But several of Mr. Bloomberg’s ambitious health initiatives have been met with less enthusiasm by the public and the courts.
Many New Yorkers agreed that curbing the consumption of sugary drinks to combat obesity was a worthy goal, but they did not like the mayor’s seemingly dictating how it should be done. The courts ruled that the city’s Board of Health, appointed by the mayor, had overreached in trying to restrict the sale of large sugary drinks in places like movie theaters and stadiums. It may be up to the next mayor to decide whether to pursue the idea.
Some restaurant owners have objected to letter grades rating their sanitary conditions, complaining that the system has been accompanied by overly aggressive inspectors.
And the effort to curb teenage pregnancy by distributing morning-after pills in some public schools, and letting parents opt out, has been criticized by those who think the city should require direct parental consent.
The New York Times asked the leading candidates in contested mayoral primaries three questions about public health. The description of their positions is drawn from their responses and previous statements.
Would you pursue the ban on large sugary sodas?
• Bill de Blasio (D) said he believed that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was “right on this issue,” and he has been consistent in his support. Considering that so far, the courts have struck down the Bloomberg plan, it remains uncertain whether even a Mayor de Blasio would be able to engineer a viable equivalent.
• John C. Liu (D) has taken a stand against the mayor’s insistence that banning large sugary sodas is the way to curb the obesity epidemic. Siding with those who say it would reduce consumer choice, he said simply that he would not pursue the limits on large sugary drinks, which are now tied up in the courts.
• Christine C. Quinn (D) has always been cool to this idea, saying it would be punitive and not necessarily effective. She remained consistent, saying she would not pursue the ban.
• William C. Thompson Jr. (D) has in the past suggested that the limits on sugary drinks would hurt small businesses. In answer to the question, he derided it as a “Band-Aid solution to the problem” of obesity. He said he would focus on public education campaigns for students and parents. He also proposed to expand tax credits “to make it easier for supermarkets to operate” in poor neighborhoods.
• Anthony D. Weiner (D) waved off the mayor’s soda proposal as “not a priority.” The candidate, who has proposed a “single-payer system” of health insurance in New York, essentially deflected the question and returned to his own agenda, saying, “I am less concerned about large sugary drinks than I am about the one million New Yorkers who have no health insurance.”
• As a grocer, John A. Catsimatidis (R) is intimately familiar with the soda industry. He has editorialized against increasing the number of bottles and cans that can be returned for a deposit. In this case, he favors public education over a ban. He said that he would introduce a mandatory nutrition course in the public schools, “so that we can teach kids early on to make the right choices.”
• Joseph J. Lhota (R) takes a libertarian view in saying that he would not pursue the drink limits because “the role of government should be to educate, not mandate.”
Restaurant owners say health department inspectors have too much power. Would you change the system, and how?
• Mr. de Blasio, the public advocate, has been a leader on this issue, forcing the city to open its books, which showed a spike in violations and fine revenue over three years, and arguing that the city inspects and fines businesses outside Manhattan at a disproportionately high rate. “I will end this de facto inspection quota system that unfairly burdens outer-borough businesses,” he said.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/02/nyregion/the-mayoral-candidates-on-public-health.html
