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New York mayor's son lobbies for snow day: 'I'm trying to convince my dad' New York mayor's son lobbies for snow day: 'I'm trying to convince my dad'
(about 1 hour later)
In New York City, it's the first big citywide challenge for mayor Bill de Blasio, who is less than 72 hours in office. The city announced school closures overnight and has activated its PlowNYC snowplow tracker feature, which maps in real time which streets have been plowed (the tracker was unloved by plow drivers when Mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced it, because it requires GPS responders on trucks; it was hated by New Yorkers because at first it didn't work very well). In New York City, it's the first big citywide challenge for mayor Bill de Blasio, who is less than 72 hours in office. The city announced school closures overnight and has activated its PlowNYC snowplow tracker feature, which maps in real time which streets have been plowed (the tracker was unloved by plow drivers when Mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced it, because it requires GPS responders on trucks; it was hated by New Yorkers because at first it didn't work very well). 
One big difference between de Blasio and Bloomberg emerged early in the storm: Bloomberg did not have a popular teenage kid with crowds of friends lobbying on social media for a citywide snow day. Late Thursday, Dante de Blasio, 16, wrote in a message that escaped his private Facebook page that he was getting a blizzard of school cancellation requests. One big difference between de Blasio and Bloomberg emerged early in the storm: Bloomberg did not have a popular teenage kid with crowds of friends lobbying on social media for a citywide snow day. Late Thursday, Dante de Blasio, 16, wrote in a message that escaped his private Facebook page that he was getting a blizzard of school cancellation requests. 
Dante's mother, Chirlane McCray, replied in a Twitter post that her son might not get too excited about a day off:Dante's mother, Chirlane McCray, replied in a Twitter post that her son might not get too excited about a day off:
What Dante will be doing if he does not go to school tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/hizkGImhaDWhat Dante will be doing if he does not go to school tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/hizkGImhaD
At a press conference on Friday morning Mayor De Blasio said Dante's intervention had not swayed him to cancel school but joked about the attempt.
"If Dante was not lobbying me, there would be something wrong with him. He's 16."
Photographs of Dante shovelling snow outside the family's Brooklyn home – as per Chirlane McCray's tweet – were widely circulated on Friday morning, although it appeared the teenager had managed to sleep in first.
"I give Dante an A for effort and a D for punctuality," De Blasio said.
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