When Bill de Blasio was led away in handcuffs in July in a protest to save LICH, he put his mayoral campaign on the line for what's right. His election on Nov. 5 with a 49 percent margin was New Yorkers’ way of saying yes to that kind of commitment. We want a mayor who is willing to take great personal risks for the issues that matter most, like access to quality healthcare in every neighborhood.

Bill de Blasio centered his campaign for New York City mayor on exposing the underbelly of the two cities that have become New York – the rich getting richer and everyone else struggling harder and harder to get by. We endorsed de Blasio, and fought for his victory, because, like us, he won’t let New York’s story continue to be so divergent. He’s dedicated to keeping hospitals open and to creating a healthcare system that works for all New Yorkers. And he has committed to negotiating a fair contract with HHC nurses.

We’ve only just begun 

Elections are a beginning, not the end. “After 12 long years, we’re saying good-bye to a mayor who treated healthcare as a means for profit, not for healing,” notes Anne Bové, NYSNA secretary and president of our HHC Executive Council. “Market solutions exacerbated inequality and fueled the tale of two cities. With Bill de Blasio, we have elected a mayor who values nurses and access to quality care for all. Our work now is to keep up the pressure.”