Category Archives: Bill de Blasio

de Blasio Press Q&A: The Columbus Day Parade Edition



Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke with the press just before this morning’s Columbus Day Parade.  He began with a statement about his first town hall meeting, scheduled for Wednesday evening and intended to focus on tenant rent protections and the recent rent freeze.  Saying that “I know you guys are anxious to see the wonderful dialogue” the Mayor suggested that he will have additional town halls, adding that “you’re gonna see a lot of dialogue now and going forward.”

Question topics included the recent agreement with Governor Cuomo on funding the MTA’s capital plan and what New Yorkers should expect from the deal, whether he’s frustrated that many New Yorkers blame the City and the Mayor for MTA problems despite the fact that it’s a state agency controlled by the governor, what he would like the MTA to spend its capital funds on, a recent NYCHA report suggesting that drawing higher income residents close to NYCHA facilities harms NYCHA tenants, his relationship with recently indicted Nassau County businessman and de Blasio donor Harendra Singh, a REBNY lawsuit over a recently passed law restricting conversions of hotels to condo’s/co-ops, the Chase Utley slide which broke Ruben Tejada’s leg and his current relationship with Governor Cuomo.

de Blasio Press Q&A: The Pre-Papal Edition



Mayor Bill de Blasio and Timothy Cardinal Dolan came together yet again on Wednesday, this time holding a Bronx press conference to announce a program establishing a new program providing beds for homeless people linked with the providing of social services.  The Archdiocese of New York, headed by Cardinal Dolan, has committed to providing 150 of the contemplated 500 beds in the program.  de Blasio and Dolan spoke at a South Bronx shelter for homeless men operated by the Franciscan Friars.

Q&A:

The Mayor and Cardinal answered “on topic” questions, with topics including the geographic spread of the 500 contemplated beds and size of the expected facilities, the timeline for implementation, the availability of federal funding, security at the facilities, an existing Staten Island drop-in shelter and its spillover effects on the surrounding neighborhood, the process to assist people once they are in this program, the prospects of fulfilling the 500 bed goal and whether the impending visit of Pope Francis will boost the Mayor’s agenda on addressing homelessness.  Here’s the full Q&A:

Mayor Claws His Way To Victory



IMG_4740Mayor Bill de Blasio avenged his 2014 softball loss to the City Council, leading his team to a 13-12 victory last night.  Playing before a handful of fans at the Staten Island Yankees home stadium, the teams fought hard for the City Hall bragging rights at stake.  Our full photo gallery is here.

Mayor de Blasio boosted his team by enlisting Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo.  Oddo, a former City Council member, and de Blasio asserted that as an “executive branch” employee Oddo was eligible for the Mayor’s team.  Oddo razzed his former colleagues and raised the level of play for the Mayor’s team.

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Labor Day Parade 2015 (Updated)



The 2015 Labor Day Parade featured separate appearances from Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio.  Continuing their pattern of public cold shoulders Cuomo and de Blasio marched separately, although within sight of each other.  de Blasio joined a large contingent of labor leaders, including Mario Cilento, Gary Labarbara, Vinny Alvarez, George Gresham, George Miranda and Mike Mulgrew.  Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and, for part of the route Senator Chuck Schumer, also marched with de Blasio.  Cuomo was accompanied by a large contingent of elected officials, including NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, Queens BP Melinda Katz, State Senator James Sanders, Assembly Members Richard Gottfried, Guillermo Linares, Nick Perry and Michael Blake, and Council Members Margaret Chin, Ben Kallos and Daneek Miller.

de Blasio and Cuomo bookended the parade with separate remarks, de Blasio at the start and Cuomo at the end.  Here are their comments:

de Blasio/Schumer:

Saying that it was “my honor … to declare today that New York City is a labor town”, de Blasio pledged to “keep it a union town” and to “make it more of a union town.”  As his brief remarks were coming to an end de Blasio noticed Senator Chuck Schumer waving his arms and calling out to him.  de Blasio asked his audience “Chuck Schumer wants to speak, what am I gonna do with that brothers and sisters?”  He yielded the mic.

