Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a former deputy mayor for the city who quit after being arrested on a domestic violence charge would have been fired otherwise.
Stephen Goldsmith, then-deputy mayor for operations, was arrested July 30 in Washington, D.C. A police report asserts he shoved and grabbed his wife. Goldsmith and his wife dispute the account; prosecutors are not pursuing charges.
Bloomberg says the accusation "made it intolerable'' for Goldsmith to stay employed by the city. He made his comments Sunday after speaking at a church service in Brooklyn.
The mayor says Goldsmith offered his resignation in a meeting between the two men the day after the arrest.
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He said he didn't think it was his place to "make a painful situation worse" and felt it's "shameful"
when people humiliate their own staffers, which is why he did not make it the circumstances surrounding Goldsmith's resignation public.
when people humiliate their own staffers, which is why he did not make it the circumstances surrounding Goldsmith's resignation public.
He told reporters outside the church that he is "not going to play that game."
At the time of Goldsmith's resignation, Bloomberg's office sent out a statement saying he planned to pursue private opportunities; the mayor said he felt this statement was still accurate.
The mayor has come under criticism from other city officials because the arrest wasn't mentioned when it was announced Goldsmith was leaving. He said he "assumed" it would come out but didn't think it was his job to put it out.
Copyright The Associated Press
