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Transcript: Macy's And Mayor de Blasio Announce That The 38th Annual Macy's 4th Of July Fireworks Will Again Light The Nyc Skyline As The Nation's Largest Independence Day Display Returns To The East River

April 14, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you everyone for being here. I want to particularly thank Jennifer Jones Austin for her extraordinary introduction, but more importantly for her extraordinary work in helping us to build this administration and to make the changes we’re making in this city. We owe her a debt of gratitude for having played such an important leadership role in our transition. Let’s thank her.
Mayor Bill de Blasio: I just want to say, as we're about to talk about something really wonderful  on this very beautiful day, I just want to say again that my heart goes out to the family of police officer Dennis Guerra. I just came from the funeral. It was incredibly moving. His family includes many police officers, who have done so much for this city. And there was a real feeling today of embrace for this family as they go forward. Also I commend Commissioner Bratton for the decision to posthumously promote Officer Guerra to first-grade detective, something he had spent his life pursuing as a goal, a rank his father before him had held. And of course, our hearts go out, and our prayers are with the family of Officer Rosa Rodriguez, as she continues her struggle in Cornell Hospital. 
I want to acknowledge and thank everyone who has joined us here on this beautiful day – Amy Kule, Macy's events executive producer – clap as we go along – Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Borough President Eric Adams, Borough President Melinda Katz, Senator Dan Squadron, Senator Marty Golden, Mr. Former President– still Mr. Brooklyn – Marty Markowitz, Assembly Member Ortiz, Council Member Van Bramer, Council Member Constantinides, Councilmember Gentile – thank you to all of you. It is wonderful to be on the promenade, one of the really beautiful places in this city. And we are a city of great tradition. One of the traditions we particularly prize is Macy's Annual Fourth of July fireworks. Every year, people congregate on rooftops, and parks, anywhere they can get a view of this extraordinary event. It really defines the summer. People look up and see the absolute state-of-the-art in fireworks, here for all of us to enjoy. And nothing represents summer in the city more than Macy's fireworks extravaganza, the most wonderful way to celebrate Independence Day. 
The challenge has been, in recent years, that many New Yorkers weren't able to participate as they had in the past. And the last two years, a number of us did all we could to see the fireworks come back over to this side of the town so many people could enjoy them again. 
I want to thank all of the partners who were part of this effort the last few years – State Senator Dan Squadron, Council Member Steve Levin, and of course, our former Borough President Marty Markowitz. I want to thank them all for having put their hearts into this issue. 
And I am a believer, as you may know, I'm a believer when the people speak, when people make their views known, it can move mountains. And in this case, I am thrilled to say, that the fireworks will be back on the East River this year, where so many New Yorkers will be able to enjoy them again.
[Applause]
And I want to thank Macy's for their partnership over the last few years, as we've worked towards this. We will not only be bringing the fireworks home to the East River, they will now be launched from the famous Brooklyn Bridge, which is a first. And we're thrilled about that. From the bridge, and from barges positioned in the East River.
What this means, the fact that fireworks come back to the East River, means that countless more New Yorkers will now be able to enjoy what is really the greatest annual fireworks show in the country. From Brooklyn to western Queens to the East Side of Manhattan, many more New Yorkers will be able to take part in this celebration, in their neighborhoods, on their rooftops, along the shoreline. 
And this fits with one of the most fundamental ideas that's guided my administration – the notion of inclusion. The notion of making sure that we get the wonderful attributes of this city to be enjoyed by the greatest number of people, that we give opportunity to the greatest number of people, and that all five boroughs deserve opportunity. And this action today means so much for the people of Brooklyn, and the people of Queens, and obviously for many people in Manhattan as well. 
So, one of our most joyful traditions now will reach many more people. Again, it's not only great for our citizens, it's great for local businesses, because that night is a special night, and many people like to celebrate before, during and after the fireworks, and patronize our wonderful local businesses in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, so it'll be a great win for them as well.
 I want to thank Macy's again. We are all grateful. This is something I think it's important to remember. Even when there may be disagreements on specifics, we're fundamentally grateful to Macy's for the history of having done so much for this city, and we're thrilled that Macy's was so willing to work with us on this effort to bring the fireworks back to the East River. It's just consistent with the extraordinary role Macy's has played in this city, and it also allows us to ensure that one of the great annual parties that happens in New York City each year will now be a party for even more people. 
I hope everyone will be with us in just a few short months, on the Fourth of July, when we celebrate this great step forward for the city. Just a moment in Español – Profesora Velazquez, you'll watch my pronunciation.
Nada es más representatívo del veráno de Nueva York cómo los fuégos artificiáles de Macy's por el Día de la Independéncia. Pero désde que el espectáculo se pasó al Hudson River muchos neoyorquinos no han podído participár de ésta tradición. Hoy me enorgulléce anunciár que el espectáculo – espectáculo– I’m still working on that one – de fuégos artificiáles del cuátro de júlio vuélve al ládo éste de la ciudad, para el disfrúte de más neoyorquinos.

