New York mayor the king of flip-flops

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg should be crowned the king of flip-flops.

After super storm Sandy slammed the Big Apple , Bloomberg announced the ING New York City Marathon was still on for Nov. 4.

During the week, criticism began rolling in, especially from Staton Island residents, who still were without power.

They wondered why the mayor was allotting all of those resources to mostly out-of-town runners when locals were still struggling.

The New York Road Runners Club, which produces the event, said they had already made contingencies and that no resources would have been diverted from the storm survivors.

Nevertheless, Bloomberg did an about-face Friday, Nov. 2, cancelling the marathon. In a joint statement issued by the city and the Road Runners, he said the race was supposed to be a unifying event but was turning divisive.

Thousands of runners were already in the city and had already picked up their bib numbers. They had spent millions just traveling to the city, since getting to New York is no cheap matter.

Now Bloomberg is facing their wrath. Most runners said cancelling the marathon was the right call. But they were upset about the timing, since the mayor initially said it was on and they had adjusted their plans accordingly.

(Big deal, Bloomberg probably thinks. Most of these runners are out-of-towners and won't be voting in my re-election bid.)

What Bloomberg should have done was cancel the marathon immediately after Sandy rather than waiting.

This would have allowed entrants to cancel their airline and hotel reservations and at least get some of their money back.

(Most airlines were not charging their usual $150 fee for East Coast flights affected by Sandy, so runners would not have been out all that much.)

Now they're stuck in the Big Apple and out the $250-plus marathon entry fee. Like nearly every other running event, the New York City Marathon has a clause in the fine print saying no refunds whatsoever.

You also have to wonder why Bloomberg cancelled the marathon yet allowed the NBA's Knicks-Heat game go on Nov. 3 and the NFL Giants' football game Nov. 4.

Could it be the NFL and NBA bring in more money throughout the season than one marathon?

Or is Bloomberg like most politicians: no brain, no pain?