Schumer made a brief statement with his New York accent in high gear, working the Supreme Cawt, the #1 ansa and New Yawk into less than a minute of comments on Laybah Day.

Cuomo:

Cuomo gave a barnburner in support of his new mission of raising the minimum hourly wage to $15.  Standing in his soundtruck on Fifth Avenue, Cuomo’s speech in support of the “Mario Cuomo economic justice campaign” echoed off of extraordinarily expensive apartment buildings on one of the wealthiest blocks in the country.  The renewed progressive declared that “this state has the mantle of being the progressive capital of the country” and emphasized the “dignity” of workers receiving an increased minimum wage.  Bellowing that if “you stand in the way of the working families, they’re gonna knock you down”, Cuomo ended by pledging that “we will not stop fighting until we have $15 an hour, so help me god.”

Additional Parade Coverage:

Cuomo’s press Q&A is here.

Our parade photo gallery is here.

NYC Electeds Demand Federal Assistance For Puerto Rico (Updated)



IMG_3161New York City’s three citywide elected officials – Mayor Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate Tish James and Comptroller Scott Stringer – and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito joined a press conference today demanding federal action to address Puerto Rico’s deep fiscal and financial crisis.  Puerto Rico’s government and related public authorities owe more than $70 billion to creditors, an amount which Puerto Rico’s governor recently termed “unpayable”, with looming large payments pushing the Commonwealth toward a critical moment.

The City Hall Plaza press conference, hosted by the Hispanic Federation, called for a laundry list of federal actions, including implementing “a federal investment plan”, eliminating Jones Act requirements that goods shipped between Puerto Rico and other places in America be transported on U.S. ships with U.S. crews, changing the U.S. bankruptcy code to allow Puerto Rico and its government related enterprises to file bankruptcy petitions and urging President Obama to “explore a Federal Reserve loan” and “oppose severe austerity.”

Puerto Rico’s crisis is decades in the making.  With a shrinking population and a shrinking economy Puerto Rico has long borrowed to fund operating costs.  As described in a recent report commissioned by the Puerto Rican government, Puerto Rico’s fiscal shortcomings have been masked and ultimately worsened by poor fiscal and accounting practices.

The press conference produced an infrequent appearance of all three citywide elected officials and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito – the “CW3+MMV”, perhaps – at an event.  There appeared to be polite interaction among them, but no sign of great warmth.

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Continue reading NYC Electeds Demand Federal Assistance For Puerto Rico (Updated)

Bronx Love: The Cuomo/de Blasio Edition



IMG_3065There was lots of Bronx love tonight for Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio – but no sign of any love between them as they separately appeared at the Bronx County Democratic Committee dinner.

Cuomo arrived slightly after his scheduled 7:00 speech time, mixing for a few minutes.  He stayed for a short while after his speech, listening to Carl Heastie speak before departing.  He spoke briefly with a few reporters, concluding that Q&A and driving off just before 8:00.  Mayor de Blasio, scheduled to speak at 7:30, arrived about 5-10 minutes after Cuomo’s departure.

Cuomo was asked about his continuing friction with the Mayor and what’s evolved into mutual silent treatment.  “He is not here, I’m going to another event” said the governor about 20 minutes after the scheduled start time of the mayor’s speech, adding after a pause “I’m sure I’ll see him soon.”  The governor appeared relaxed and his additional comments were a bit empathetic, but he didn’t give any indication that improved relations are in the offing.

The Mayor spent close to 30 minutes greeting well-wishers after his speech, but left without answering any questions from trailing reporters.  His spokesperson said that Cuomo and de Blasio “will speak in the near future”, but refused to say when or where.

While the mini-drama is riveting, and offers the prospect of a good picture whenever the two finally meet, it’s beyond time for them to end it.  Their real policy and political differences won’t be resolved by a simple meeting, but the diminishment that they’re now both receiving can end.  Both look increasingly petty, but there’s a simple way for at least one of them to staunch that diminution and look “grown up” – just drive over to the other’s office, go in and say hello.

