-
Not so funny: Bloomberg aide in anti-Mexico flap
An adviser to the Bloomberg administration found herself in hot water Thursday for an off-color column in which she urged Mexico to “get a grip on its banditos” or find itself in “the naughty chair.”
In an online column for the Huffington Post, Betsy Perry — whom Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed to the New York City Commission on Women’s Issues in 2007 — wrote that before swine flu, the worst thing for travelers was the possibility of eating something that was “touched by the Mexican help.”
She then suggested, somewhat inexplicably, that the “best PR Mexico has is the movie ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua.’”“Between the guns, drugs, kidnappings and swine flu, this poor country can’t catch a break and, maybe it shouldn’t,” Perry wrote. “Getting Montezuma’s Revenge seems the least of Mexico’s headaches for now.”
After a storm of criticism, Perry posted an apology on the site Thursday afternoon, saying she “crossed the line between cute and offensive.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the article “inappropriate” and said he saw no humor in it.
Perry serves as an unpaid member of the women’s commission.
AP contributed to this story
- Follow Us
advertisement | advertise on am New York
advertisement | advertise on am New York
Partners
Search cars
