Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Meets With New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Assembly Member Walter Mosley, And Tenants to Discuss Protecting and Strengthening Rent Laws

February 8, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Welcome, everyone, to Ebbets Field. This is obviously a place with a – a lot of history, and a lot of meaning. But the meaning that we're focused on today is opportunity and inclusion, and a city for all, a city where everyone can live. That's what Ebbets Field has represented now for decades – the kind of housing available to working people, the kind of housing that keeps New York City a place for everyone, keeps it an economically diverse place. 

And you know in my State of the City, I said our number one priority this year is going to be affordable housing. And that is not just building new buildings. It is preserving the affordability we have – equally crucial. In fact, 60 percent of our plan – 200,000 unit plan – is preserving existing affordability, and not letting it slip away the way so much affordability has over the years. 

This is a key example. This is a huge development with many, many families who have been here for decades. We need to make sure this is a development that works for these families for the long term, that this housing is preserved, and that the quality of life is preserved and improved upon. We heard from the tenant leaders about a number of concerns they had – both in terms of protecting the housing here, and ensuring that we improve the services, repairs, et cetera – which we are very devoted to doing. But this is an example of the kind of place that does work, and can work even better going forward, and that we can't let slip away.

I want to turn to the speaker and the assemblyman, because – as everyone knows – the city of New York can do a lot to protect and preserve and build affordable housing, but we always need the help of Albany – not just the resources – we need Albany to step up in terms of enforcing our rent regulations – and one of the things that I'll be fighting for this year – in fact, to strengthen the rent laws, so we can protect people better. And I know we have incredible leaders and allies in that fight, who feel what that means to people in our city. 

The speaker is someone who understands the lives of people, not just in his district in the Bronx, but all over the city. I've known him for many, many years. And I feel great confidence in his leadership. When it comes to an issue like affordable housing, he's going to fight for the people of New York City, and he's going to see the faces of the families of this city while he's fighting that fight on behalf of all of us. So that's a very, very important fact. It gives me optimism for what the future will bring. It's my honor to introduce the speaker of the State Assembly Carl Heastie. 

New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. For a Yankee fan from the Bronx, it's a little strange to be standing here [inaudible] Dodger land. But the importance of, you know, me coming out here and sitting with the mayor is – and I've said this – you know, post-budget, I don't know if there's a bigger issue for the Assembly to deal with, and as a state, to deal with, in terms of rent regulation. And, so I wanted to come out here to our good colleague Walter Mosley’s district, just to let the tenants here know and let the mayor and the city of New York know, that is going to be our number one priority – to extend and strengthen rent regulations in the city of New York, to partner with the mayor and his vision for affordable housing.

Question: Are you talking about rent control?

Speaker Heastie: Yes.

Question: What are you – what do you most –

Mayor: All right, hold on. Hold on. 

Wiley: Hey, guys.

Mayor: So, we’re in the district of Assemblyman Walter Mosley, who really stood up for people in this community, particularly tenants who need protection. Again, this is a community right in the center of a lot development pressures, where the preservation of affordable housing is particularly urgent. Assemblyman Mosley’s made that a real focus of his work. Let’s hear it for Assemblyman Walter Mosley.

Assembly Member Walter Mosley: Well first of all, thank you, Mr. Mayor, thank you, Mr. Speaker, for coming to the 57th Assembly District. Nearly seven decades ago, this was the ground zero for Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier line, where he fought for liberty, justice, and freedoms that we all sometimes take for granted. For one of those liberties, we like to talk about is the necessary inevitability that we all need a place to live. And here, in Brooklyn, and particularly here in Ebbets Field, we find this to be the case in the affordable housing we’re trying to preserve. We want to thank the mayor and the speaker for coming here to Brooklyn, for putting a face on this issue and this crisis. And we know, we talk about rent regulations, and renewing it and strengthening it, but we also – we do that with our tenants in mind, with our constituents in mind, with their families and their abilities to live here, and to plan here, and to move forward in their lives. So again, thank you, Mr. Mayor and thank you, Mr. Speaker, for putting a face to this problem, because ultimately, that’s what we’re here for – to advocate and serve people that we represent every day. Thank you so much.

Mayor: Thank you, everyone.