Update – Photo Gallery:

Our photo gallery is available here.

de Blasio Press Q&A: The 20,000 Units Edition



Mayor Bill de Blasio today touted a high level of affordable housing activity in the City, reporting that the City “financed the creation and preservation of 20,325 affordable apartments and homes during fiscal year 2015.”  de Blasio spoke at a Bronx press conference, accompanied by Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and several Bronx elected officials including Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Congressman Jose E. Serrano, State Senator Jose M. Serrano and Assembly Members Luis Sepulveda, Michael Blake and Latoya Joyner.

Puerto Rico:

Mayor de Blasio and Council Speaker Mark-Viverito both expressed support for federal government action to address Puerto Rico’s deep fiscal crisis.  de Blasio suggested federal financial assistance, urging the federal government to “take responsibility” for resolving the crisis and that it has both the “obligation” and “capacity” to do so.  Mark-Viverito suggested a change in federal bankruptcy law to allow Puerto Rico to file a bankruptcy petition and operate as a debtor under federal bankruptcy law (Puerto Rico, like states, is not eligible to do so).  Here are their full answers, including the Spanish portion of Mark-Viverito’s.

de Blasio v. NY Post:

The NY Post has extensively covered a single homeless man in recent days, detailing his public urination and other troubling behavior.  Here’s the Post and the Mayor today, beginning with a mayoral snap.

Continue reading de Blasio Press Q&A: The 20,000 Units Edition

Ticker Tape Parade Sights & Sounds (Updated)



IMG_2847They waved, they screamed, they loved.  Hundreds of thousands of fans enveloped the U.S. women’s national soccer team in a blanket of adoration Friday, as the team was feted in a ticker tape parade up Broadway and ceremony at City Hall Plaza.  The volume of paper raining down was modest in this post-ticker tape era, but the sound volume of the crowd was immense as screams and shouts of “Abby” and “I love you” filled the air.

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Click here for our photo gallery.

Continue reading Ticker Tape Parade Sights & Sounds (Updated)

de Blasio On Cuomo v. de Blasio



Mayor Bill de Blasio today stood fast on his pre-vacation comments about Governor Andrew Cuomo and their relationship, or lack thereof.  Returning from vacation, his off-topic Q&A at a press conference (focused on removing construction sheds from NYCHA facilities) was dominated by questions about the governor and their relationship.  de Blasio appeared careful to not increase the tension between them, but he also appeared fully comfortable with his pre-vacation comments.

Here are the portions of the Q&A in which the mayor was repeatedly asked about Governor Cuomo and their relationship:

Friends – A Video Montage (Updated)



Here’s a brief video look back at Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo over their shared time in office.  Their relationship, bumpy since Mayor de Blasio took office despite the oft-touted “friendship” from their time at HUD, has devolved into off-the-record sniping by the governor and on-the-record complaints by the mayor.  It’s not clear how, or if, the current friction ends, but with 2 1/2 years remaining in Mayor de Blasio’s term, and 3 1/2 in Governor Cuomo’s, there’s no escaping each other.

These excerpts and outtakes illustrate the early hoping-against-hope tact of Mayor de Blasio; publicly emphasizing their existing relationship and some putative shared policy policy goals.  As has been made painfully clear neither of those elements appear meaningful to the governor and, notwithstanding some moments of levity, time and retrospect treat many of Mayor de Blasio’s words harshly.

Mayoral Frustration – The Rent Regulation Edition (Updated)



Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference this afternoon to demand, beg and implore Albany to renew the City’s rent regulations.  Due to expire at midnight, the legislature has yet to act on the renewal and it’s currently uncertain what steps the legislature and governor will take on extending and possibly modifying the existing legal regime.

Linkage?:

I asked the mayor whether his communications with Governor Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie or Senate Temporary President John Flanagan have revealed whether the outcome of rent regulation renewal depends on the outcome of other issues.  The mayor responded somewhat cryptically, saying only that “we have not gotten a clear picture of how they’re going to play out the rest of the day.”  Here’s what the mayor had to say.

Update – Q&A:

Mayor de Blasio answered a lengthy series of questions on rent regulation renewal, the effects of non-renewal, the ongoing Albany negotiations, City actions in the event of non-renewal and more.  Here’s the full on topic Q&A: