New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is under fire for spending too much time traveling outside the city for political appearances,
The New York Times reported.
De Blasio has spent time recently in Washington, D.C., Iowa, Wisconsin, and California, and of the last 31 days he spent at least part of 10 of them outside the state.
The mayor's aides defend his travel, saying that his national trips are directly linked to his municipal efforts and that he continues to be focused on the needs of the city, particularly in health and education.
"He's using every tool as mayor of New York City to combat the central issue of our times, which is income inequality," John Del Cecato, a political consultant who is helping to oversee de Blasio's travels, told the Times.
"But he knows there is only so much that a mayor can do on his own," he added, saying that the travel would help bring in federal aid for reforms in New York. "He really feels it's an obligation to his constituents, to 8.4 million people, to help push the federal government to do its part."
The Times said that previous mayors have pursued national profiles.
For example, Michael Bloomberg pursued smoking and gun campaigns and considered a run for president. He also traveled frequently to Bermuda. Rudolph Giuliani ran for Senate as the end of his tenure approached, while John Lindsay campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination in his second term, the Times said.
"You have to strap them to the mast, like Odysseus," Gordon Davis, a senior aide to Lindsay and former city parks commissioner, told the Times. He added that New York mayors can find the prospect of fame "intoxicating."
He said, however, that being in the national spotlight comes with the territory.
"Is it the obligation of the mayor of the City of New York to be a spokesman on national issues? Absolutely, it is part of the job," Davis said, according to the Times. "There may be some style issues on when you do it, and how you do it, but I think it's perfectly appropriate."
Chirlane McCray, de Blasio's wife, is also building a national profile with an interview with National Public Radio and a Mother's Day essay in Time magazine, the Times said.