11.   Now the mayor is trying again with a new commission that has some of the same flaws, and some of the same members, as his earlier efforts.

12.   Pataki, a fellow Republican with whom the mayor is trying to mend fences.

13.   Several years ago, the mayor tried to run street painters off the streets and out of the parks in New York City.

14.   Successive mayors have tried for the post, including the current one, Hector Luis Acevedo, who is the current opponent of Gov. Pedro Rossello.

15.   The mayor also tried to play down any fears that the attack may prompt about the safety of Central Park or his city.

16.   The mayor may be trying to balance his job overseeing the schools in all five boroughs with his courting of Republican campaign donors and upstate voters.

17.   The mayor tried to change the subject the way a father might redirect dinner table conversation that had suddenly gone astray.

18.   The mayor tried to hire him as a deputy mayor, and eventually named him the chairman of the agency that attracts and retains businesses.

19.   The mayor tried to play down the incident.

20.   The mayor also is trying to speed up the civilian review system.