutinize his friend's government?

Mr. Peters seemed to answer the question with a series of extremely critical reports, revealing deficiencies and errors under the supervision of Mr. de Blasio, including failures in the Régie du logement's lead paint inspection. failures of the Children's Services Administration.

But although M. de Blasio and his collaborators might have been irritated by the criticism, they could do nothing; Sacking the investigator who revealed his shortcomings was politically unfeasible.

But then Mr. Peters exceeded the targets. Earlier this year, he decided to exercise control over the Office of the Commissioner for Nearly Independent Schools. When the Education Department rebuffed its efforts, Mr. Peters persisted, eventually dismissing the school investigator, Anastasia Coleman, when she questioned her authority.

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