Naked Cowboy
On July 20, 2009, it was announced that Burck would challenge Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2009 election for Mayor of New York City. At his announcement, Burck stated, "No one knows how to do more with less than yours truly, and that's the kind of thinking I plan on sharing with my fellow New Yorkers when you elect me." In response, Jonny Porkpie, the self-proclaimed "burlesque Mayor of NYC" announced that he would run against him, echoing Lloyd Bentsen during a campaign announcement that critiqued Burck's "man-panties". "I know naked. Some of my best friends are naked. And you, sir, are not naked."
Stephen Goldsmith
On April 30, 2010, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he would appoint Goldsmith to become Deputy Mayor for Operations, a position he held until August 4, 2011. He had responsibility for the city's Police, Fire, Sanitation, and Buildings departments, among others, in his 14-month period of service. Goldsmith was tasked by Bloomberg with advancing an innovation agenda in the city and his work led to enhancements to the city's use of technology, improved restaurant licensing, and faster processing of building permits. Goldsmith oversaw the launch of the 311 Service Request Map, the NYC Simplicity Idea Market employee crowdsourcing platform and the Change By Us NYC community collaboration portal. Goldsmith supervised the repair of the troubled CityTime employee timekeeping system and initiated several public-private partnerships in the areas of energy, wastewater management, and parking. "The New York Times" suggested that his "short tenure was complicated by controversies, most notably after the city's slow response to a crippling snowstorm in December."