Secondary Navigation

Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Holds Photo Spray

September 25, 2017

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Alright. Good morning, everybody.

Audience: Good morning.

Mayor: So, here we go again. This is now going to be the fourth time around for City Hall in Your Borough. This has been, really, a fantastic team effort. I want to thank all of my colleagues. We have now, for the fourth time, organized with a borough president. I want to start by saying thank you to Borough President Gale Brewer and her whole team who have been great partners in this.

We have organized a week in which all of City Hall goes out to a borough and focuses on the needs and the interests of the people of that borough. And all of the commissioners come out and focus their energies, and what found time and again is a lot gets done and it’s a really healthy exercise for folks in government to get out of their offices, go out to the people, listen, learn, get that urgency back from people about solving problems.

It really struck in Staten Island, in the Bronx, in Queens how many outstanding issues got solved on the spot because there was a lot of focus. And so I want to thank all my colleagues for all the good work. Folks, in all three boroughs, we’ve been to before were really, really appreciative and excited about it. And I know Manhattan is going to be great as well. We’re going to be crisscrossing the borough and getting a lot done this week.

I want to thank the leaders of the administration who are here – the deputy mayors especially – Tony Shorris, Alicia Glen, Herminia Palacio, Richard Buery. Thank you to all of you for our good work. And thank you for focusing all of your teams on this effort.

Now, I will say over here in the corner we have a Manhattan contingent. Alicia likes to talk about that fact that she was born and raised and still lives in the same ZIP code – that is the small, town New York City experience. So, Alicia – true Upper West Sider. Tony – now living in the Village, they –

Deputy Mayor Tony Shorris: For the last 30 years – 

[Laughter]

Mayor: Okay. I think 30 years is good enough. It’s good enough.

But – so, Manhattan’s well represented. But, you know, they’re again – people, all New Yorkers, think from their neighborhood on up. And my colleagues understand that from their own life experience and everyone around the table does as well.

So, we’re going to get a lot done – a lot of listening to people. One of the best parts of this week is when we have the open house and everyone and anyone can come in with their ideas. And we found a lot of good ideas and a lot of concerns that we needed to hear including some things that had dragged on that really needed to be addressed.

So, that is very good part of this week. Look, every borough has its own challenges. A lot of commonalities around the city but every borough has its own particular challenges, every neighborhood does too. That’s one of the things we focused on in this week. And we, you know, if you spend time around New Yorkers, you’re going to get an earful about the things that need to be better. And we take that to heart.

That being said, there’s some real good news to talk about in terms of this borough in particular and it mirrors some of the good we’re seeing around the city.

Unemployment, for example, has steadily gone down in this borough. It’s gone down by about a third in the last four years now at one of the all-time low levels of unemployment ever in Manhattan.

Pre-K, everyone knows, has grown all over the city. It’s nearly tripled – full-day pre-K has nearly tripled in Manhattan in the last four years. And as the borough president knows, there’s still more to be done particularly in terms of finding space in some parts of Manhattan but we are adamantly pursuing that and we will get that done.

In terms of policing, the NYPD has done extraordinary work everywhere. In Manhattan, as well – overall index crime down from last year by almost five percent. And astounding – shootings down, last year to this, 29 percent in Manhattan which is a blessing and extraordinary.

So, a lot to be proud of and a lot more work to do.

Before I turn to the borough president, I want to talk about what’s been on the minds of all of us the last few days. Now, I will tell you over the weekend wherever I went – and I was in Williamsburg, I was in Sunset Park, I was in Harlem, I was in a Brownsville in Brooklyn – everyone talked about Puerto Rico. Certainly, Puerto Rican New Yorkers talked about it from a very personal perspective. I can’t tell you how many I’ve talked to who are still searching for their mother or father or a grandfather or grandmother, family member – still don’t know where they are, still trying to contact them.

And then I’ve had those wonderful stories including from people on my own team of finding a loved one okay and finally reaching them by phone. But, you know, we know what’s happened in Puerto Rico is – the words hardly fit anymore – devastating, for sure, unprecedented, something that will take months and years to fix in a place that already was going through so much pain. 

