October 6th - October 12th, 2006

Bloomberg Named Chairman of WTC Memorial Board

Friday, October 6^th: Mayor Michael Bloomberg was named chairman of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation by its board of directors, the New York Post reported, an appointment that puts him at the head of the campaign to raise $155 million still needed to build the memorial and memorial museum. Retiring Memorial Foundation Chairman John Whitehead told the Associated Press, "We are grateful that someone of his stature in so many different roles, from philanthropy to business to the rebuilding itself, will serve as chairman."

According to the Post, one of the mayor's first acts as chairman was to announce a $10 million contribution pledged to the foundation by the American Express Company. Joseph Daniels, the foundation's acting president, told the Daily News that the donation had been "in the pipeline ... but the mayor was instrumental in securing it at this time." He told the Post, "It is now time to raise the money.... It's a long process. It will take a few years, but I'm convinced if we all pull together, we can [get it done]."

Ground Zero Icon Moved Across the Street

Friday, October 6^th: The cross-shaped steel beams that have become an icon and symbol of hope for many at Ground Zero were moved across the street to St. Peter's Church at Church and Barclay Streets, the Daily News reported. The cross, which weighs in at two tons and soars to almost 20 feet, was placed on a flatbed truck for the three-block trip, and hundreds of people singing "God Bless America" followed as it was transported, the Associated Press reported. The start of construction on the east side of the World Trade Center site made the move necessary, the New York Times added. According to the Times, the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation has promised to include the cross in the memorial and is likely to create a permanent home for the cross in the memorial museum, which will open in 2009.

Order of WTC Memorial Names Open for Reevaluation

Wednesday, October 11^th: Speaking as the newly appointed chairman of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that "less is more" when it comes to how victims should be identified on the memorial, the Associated Press reported, but he left the door open to change the previously agreed upon random ordering, the Daily News added. According to the paper, Bloomberg told reporters, "The original design was chosen by a public process that was well-represented by lots of people, and where we'll come out on the names, or a couple of other issues, we'll just have to see."

Jack Lynch, the father of 9/11 firefighter Michael Lynch, told the Daily News that the mayor's remarks offered a "glimmer of hope." "If he takes into account the opinion of the majority of the families, it should not be done randomly," he added. The mayor did leave open the possibility of grouping victims by affiliations, telling reporters, "One of the things we can look at is technology that can let you look at names in different sorts, different orders, with different amounts of information," the Daily News added.