Bill de Blasio is summering in Italy. And visiting Northern Ireland too. Five years out of office, the former mayor of the greatest city in the world has been sharing his hard-earned lessons in various corners of Europe.
That meant headlining a May event in Perugia with Italian Partito Democratico leader Elly Schlein – then seeing a mural unveiled at the Port of Naples, which included a depiction of his own grandparents.
That also meant speaking in Belfast at a historic conference uniting the mayors of every city on the island – from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
It was a paid appearance, organized in part by his former “Nightlife Mayor” Ariel Palitz, who’d previously advised Belfast leaders on the bar scene. But the conference was appealing to de Blasio politically, as it brought together leaders of cities that had once been divided by war.
“It was very much connected to what’s happened all over the world, which is this decentralization movement,” he said, “where more and more localities are demanding more power, more resources, because national governments are consistently failing to address real issues.”
And no, even after Italy and (Northern) Ireland, he hasn’t been to Israel in many years. “The ‘three I’s’ are definitely a thing of the past,” de Blasio told me.
It’s a nice semi-retirement for the ex-pol, who can also be heard as a political pundit stateside.
“The opportunity is always there, whether here or elsewhere, to try and contribute politically. And it’s something I love to put my time and energy into,” de Blasio said. “I like to contribute to the movement wherever and however I can.”
That could include conversations with the new mayor, Zohran Mamdani. De Blasio is a big fan, and he told me they’ve talked recently – but declined to share details of the conversation.
This week, as City & State lays out the new rules for politics in 2026, de Blasio is sticking to his own rule: “As a former mayor, you cannot be presumptuous. Offer help when it’s valuable, and stand back otherwise.”
It’s easy to see that de Blasio helped write the book for politics today. He ran on affordability, decrying the “tale of two cities.” He froze the rent. And he advocated taxing the rich to fund universal pre-K.
De Blasio is happy to see Mamdani doing it. He “believe(s) in him intensely, and (is) really, really happy with the way he’s handling things.” He just hopes more Democrats nationally will learn the new rules.
“The identification with the status quo can be fatal, rightfully,” he said. “Democrats who truly embrace the message of progressive economic populism can beat Republicans consistently. The problem with the Democratic Party in so many places is they haven’t been willing to take that risk and embrace, for example, a consistent call for more taxes on the wealthy.”