So, my message to all New Yorkers is – we cannot do enough for Puerto Rico. We have more and more and more we have to do. We have to be committed to Puerto Rico for the long haul. This is part of us. Puerto Rico and New York City have been joined together for generations and we owe it to the people of Puerto Rico who have gotten a raw deal in many, many ways. We owe it to them to step up. 

We can be a real friend to Puerto Rico in this moment. And New Yorkers, of course, have responded with typical generosity. The donations of the firehouses have been – and the EMS stations have been very strong. People who are from the City – City employees – have volunteered to go down and we’ve sent a team down already. Thanks to all – to everyone here who’s been a part of that – to Lorraine, to Laura, everyone who’s been a part of putting that together – Emma.

It’s very important that we provide all the help we can and the team that’s gone down to Puerto Rico already has now set up the operational capacity to receive more City employees who want to go and help.

But the things that we’re hearing back from our team are just astounding in terms of how widespread the damage is and how much people’s lives have been dislocated. So, we have a lot more to do to help Puerto Rico but again we’re fully, fully engaged and I just – I can’t tell you how moving it was hear how many people cared included people who are not Puerto Rican – just New Yorkers who feel a deep, deep tie to Puerto Rico. 

I was at Abyssinian Baptist Church yesterday and the – I asked the crowd there how many people had a connection to Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, and essentially everyone in the room raised their hand. And it’s just an indicator of how close we are.

So, we’re going to be on this mission for a long time. I want to thank everyone on the team for your great work.

With that, back here on the home front, really looking forward to this week. I think we’re going to get a lot done here and I want to thank our host, again, to Gale and her whole team – you’ve been great partners and I know you will –

Borough President Gale Brewer: Conscience.

Mayor: Conscience. You have been a conscience and you will hold us to a high standard during this week in Manhattan. Over to you, Gale Brewer.

Borough President Brewer: [Inaudible] gift, and I’ll read the letter that goes with it. 

[Laughter]

It says, “First of all, we’re delighted that you’re here in Manhattan.” Here, you have to open it up.

Mayor: Okay, I have been given my instructions.

Borough President Brewer: [Inaudible] that goes with it. You see, it says Gale Brewer on it. And there’s a gift for Chirlane in the bag. So –

Mayor: At least I think it won’t be a Yankees jersey this time –

[Laughter]

Borough President Brewer: It comes with much respect for what you’re achieving as Mayor and for all the hard work it takes to make the decisions. Having served with you in the Dinkins administration under Bill Lynch, who we both loved –

Mayor: Amen.

Borough President Brewer: And the City Council when you were focused on support for children as Chair of General Welfare. This is beautiful. It’s unique. It’s made in Manhattan. [Inaudible] the master cutter, has been teaching [inaudible] his craft. Jimmy was away this week, so she had to cut the gift herself. Yours is the first pair she has ever done. In order to get it embroidered, you had to take them around the corner to the embroidery place. She could do that and still be back to the factory to run things while Jimmy was away because, well, everything is right there in the Garment District.

Mayor: I’m going to give Gale her promotional moment –

Borough President Brewer: [Inaudible]

Mayor: In Manhattan’s Garment sector.

Borough President Brewer: Is that the most beautiful you've ever seen? [Inaudible] and I love the people who make it –

Mayor: And they’re so beautiful, they’re above the gift limit, so I’m going to give them right back to you.

[Laughter]

Borough President Brewer: I paid for them myself. And they cost a bloody fortune.

Mayor: Where is Zack Carter? 

[Laughter]

Borough President Brewer:  I paid for them.

[Laughter]

That and the letter goes with it. They’re just beautiful and they’re homemade just for you – handmade in Manhattan.

Mayor: Thank you very much.

Borough President Brewer: So, thank you very much.

I welcome – I’m so excited that everyone’s here today. This is a big day. I do want to make a couple of really big thank yous for two agencies that respond most on letters – actually three agencies – our NYPD. And I see that there’s a wonderful representative over there, [inaudible] and Inspector O’Riley is also part of northern Manhattan. They answer every single letter. And DOT. Thank you. Polly Trottenberg answers every single letter.