With that, I’d like to bring forward someone we want to thank and celebrate on behalf of Macy’s, Amy Kule.

[Applause]

Let me give you a little step up here.

Amy Kule, Executive Producer, Macy’s Events: You are a very tall man, sir.

Mayor: True.

Kule: Very good. Thank you all for being here and especially a big thank you for our fantastic mayor of New York City. You said, quite eloquently, that we are, in fact, moving back to the East Side. It’s a great day for us to do that. And you also mentioned that you believe in tradition. And Macy’s has a long history of tradition here in New York, entertaining as many people as we possibly can, whether it be through the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. When we look at this fine city and we want to celebrate the Fourth of July and the celebrate the people in New York who really help us turn that energy into fireworks, on the Fourth. We look around the city and we decide where could the best show be?

I did meet with the mayor a couple years ago. Marty, you’ve been a great proponent – a fantastic elected official – has – have been knocking on the door when we moved to the West Side. Macy’s has a history of moving its fireworks around the city. We’ve done so in our 50 years. I think if you looked at the East Side, West Side numbers it’s split evenly. But when asked to move to the East Side, we thought, “What would that look like? How could we make it bigger and better?” And not just move the barges, but tell a completely different story. And no story could be told without using this awesome Brooklyn Bridge for this year’s Fourth of July fireworks. We’ll have three very large barges in the water and our fourth barge will, in fact, be the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s going to be a beautiful show, all brand new and very worthy of this important move back to the East Side.

We’re honored to be able to do it, and we thank the mayor. We thank these elected officials who’ve been working by his side, and we thank all the city organizations who we’ve been working with for months, walking the bridge, walking the area, making sure that this is going to be a beautiful, safe and extraordinary show, and one worthy of the City of New York. So thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: Now another strong voice – and I have to say that Nydia Velazquez doesn’t do anything halfway, so she was a strong voice for this step forward, this act of fairness for a much bigger group of people to enjoy these fireworks. I’d like to bring forward Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. Thank you for having me. Let me especially thank all the elected officials from this area and the communities of Queens and Brooklyn. We all win. We are all winners. To Macy’s, thank you so very much. Here we are given an opportunity to showcase our iconic landmark, the Brooklyn Bridge. But more importantly, to also show the great investment that has been made in the waterfronts in Queens and Brooklyn [inaudible] Brooklyn Bridge. And we’re going to have also the development of [inaudible] between the two bridges, DUMBO. So it is a great opportunity. We are, with this decision, democratizing this event, making sure that more communities have the opportunity to be included. And it is going to allow for the small businesses in the area to benefit. Three million people will be coming here to look at this fantastic, majestic celebration. And we are very happy and we thank you Mr. Mayor. We thank Macy’s. And this is an opportunity to showcase the greatness of two outer boroughs like Queens and Brooklyn.

