Former mayor Bill de Blasio has been characterized as an ungrateful leader, frequently indulging in “power trips.” This perspective comes from one of the police officers who worked closely with him.
Katrina Brownlee, a former NYPD officer, devoted a significant portion of her recently published memoir, titled “And the Blues Come,” to her experiences while providing security for de Blasio. In it, she portrayed him as someone whose public persona was largely ego-driven, though she also acknowledged him as a “truly caring person” in private.
“One of the things that was always difficult for me was de Blasio,” Brownlee admitted.
She criticized the mayor’s staff, labeling them as “white millennials” speaking poorly of their boss while simultaneously working on their resumes. At the same time, Brownlee expressed frustration over de Blasio’s lack of gratitude towards New Yorkers who re-elected him.
“I didn’t feel sorry for the mayor, just as I didn’t approve of some of the unprofessional comments from his staff,” she noted. “He struggled to manage his team effectively or help them grow, showing little interest in fostering new leadership.
“This pattern was evident at all levels of his administration,” she elaborated, indicating that his annual gestures towards his security team felt half-hearted. “He would express his appreciation for our efforts in speeches, but then the next day, it was as if we were invisible to him.”
Brownlee also sensed that de Blasio had a strained relationship with the NYPD throughout his tenure. “I felt he didn’t particularly like police officers,” she remarked.
Once, during a phone call on city hall grounds, a uniformed officer removed his hat, and de Blasio, in a moment of arrogance, criticized him for it, as recalled by a sergeant involved.
Earlier in de Blasio’s first term, the atmosphere grew tense when hundreds of NYPD officers turned their backs on him during the funeral of an officer murdered in the line of duty, with union representatives blaming de Blasio for the tragedy.
During her tenure, Brownlee faced sudden dismissal from her security detail concerning First Lady Chirlane McCray. “The [Commanding Officer] said, ‘She doesn’t like you. That’s the reality. If you don’t like it, you can leave,’” she recounted.
Displeased with the circumstances of her firing, Brownlee felt anger not only towards McCray but also towards her husband and the citizens who supported her initiatives. “It felt like the whole city was deceived,” she expressed.
Nevertheless, Brownlee, who retired in 2021, reminisced about some positive moments with de Blasio, noting how he would give her a Christmas gift each year after they would discuss her holiday traditions while out shopping.
“I’ve come to see a more human side to him as mayor,” she reflected. “I realized that he genuinely cared.”
The former mayor has yet to comment on these revelations.