NYCHA may not answer with what we want but they do answer the letters, just so you know.

[Laughter]

So, I want to give really big kudos to that.

The other thing I want to mention is [] Manhattan, I think you know all these issues, but the one of housing is the most challenging, and it’s a challenge because we have so little space. We’ve been working well on pre-planning. You know if we talk about the Seaport and East Midtown. East Harlem is going through the process, and the next one will be Inwood. And with a very big challenge to figure out how do you preserve your housing – the rent stabilized – build more, preserve the jobs that are often entire companies and working class jobs in the Sherman Creek area and figure out – I know you want to have density, but in Manhattan we always have a challenge perhaps more than other boroughs. We’ll work with you but be conscience of that – the issuing of planning.

NYCHA, we’d love to have more ULURP. I know there’s not mandated but if you’re going to do infill in Manhattan because we don’t want to be the cash cow. We understand that we have opportunities to build affordable housing. NYCHA is one example where it could be done, but we would like to have more ULRP even though it’s not mandated, and I think we would still end up with a product that you could be proud of. We’re still working on the voluntary inclusionary problem to fix it.

And then the Manhattan community boards work really hard. We have 12 of them. I do think my other colleagues may not agree with this, but I do think they need some more funding. We’ve been working with them on data, and this weekend I was at two data jams, and we actually could see where the community boards are working with us to be able to know exactly what are the issues and doing a graph. Believe it or not, Manhattan – I must admit I was a little surprised – noise is so far up in turns of the challenge, way, way up. More than housing, more than schools, more than anything else, and people are upset about it.

I know you’re doing what you can on transportation. I happen to be more supportive of the MoveNY. I know you like the millionaire’s tax, but every combination to get money to the MTA – whatever we can do. I think the seniors in Manhattan needs more buses. The MTA always says we don’t have enough passengers, so we’re not going to give you more bus service, but everywhere I go I hear the seniors and their complaints about the issue of bus lack of, and they can’t get on the subways.

The issue of sanitation – I think the world of your sanitation commissioner, but the issue of schools and organics. We cannot get the DOE, with all due respect, to be faithful in terms of making sure that what goes into the organics bin is satisfactory to the collection. So we can’t get that right. I’m going to try about have a meeting between her and Robert [inaudible], but also with you. Robert [inaudible] was my student – he’s the head of the union.

Mayor: Really?

Borough President Brewer: At Queens College. 

He does whatever I tell him to do.

[Laughter]

Mayor: Okay, good to know.

[Laughter]

Like Ron Burgundy.

Borough President Brewer: And I do whatever he tells me to do.

The Blue Book at Education, we’re still trying to make sure that the Blue Book is more listened to. Obviously, there’s always a challenge about what the Blue Book says, and there’s different versions of the Blue Book. But just because I don’t want to get into too many details – the issue of space in the schools is always a challenge. I think the equality of education is certainly going up, but we’re still dealing with space in Manhattan. I don’t know about other boroughs but for sure here. We’ve been pushing along with your wife the issue of school metal health because I know you’re working citywide on this issue satisfactorily, but we need a social worker in every single school. And we need not someone who comes by once a week but we need it constantly. Whether it is now Puerto Rico challenges, parent in jail challenges, homeless challenges. Counselors can’t do it, and we’ve got to have social workers in every single school. We’ve done a report on it. It’s a big deal. I want to thank the DOE for changing the discussion about making sure we have student volunteer who are social workers. They help, but we really need one who is there on a full time basis. 

Summer meals, I think we’re doing great. Certainly the lunch situation is fantastic. You have – you may have complaints about [inaudible], we have no complaints about universal lunch. And Turk, as we call her – we don’t call her Barbara, we call her Turk – and Turk and Drew did a great job so.

Mayor: She has a first name, but no one uses it. 

Borough President Brewer: Nobody uses it.