[Applause]

[Congresswoman Velazquez delivers remarks in Spanish]

Mayor:  I just want to let you know, my Spanish, I can tell it’s getting better because the word waterfront I understood instantly.

[Laughter]

It’s just becoming natural, now. So to be Brooklyn borough president, you have to have a lot of passion and strength of character. It goes with the borough. You have to reach a high level of passion to expect to lead this great borough. We have that in our borough president, Eric Adams.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams: Thank you mayor. And we cannot say enough to thank him for this [inaudible] achievement. And clearly we are a true [inaudible] from the trifecta. We had the great Marty Markowitz, my predecessor. He reclaimed our Nets, and now they’re in Brooklyn. Now we are reclaiming our Fourth of July celebration, and we will have to move and bring home our New York Giants to New York. But we are happy here today [inaudible] that Brooklyn and Queens is still here. The amount of revenue and the amount of participation of family-friendly environment – I remember the years when we had celebration here on the promenade and how we used to spend the day shopping in the shops and sitting in our lawn chairs. This is a New York experience and now Queens and Brooklyn will have the opportunity to appreciate the greatness of the celebration of the Fourth of July weekend. So I want to thank Macy’s because so much of – now I can do more than just get my ties from there, I can also make sure that my family enjoys the holiday celebration. And those who are here in Brooklyn Heights play a major role [inaudible] celebrations during the Fourth of July. And it’s about finding free family environments in the borough of Brooklyn during these tough economic times. When families can come out and spend time together, won’t have to pay a cost to enjoy the environment. Brooklyn is a place where we want to raise healthy children and families. There’s only two types of people in this city, those who live in Brooklyn and those who wish they did. Welcome to Brooklyn.

[Laughter]

Mayor: Amen. So I think the borough president makes a powerful point. This is really something the people can enjoy. They don’t have to pay for it. In a world where the price of everything keeps going up, and it’s harder for families to make ends meet, this is an amazing tradition because it’s something that’s there for everyone and it’s something that’s there for free. And we’re so thrilled that more people will reach it. And it unites those of us who hail from Brooklyn with our brothers and sisters in Queens, everyone benefitting together. Thank you. And we welcome our Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.

[Applause]

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz: Good afternoon. And Borough President Adams, welcome. Thank you for welcoming us to your great promenade. Love your commercial on Brooklyn, I’ll see how I do.

[Laughter]

Let me thank you Mr. Mayor. I have to tell you that since the mayor has taken office on January 1, I feel that Queens is well-represented, Mr. Mayor, and I thank you for that change. We are very happy with Macy’s. Thanks for coming out, making sure that there is a more inclusive fireworks. And we do appreciate the work that you did in order to get us to this day. We are very excited in the borough of Queens. We are excited that we have access to this great day of fireworks that the city provides, that Macy’s provides. And we all work so hard to get it. We do need free family fun. We need to make sure that our families know that in the other boroughs besides Manhattan – we love Manhattan too, but – but the other boroughs besides Manhattan, we are offering great, significant events for families to go to and to partake in, and to be true New Yorkers in every sense of the word. So I’m going to put my own commercial in here for Queens. I’m standing here with Council Member Van Bramer and Council Member Constantinides and I’m going to tell you, this is a great economic boom for western Queens. So for those of you that come to Western Queens and see our fireworks. Come early, shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants, and once you see the great things that the world’s borough of Queens has to offer, come back and do it again after the fireworks. Thank you Mr. Mayor for doing this for us.

[Applause]

Mayor: So for a lot of years this effort was underway to bring the fireworks back over here. And a stalwart and an outspoken voice and I guy who I give great credit for his skills and persistence, even in the faraway land of Albany, he did a lot to make this day possible. I’d like to welcome Senator Dan Squadron.

