Candidate Bloomberg meets RELA.

To foster economic development, New York City officials should concentrate on making the city a better place to live by tackling quality of life issues like education, communication and transportation, said Republican mayoral candidate Michael Bloomberg at a recent industry breakfast.

"In the olden days, people went to where the jobs were. Today, jobs go to where the people want to live," Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg addressed members of the Real Estate Lenders Association, Inc. at a June 15 monthly breakfast, meeting.

Other mayoral candidates include Republican Herman Badillo, who is making his fourth bid for mayor; and Democrats Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer; Public Advocate Mark Green; City Controller Alan Hevesi; and City Council President Peter Vallone.

In 1982, Bloomberg founded the Bloomberg financial news service, which now employs 7,000 people worldwide and 2,500 in New York City. Prior to starting his business, Bloomberg, who received his MBA from Harvard University, was a partner at Solomon Brothers.

Although he said "I'm not here to make a campaign speech or ask you to vote for me," Bloomberg shared his views on the issues facing the city and the role of a mayor should play in addressing those issues. He applauded Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's steadfast approach to addressing public safety issues and gave the mayor credit for reducing the crime rate. He said the next mayor should focus on education using the same approach.

"Rudy Giuliani showed that you can govern. Eight years ago, companies wanted to move out of the city," he said.

He said he planned to offer manageable solutions to small problems to gain credibility before addressing larger problems. He related the approach to compounding interest, which may seem incrementally small but can grow over time.

"You have to promote things that are doable right away," he said. "A lot of politicians try to offer 'one size fits all' solutions to problems."

Throughout his campaign, Bloomberg has said he would provide details on issues one at a time. He recently issued a paper on education and is beginning to shift his focus to economic development, he said.

The next mayor should clarify land and zoning issues so that developers are given consistent answers to zoning questions. He also said the efforts to bring the Olympic Games to New York City in 2012 provide an opportunity for planning.

"Whether you get the Olympics or not, it's a good opportunity for broad thinking," he said.

He also applauded recent city efforts to make sure developers and others complete conditions linked to tax incentives. If not, the city should take back the money, called a "clawback."

"There's nothing wrong with offering tax incentives, but you should do what you've promised to do," he said. "If not, the city should take it back. It's an appropriate thing for the government to do."

He said the city should draw upon the "accident of geography," which has resulted in dense development that placed a large numbers of businesses in close proximity.

"Because Manhattan is an island, we have chosen to build up rather than out," he said. "It's a phenomenal competitive advantage."

He started off his speech by sharing his experiences with negotiating details of the new office tower being built by Vornado Realty Trust on the former Alexander's site on 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. Bloomberg News will occupy the building after it is completed.

"It took us longer to negotiate the lease than it will to build the building," he said.

He gave kudos to Steven Roth, Vornado's chairman and chief executive officer, and said part of the delay related to initial plans to put a hotel in the building, which would have hampered Bloomberg's ability to occupy more space in the future if necessary.

"I can't say enough good things about Steve Roth. He's a tough guy, but he's scrupulously honest," he said.