And summer meals, we’ve got to make sure the summer meals information goes out with the locations before the summer begins for next year. I think on social services, you know, the [inaudible] I think you’ve got some of them built into the contracts, but that’s always an issue every single year, and I know that with the homeless I will do whatever I can. I’m more supportive perhaps of others. Any program, shelter, [inaudible] mental health – I will always support you. I remember last year I couldn’t believe what happened. We were supportive of a really challenging mental health situation in Midtown, and the owners of the area got together and pulled because they got the bank to pull the mortgage. That was quite something and very unfortunate, but I know that some of the HDFCs might be a place where the homeless families who are together – and plenty of them are, who 30 percent working – could in fact take some of those apartments. There’s no reason you can’t go from homeless to an HDFC with support. Steve has tons of money to do that, so we need to make that happen. I believe that. It’s a place where this is possibility.

I want to say on mass sanitation, it’s always the issue of the rats. If you get rid of the garbage, then you don’t have rats, so we have to work more on the garbage situation. I don’t know if it’s education. I don’t know if it’s, you know, carrot and stick, but it’s one way to get people to be more appropriately recycling and so on is to talk about rats, and so I know that there’s great programs for organics and for clothing collection and so on. That’s a big issue.

Now, small business – I know you and I have talked about it. In Manhattan, the number one issue along with noise – that’s probably 3-1-1ed, if that’s a verb, more often – is the issue of small businesses. We just found 188 vacancies on Broadway from top to bottom. That’s just one issue. But we have to figure it out. There’s no easy answer. The bill in the City Council is not appropriate. I wrote it in 1985. It’s been sitting there ever since in terms of rent. So I don’t have the answer right now whether it’s how do you deal with empty spaces or vacancies in addition to how do you deal with the rent issues in Manhattan. I know we’re also dealing with the online situation. You order online – my kids order online, everybody orders online – but there still has to be a way to keep the vitality and the diversity. And again it’s a conversation. I don’t want to say that I have the answer, but I would love to work with you on it. Also on the issue is the commercial rent tax. I know you know there’s a bill pending with Dan Garodnick in the City Council. We have one that accompanies it. His changes were the number, which a tax is paid, so there are more that are not eligible to pay the tax. We have one to eliminate supermarkets completely. It would be about a $5 million hit, not so much in that area from Chambers up to 96th street. Supermarkets are becoming an endangered species like the [inaudible], and so are gas stations. We are not going to have any more gas stations Manhattan or anymore supermarkets if we don’t try to figure out how to deal with those two challenges.

So those are some of the issues. I want to say police-community relations is extraordinary. I just saw the inspector O’Riley come in. You know that inspector – she just went out, but she is the only African woman to be an inspector of police, and we love her to death just a little.

Those are some of my issues – NYCHA is always a challenge, but we work well with them.

I want to thank you for being here. You know I could go on and on.

Mayor: Yes.

[Laughter]

Borough President Brewer: I really appreciate – I really appreciate all that you do working on resiliency also. Thank you, Dan, I appreciate all that.

Those are some of my issues.

I have to say only in Manhattan would there be a bulletin training dogs in Yiddish. That’s a new thing this morning.

[Laughter]

Mayor: Gale, you’ve left me speechless several times in your presentation.

[Laughter]

Borough President Brewer: Thank you very much.

Mayor: Typically thorough and multi-faceted. Thank you Gale Brewer and Chief O’Reilly – where is chief? There you are, chief. Thank you for the great work you do. You should be very proud and all the men and women under your command should be proud of the progress that has been made in Manhattan. Thank you also – chief and I were together at the Global Citizen Festival and there was a situation where it got very hot out there in the crowd, and people needed water and chief swung into action, and NYPD and FDNY got together and distributed water to the crowd. That was excellent, agile public service. Let’s give chief a big round of applause and thank her.

[Applause]

So alright, well thank you again to Gale and your whole team. And we will be following up on all these items, and the 100 or the 150 more you will raise in the course of this week.

Borough President Brewer: Yes, I will.

Mayor: I look forward to doing that. 

With that, thanks to the media with joining us, and now we will continue the meeting after.

Thank you.

Media Contact

pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov
(212) 788-2958