[Applause]

NYS Senator Daniel Squadron: Thank you very much Mr. Mayor, I really appreciate it. As the mayor made reference to, he and I have stood – almost in this spot – many years in the past. We were actually down there at the end. I’m really glad that we’ve been elevated. I [inaudible] I mean that I’m really glad that you’ve been elevated to this point, because the truth is, this is something that the mayor cared a lot about as public advocate. He made a big issue. And in the first year to bring these back to the East River and to go even beyond, to have the unprecedented act of having them actually come from the Brooklyn Bridge, raised hundreds of feet so that that many more thousands of New Yorkers can enjoy them, is a very big deal and deeply appreciated. You know, the big loser today is New Jersey. And I want to say to New Jersey, we hope you have a wonderfully July 4, and we hope you enjoy your fireworks shows. But now three or even four boroughs – I think that from Staten Island you’ll be able to see some of this show – will be able to enjoy this. And the New York July 4 fireworks show is an extraordinary thing that Macy’s puts on. Because it’s a great TV and national extravaganza, but also because it’s all about what New York is, which is a city of neighborhoods. And when the fireworks are here on the East River, in neighborhoods across the city, people can enjoy this show from their homes, from their rooftops, from their neighbor’s backyard. And that’s what New York is all about. To have a global event that’s a local neighborhood celebration. And that’s what this does. So I want to really thank Macy’s for that, thank the mayor for his leadership, thank Mr. Brooklyn for advocating for this right by our side for all of those years and all of the other leaders and elected officials who made this happen. Thank you so much. [inaudible]

Mayor: As I said, passion goes with the current borough president of Brooklyn. Lord knows it was synonymous with the previous borough president of Brooklyn. And I’m thrilled that he has rejoined public service, speaking up for the outer boroughs and helping to make sure that our tourists from all over the world will discover the joys that Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and of Bronx. And no better man for the job. But I think he has something to say about the impact of this decision and this step forward for the city. Former Borough President Marty Markowitz.

[Applause]

Marty Markowitz, Former Brooklyn Borough President: [inaudible] I’m short. I’m short. Okay. Thank you Mayor. Amy, first off I want to say, thank you very much. Amy is one of the most talented and nationally recognized special event coordinators of any company or any entity in this nation. And Macy’s is mighty lucky to have you, and I mean that. And give our best to [inaudible], we love him. Secondly, if I may so to our mayor – and I’m going to just change the song a little bit. What a difference an election makes.

[Laughter]

Mayor, thank you very, very much. Because for several years, believe me, when it was first announced it was going to go to the other side, we advocated very strongly. And I know that with your election and leadership of this entire city, this has become the dream. And so I want to thank all the – my colleagues – former colleagues, current colleagues, who all really brought it to this point. And to just mention for those of you that travel the July 4 weekend to the Hamptons or Fire Island or Shelter Island, cancel it and stay right here. For those of you that are within my voice – can you hear it? To those that hopefully will report it, from the Midwest to down south, what a great way to celebrate the birth of our beloved nation. Why not visit New York, take our hotel rooms. Book early, because they’re going to go fast. Spend, spend, spend. Enjoy this Fourth of July in America’s national city, New York City. Thank you so much.

[Applause]

Mayor: You can see he’s taken on his new role with gusto. With that, we welcome questions on topic first. Questions on topic, questions on topic.

Question: I have some questions. First of all, is this a permanent change, or is it going to alternate [inaudible]? And secondly, as you noted, before [inaudible] for some time, clearly you were a little [inaudible] this year. Can you tell us a little bit about how the discussions went? When you started [inaudible]?

Kule: Your first question was is it permanent. And that answer is no, it’s not permanent. We’ve got a 50-year history of doing the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks. We’ve always been nomadic in nature. We’ve moved from place to place. We were on the West Side for five years. We’re extraordinarily pleased to be back on the East Side, but I’m sure when there’s something else to celebrate – or a reason to move – we will look to do so. There’s anniversaries to celebrate, there’s important milestones to embrace, and very often that will require a move of the fireworks.

