NY Firefighters' Emotions About Giuliani Run Hot

Ex-mayor has some fans, but post-9/11 bitterness lingers
By Marie Morris,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 17, 2007 1:23 PM CDT
NY Firefighters' Emotions About Giuliani Run Hot
NEW YORK-- New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, left, presents Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with a photo of firefighters raising an American flag at the site of Ground Zero, Friday November 30, 2   (KRT Photos)

In the wake of 9/11, Rudy Giuliani allied himself with the New York Fire Department. He attended funerals even after leaving office, and he continues to bring up "my firefighters" on the stump. But the ex-mayor shouldn't count on the department's 11,000 votes in his run for the White House, the Times reports, because opinions remain decidedly mixed.

Even as some praise Giuliani's overall record and support his presidential bid, many firefighters remain resentful of his dealings with the department, including labor negotiations. A particular sore spot is the order reducing the number of firefighters searching the World Trade Center site several weeks after 9/11. Says one battalion chief: "He treated firemen like they were common criminals." (More Election 2008 stories.)

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