De Blasio and his wife, activist and poet Chirlane McCray, met while both were working for Mayor Dinkins’ administration and married in 1994. They lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn before moving into Gracie Mansion, the traditional residence of New York City mayors. They have two children: Dante, a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School currently attending Yale University as a member of the class of 2019, and Chiara, a student at Santa Clara University in California.
Bill De Blasio is the third son of Maria & Warren Wilhelm. His father was of German ancestry, and his maternal grandparents were Italian immigrants: his grandfather, Giovanni, was from the city of Sant’Agata de’ Goti, Benevento, and his grandmother, Anna was from Grassano, Matera.
He speaks Italian.
Standing at a height of 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), de Blasio is the tallest mayor in New York City’s history.
Bill de Blasio born Warren Wilhelm, Jr. is an American politician who is serving as the 109th Mayor of New York City. From 2010 to 2013, he held the citywide office of New York City Public Advocate, serving as an ombudsman between the electorate and the city government. He formerly served as a New York City Council member, representing the 39th District in Brooklyn, which contains Borough Park, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Kensington, Park Slope, and Windsor Terrace. De Blasio, the Democratic Party nominee for mayor of New York City in the 2013 election, defeated Republican Joe Lhota with more than 73 percent of the vote. De Blasio is the first Democratic mayor of the city since David Dinkins from 1990 to 1993.
He ran for mayor promising to end stop and frisk and improve relations between the New York Police Department and many New Yorkers, especially African Americans. His tenure has seen a spike in anti-police protests and disaffection with law enforcement, and he has been charged by the NYPD union with putting the interests of protesters above those of the police. He initiated new de-escalation training for officers, reduced prosecutions for cannabis possession, and oversaw the beginning of body cameras worn by police. De Blasio approved a $41 million settlement for the five men whose convictions in the 1989 Central Park jogger case were overturned and ended a post-9/11 surveillance program to monitor Muslim residents in New York.
DeBlasio ran for mayor touting himself as a populist concerned with the stark level of economic inequality in New York, which he called the “tale of two cities”. Towards that end, he passed free universal pre-K in the city, although his effort to start a millionaire tax was rejected by Governor Andrew Cuomo. He also advocated for the Rent Act of 2015, which created an unprecedented rent freeze city-wide for rent-stabilized apartments.
DeBlasio proposed a multi-year plan to boost the supply of affordable housing in the city, and will seek approval by the City Council in early 2016. His plan would allow developers to gain favorable zoning ordinances and build taller buildings in exchange for constructing affordable units.
Image #: 25266868 Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio is joined by his children Dante (R) and Chiara along with his wife Chirlane (R) as he thanks supporters after winning the mayoral election at the Park Slope Armory campaign headquarters on November 5, 2013, in New York. De Blasio ran against Republican Joseph Lhota and becomes the first new mayor in twelve years, replacing Michael Bloomberg. UPI/Monika Graff /LANDOV
Sources:
cnn.com/2013/11/07/opinion/drexler-de-blasio
nymag.com/thecut/2013/09/why-the-de-blasio-family-matter