‘Whining,’ ‘Stupid’ Essay Costs N.Y. Official His Job

NEW YORK —  The city fired the head of its customer service office after he admitted calling New Yorkers “whining” and “stupid” in an essay on the Internet.

“I take painkillers, sleep a lot and think about killing every citizen and employee of New York City every minute I’m awake,” Fletcher Vredenburgh, the former director of the Mayor’s Action Center, wrote in an essay on the “FightLikeApes” Web site.

Vredenburgh told the New York Post in Friday’s editions that he had written the unsigned essay soon after he was appointed as head of the center, which handles complaints about City Hall.

Vredenburgh, 36, was hired to the $44,000-a-year director’s job by then-Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani in 2001.

Vredenburgh said in the essay that he was responsible for handling complaints from “griping, often whining, often stupid New Yorkers.” Ed Skyler, a spokesman for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, said Bloomberg accepted Vredenburgh’s resignation -- effective immediately -- after Vredenburgh admitted writing the essay.

“The sentiments expressed on the Web site fly in the face of the citizen-service mentality the mayor seeks to establish in city government, and are downright offensive,” Skyler said.

Vredenburgh declined to comment Friday. A message on the Web site said it was down because of technical difficulties.

Vredenburgh posted a message on the Mayor’s Action Center Web site before he was fired: “I hope you have a fruitful, pleasant and positive experience with New York City government. We all look forward to serving you in the years to come.”