Photos: Michael Bloomberg

In Office
During his first term as mayor, Bloomberg (seen above on victory night 2001) endured a lot of criticism and received little praise. Though he opened his wallet to support museums and the arts, he was attacked for raising taxes after promising not to during his campaign and proposing fare increases for public transportation. Complaints were made about crime levels and efficient systems for the city's homeless residents. Prior to his re-election campaign in 2005 Mayor Bloomberg had nearly a 60% disapproval rating.