Nelson Sides With Bloomberg On Chancellor Appointee

After we wrote yesterday about Councilman Lew Fidler’s opposition to Cathie Black’s impending appointment as schools chancellor, we thought we’d check in with Sheepshead Bay’s other representative in the City Council to see where he stands.

Turns out, Councilman Mike Nelson is giving the thumbs up to the Bloomberg appointee. Nelson, who used to serve on the school board, is looking to Black to continue the legacy of the recently-retired Joel Klein.

“By most indications, since Klein took over, things at the schools have improved,” said Nelson’s legislative aide, Steve Zeltser. “[The councilman] trusts Bloomberg’s decisions again, so he wants to see what happens and give it a chance.”

Zeltser noted that there’s not much the City Council can do, since they have no jurisdiction over the appointment process under mayoral control of schools.

Tell that to Fidler and his merry band o’ resolution pushers, who are urging the state to deny Black a waiver required for chancellor appointees lacking education experience.