With a major winter storm hitting the Northeast, New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio kicked into full-on work-mode soon after he was sworn into office by former President Bill Clinton, who administered the oath of office at a ceremony outside City Hall on Jan. 1, 2014.

While de Blasio addressed the public about school closings and road conditions, and shoveled his own driveway in Brooklyn on his third day as mayor, he also made an effort to address the Latino community in Spanish.

The Italian-American Democrat put forth a good solid effort and humbly admitted that he needs to brush up on his Spanish skills. But more admirably, he also stressed the importance of addressing Latinos in their native language, recognizing that many find comfort in hearing important news addressed to them in their own, native tongue. 

He went on to say that "I don't think anyone has the illusion that my Spanish is good, but that's something I am going to work on."

Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg also tried his best at speaking Spanish, but it wasn't an easy task for him either.

Diversity runs deep in the de Blasio household. He and his wife and chief strategist, Chirlane McCray, who once identified herself as a lesbian before marrying de Blasio, have two children: a 15-year-old son, Dante, a student who sports a large afro, and an 18-year-old daughter, Chiara, who were both a prominent part of his campaign. Chiara, who recently spoke publicly about her struggle with depression and substance abuse, has reportedly said that her father isn't "some boring white guy" who doesn't know what he's talking about. 

"With all due respect to the television show, they're our real modern family," Clinton said during de Blasio's swearing-in ceremony.

Besides de Blasio's diverse family and effort to speak Spanish, the Latino-related policies that he wants to implement also come into play. He joined "Latinos for de Blasio" at a rally and reiterated his support for driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants as well as municipal ID cards for non-citizens. He also emphasizes "income equality," and hopes to change the city's 21 percent poverty rate, CNN reports. De Blasio also hopes to push real estate developers to build or preserve 200,000 affordable homes and creating a universal pre-K program for the poor, funded by raising taxes on those who make a $500,000 or more.

In November, he joined dozens of New York City and state Democratic leaders in San Juan, Puerto Rico at a legislative conference, called "Somos El Futuro," to discuss Latino issues and meet with candidates vying for top political positions in the largest U.S. city. There, he indicated that diversity will be a top priority as the new administration takes shape.

"We want to make sure that we have a government that looks like New York City, and that means a strong Latino representation," he said.

De Blasio's "bi-racial family's visibility in the campaign resonated with residents of a city coping with (not only a 21 percent poverty rate as mentioned) but an "increasing racial divisiveness brought on by the controversial stop-and-frisk policy allowing police to search people in high-crime areas.

"Stop-and-frisk -- in which police stop, question and frisk people they deem suspicious, even if they've committed no crime -- was one of the most controversial policing techniques in recent times. Law enforcement and other proponents said the practice helped reduce crime. To critics, it's racial profiling," CNN reports.

"We will reform a broken stop-and-frisk policy, both to protect the dignity and rights of young men of color, and to give our brave police officers the partnership they need to continue their success in driving down crime," de Blasio said Wednesday.