Mayor: I think that’s a factually true statement, but I’ll simply say, I savor this new location and we’re going to do everything we can to make that as typical as possible – as frequent as possible. On the second point, look I think a lot of us said for a long time that the common sense was there. Remember, the fireworks moved after decades, because of the Henry Hudson anniversary. And that, as Amy said, is the kind of anniversary to understand why for one year that change was made. But a lot of us felt it was time to bring it right back, just so so many more New Yorkers could enjoy it. And I think that that logic won the day. And obviously making clear that we would do everything we could to facilitate it and make it work well for Macy’s. I want to say, it’s not only great what Macy’s does for the city every day, but this new element of firing some of the fireworks from the Brooklyn Bridge, is really going to add a wonderful new element to this. I think we were just talking about the TV presentation, I think, is going to be amazing for the national audiences. So I think this is a step forward for everyone, but I think it was really about where there’s a will, there’s a way. Saying that this was a priority for this administration and we would do all we could to help make it happen.

Question: First of all, logistically firing from the Brooklyn Bridge, are you going to have to close the bridge? Is it going to be closed for the whole day? You know, anything like that. And then also, the second question is, is it going to cost the city any more money this year than it has in years past, because New Jersey was providing security for their side of the river, and is not going to be this year?

Kule: As far as closing the bridge, we are working with all the city organizations on just how long the bridge will be closed. It’s been an incredible learning process, walking the bridge as long as we’ve been going it, and today there was another walk-through. And working with our fireworks provider, there’s been a shortcut in helping us produce this show, where a lot of the fireworks are going to be pre-staged and then put on the bridge. So this will enable as little disruption as possible. It won’t be an all-day closing, and it won’t be an all-night closing.

Question: During the actual [inaudible]?

Kule: It will most definitely be closed during the actual fireworks, yeah.

Mayor: On the other question – yes, there will be some additional security costs. And I think it’s well worth it, considering that hundreds of thousands more New Yorkers will be able to benefit from this. I mean, this is a – again, in a world where few things are free, this is something that’s free. It’s something that’s been valued for generations, people missed it when it was gone. So and obviously for generations, we did cover the security needs on both sides of the East River, and we’ll go back to doing that. And we think this is something that will really benefit a lot of people in this city, particularly the folks who don’t have the opportunity to go to the kind of entertainment that costs a lot of money. This is something they look forward to all year, and it’s worth the investment.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: We’ll get you the details on that.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Louder.

Question: Can you just explain a little bit more, are the fireworks going to be on top of tiers, are they going to be on the sides of the bridge? How is that [inaudible]?

Kule: We will, as we get closer to the Fourth of July, will release exactly where they’re going to be fired. There’s going to be lots of information that will come out. Right now, I don’t want to spoil the surprise that you’ll hear with a month and a half to go, but we’ll have three barges on the river, and we will be fully taking over the Brooklyn Bridge with a pyrotechnics display that you’ve never seen before.

Question: Mr. Mayor, [inaudible] in Hoboken –

Mayor: Louder.

Question: We were over in Hoboken this morning, and [inaudible] appointment?

Mayor: I’ve got nominations over here. I will be magnanimous. Come over to Brooklyn, thank you Marty, that’s a good start. Come over to Queens. Come on over and enjoy it with us. I think, again, when you think about how many people in Brooklyn and in Queens – I’m just thinking in terms of total population, 2.6 million people in Brooklyn and 2.3 million people in Queens, both growing – and you think of how much of the population is concentrated near the river, it’s just a way to reach a lot more people. So regardless of what state you live in, a lot more people are going to benefit. Now, I happen to represent New York City very proudly, so my interest is making sure as many New Yorkers as possible benefit and that’s what we did. Folks from New Jersey will be more than welcome to join us on that special day. But I want to emphasize what both Melinda and Marty pointed out, they’ll be welcome to spend their money while they’re here.

Question: Obviously you’ve been asked [inaudible] for some time. Are there other locations around the city that you’d like to see this, where there could be multiple boroughs, [inaudible] of even moving [inaudible] up the East River?

