Nine and a half million American families are living in poverty. Four out of five 18-24-year-olds did not have a full time job last year. At a time like this, we must be brave enough to ask ourselves: Will New York City's next mayor attend our glamorous charity ball??

That, you see, is the real question, haunting the minds of our city's 1%—the job creators, the role models, the good rich, who bear the burden of wearing designer ballgowns and fancy jewelry to star-studded events in Manhattan's most exclusive venues, all in the name of charity. With Mayor Mike leaving, are either of the two schlubby class warriors set to succeed him really ready to take on the challenges that face our metropolis: the challenges of going to parties thrown by the ultrarich? The Wall Street Journal digs in:

"I have a lot of concerns," said Jamee Gregory, a philanthropist and the author of the coffee-table book "New York Parties: Private Views." "Will [Mr. Bloomberg's successor] be doing the sort of things the mayor was, or will he think it's not socially correct? Some of the candidates say, 'These are things that rich people do,' as though it's not having a positive impact. I am perplexed."

One publicist explains, "Big donors need to feel that they are in the right place."

Bill de Blasio, please hold a 2014 fundraiser on Riker's Island.

[WSJ. Photo: Getty]