While the rate was higher than the rest of the nation, it was dropping. He leaves and of ‘01, and FOUR (4) years later is up again. I don’t see how you can say he shares the blame for events 4 years after he left. A year later sure. 2 perhaps. But 4? Not his watch.
No, the 2000 rates are essentially the same as 2005:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/fhs/tpreport.pdf