Mayor: I think we’re always open minded, but this again was the [inaudible] and it reached so many people. This particular location is just wonderfully situated to reach –

Reporter: [inaudible]

Mayor: Well, okay then. But the – more parts have felt like that – but the notion here is what will allow us to reach the largest number of people and restore what was a great tradition. That’s what we acted on, but we’ll certainly be open minded in the future.

Question: Amy, when – can you tell us before the five years on the Hudson, how many years it was at the location before that?

Kule: Yeah, we were on the – we were in various points on the East River, and we moved up and down the river. It was quite a while, there’s no doubt about that. You’re absolutely right. It was a very long history, but it wasn’t a stagnant history. Even in the millennium, we surrounded this island, and that would certainly be fun to do – do you want to do that?

Mayor: Definitely.

Kule: That’s okay. It’s – you know, we’ve always moved, up and down the East River. It’s a great space to do the fireworks, it’s a wide straight river. But the people of New York – the New Jersey question resonates with me – the people in New York and New Jersey, they’re not afraid to travel. You know, commuting is easy. Everybody does it every day going to work. We go from Brooklyn, we go to another borough. We are on the East Side and anybody who has seen it in the past five years, who has gotten used to it being over there, the mayor is absolutely right: come on over here. There are beautiful public spaces to see the Fourth of July fireworks come to life. In Queens, in Brooklyn, there are gorgeous vantage points to see it. And nobody’s ever afraid to travel around this city. It’s very easy to do.

Question: Question for Amy. Other than the Brooklyn Bridge being the fourth barge, are there any major changes [inaudible] the locations of the barges or any other [inaudible]?

Kule: There’s creative changes. As we move the fireworks, not only are the fireworks moving, but the whole feel of the show is going to change. It’s the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner. We are going to embrace that. We’ve got an incredible musical score that we will talk more deeply about as we move forward. It’s going to be a 26 minute show. And it’s completely different, from a creative vantage point, than it was last year.

Question: [inaudible] narrow [inaudible]

Kule: I’m not sure that I said it posed challenges. It’s certainly narrower, and we’ve had a great, long history of doing the fireworks. It’s a fine river to be having the fireworks, and we have a great history of doing it. The challenges are really just creative ones, and how to make it be very different, more colorful, and more dynamic. And through the changes in technology, so are the changes in the artistry that we will bring to life.

Question: What about boaters who want to come and watch the fireworks in the river. Will you be closing down the river? Are there any limitations to this?

Kule: The government agencies and the city agencies will talk all about the closures, the best vantage point for those on foot, those with chairs, those who are picnicking, and certainly those that will be on boats, yes.    

Question: There was a – years ago – a centennial Brooklyn Bridge. Are you guys going to try to replicate [inaudible]?

Mayor: Marty, do you remember the Brooklyn Bridge?

Markowitz: Oh I remember.

Mayor: You remember it well, don’t you?

Question: There were some incredible pyrotechnics, like a waterfall coming off the bridge –

Kule: You will see incredible pyrotechnics this year, I can promise you that.

Reporter: Ready for a little off topic?

Mayor: Off topic. Can Amy take the off topics too? I’d like that.

Question: [inaudible] specifically, what would have to go into it for the city, [inaudible]

Mayor: I think it’s a very important idea, I strongly support it. I have a particular vantage point, being a son of a World War II vet. And everyone knows, in those years, there was such a clear sense of welcome home. There was such a clear sense that we celebrated those who served their country. And in later wars, some of that tradition was much less clear, it was much less embraced of the men and women who did the fighting. I think it’s important to have the parade to show the respect that we have for those that did so much for us. Obviously, we have a lot more to do, and I’m sure the Congresswoman would agree on this point – we have a lot more to do to help people beyond parades, with their mental health needs and their physical health heeds, and employment opportunities. But the parade is powerful because it’s a focal point to say that here are these hundreds of thousands of Americans who served us, and need our support and need our recognition. And they deserve a lot more praise, I think, than they’ve gotten. So whatever the logistics are, certainly this city knows how to do a parade. And we will do whatever it takes to make it work.

