Former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio at Athens Democracy Forum 2025

The Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, welcomed the eight-year Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, to City Hall.

The two, within the framework of the Athens Democracy Forum, will have the opportunity to discuss the major challenges facing cities today. What role can – and should – cities play in supporting democracy and governance, in an era where trust in institutions is shaken and digital platforms largely determine public debate?

The discussion at the Athens Conservatory, entitled Think Global, Act Local: Lessons from Athens and New York, will be moderated by Jyoti Thottam, Senior Editor of the New York Times. You can watch it live, on Thursday, October 2 at 3:00 PM (language of the event: English), at athensdemocracyforum.com.

The Athens Democracy Forum is organized by the Democracy and Culture Foundation in collaboration with The New York Times and the City of Athens.
Who is Bill de Blasio

Bill de Blasio is an American politician who served as the 109th Mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the New York City Public Advocate from 2010 to 2013. Bill de Blasio began his career as an elected official on the New York City Council, representing the 39th district in Brooklyn from 2002 to 2009.

As Mayor, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he transformed New York City into the safest city in his country.

In 2014, he made early childhood education a universal right in all five boroughs. New York City’s universal Pre-K and 3-K programs have become national models.

During his tenure, the city funded the preservation and construction of more than 200,000 affordable housing units, the most of any City in New York City history. In 2019, de Blasio unveiled a groundbreaking, national, six-pronged action plan to end chronic homelessness. The Journey Home initiative was designed to increase access to housing and healthcare, along with direct interventions for homeless people living on the streets.

True to his campaign promise to end a “tale of two cities,” de Blasio implemented policies that successfully reduced income inequality among New Yorkers and fought with them to secure a $15 an hour minimum wage for all.