Question: There’s been some issues recently with Airbnb and its use of apartments, and also there’s another investigation for a number of things. Are you mulling any additional regulations of the firm or someway to kind of keep a better eye on what they’re [inaudible]?

Mayor: I think this is a scenario we still haven’t sorted through – all levels of government haven’t sorted through. And we have to get to it, because obviously at this moment, it exists on a pretty wide level. And so there are revenue issues, there are security issues, there are issues of law enforcement – all of this needs to be looked at. So it’s certainly something we’ll be doing on the city level, working with our partners in the state government as well, but it’s something that I think in general, government is grappling with as a new phenomenon.

Question: The Independent Budget Office released statistics today that show the one percent made almost half the city taxes for 2011. Mayor, you talk a lot about the middle class, the working class, the other New York. But I’m wondering, when you hear statistics like that, are you grateful at all that there are so many wealthy people in New York paying?

Mayor: Of course. I mean, look – I think this is – when I say it’s a city for everyone, that means everyone. And I do appreciate those who contribute a lot to the city in terms of taxes, and many of them are very charitable on top of that. That being said, the issue we’re facing, as I talked about on Thursday, is a growing inequality crisis. So there’s no contradiction between saying that we appreciate those who have done well and contribute to our tax base. We very much appreciate those who have done well and create jobs here, or donate substantially to charity here. But that appreciation does not contradict the fact that we have an inequality crisis gripping this city and this nation, and it has to be addressed very aggressively – but we simply won’t be able to provide the kind of opportunity we need to, for the future of our citizens, we won’t be the same city. That was pretty much what I was trying to get at Thursday. We will not be the city we love in the future, we won’t be a place of opportunity if we don’t make some structural changes, and quickly. Yes, Jill?     

Question: This weekend, you and your family did that lovely ritual of going to see colleges –

Mayor: We did.

Question: What was it like? Was it the first visit? What’s Dante considering?

Mayor: Dante is very open minded. He’s looking at a lot of different places and it’s exciting. It’s exciting to, you know, see through his eyes as he looks at schools and think about his future ahead. He’s only a junior so he has some time, but this was really the first chance for him to start experiencing it and feeling it. You know, it’s amazing to think about life ahead, and sort of, just listen to the other students. And also, for me – you know, in my role as a public servant – it was very encouraging. We talked to a lot of students who I thought had a real passion in terms of their desire to help the world, and the things they wanted to do up ahead. And it was pretty encouraging about where this next generation is at.

Question: Would your administration be open to some sort of [inaudible] that would somehow protect open spaces from super tall buildings?

Mayor: Well, I’d have to see what that means. I think the fact is, this is by definition a tall and dense city, and you know, that’s part of how I’ve said repeatedly – if it’s the right places – that’s part of how we achieve the growth in housing we need, the growth in affordable housing we need, the job creation we need. But it depends on the location, and not every location of course is meant for greater height and density. So I’d have to see what that idea looked like specifically to be able to judge it. You got one, is there anyone from before that didn’t get one? You’re okay, you’re up.

Question: There’s been some questions raised about the legitimacy of the voting process for Long Island College Hospital. Are you satisfied with the ranking of top hospital bidders that were near the top of the list?

Mayor: I haven’t looked into the intricacies of the process. I do think the fact that the process yielded a facility with a very substantial healthcare element speaks volumes. I think we said from the beginning that if we looked at what would be possible on this site, made sure the community had a seat at the table, empathized the need for continuity in healthcare, that we could get a good result and one that would be economically viable. It’s always the name of the game to find something that would be – have a lasting positive healthcare impact on this community and be economically viable. And from what I can see of the process, that’s exactly what it’s yielding. Thanks everyone.   

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