Speaker Christine Quinn's State of the City Speech 02.09.12

8/3/2019 Speaker Christine Quinn's State of the City Speech 02.09.12

1/12

City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn

Thursday, February 9, 2012

State of the City Address

Remarks as prepared

The story my father just told, like many of his stories, takes place on East 96th Street where hegrew up. My father left Yorkville at 17 years old, when Uncle Sam called. But some 70 yearslater, listening to him talk about the old neighborhood, you can close your eyes and picture it.Women hanging laundry out the windows. Children playing kick the can in the street. The smellof cabbage cooking down the hall.

People who have never visited New York often see it as an intimidating metropolis, cold andimpersonal. But New Yorkers know the truth. We are not a big city. Were a patchwork of smalltowns woven into neighborhoods, stitched together to form boroughs, creating the fabric of whatwe call the City of New York.

And for many New Yorkers, our neighborhoods are shaped not by city blocks, but by the peoplein our lives. Parents at your childs school. The grocer who knows you by name. The faces yousee at church or shul or the mosque. The friends and relatives you lean on for support.

And new communities are being built every day. A few months ago, Council Member Sara

Gonzalez and I met with a group of women from Sunset Park. They had come together to form aworker owned business cooperative providing cleaning services for homes and offices inBrooklyn. They call their business Si Se Puede Yes We Can. These women are firstgeneration immigrants. Some dont speak much English. And for years they worked on theirown, barely making enough to support their families. Now these amazing women are doing morethan just surviving theyre thriving beyond what they ever imagined.

They worked together with a community organization called the Center for Family Life todesign a business plan, and market their services around the borough. Some have tripled theiryearly income but thats not the most important thing theyve done.

One woman came to the meeting with her daughter, who was about to become the first memberof their family to go to college.

She said that seeing her mother become a small business owner had changed her, inspired her,made her believe she had the potential to get an education. The women of Si Se Puede have builtsomething a community that extends well beyond the lives of its members. Its already inspiredtheir children. Its led other women in Brooklyn to start cooperative businesses of their own.


2/12

See, thats the incredible thing about communities. Whether its a group of women in SunsetPark, or a bunch of Irish and German and Italian immigrants packed into 96th Street. Theres anenergy created when New Yorkers are brought together, like a chemical reaction. That energy iscontagious, it lifts you up and carries you to greater heights, it makes everything bigger than justthe sum of its parts.

Now more than ever, we need to tap into the power of our communities. We need to restore thepromise that everyone can succeed in New York, no matter how humble their origins, with a bitof help and a lot of hard work.

So today lets talk about ways we can use the strength of our communities to create opportunityfor every New Yorker. To protect our neighbors in greatest need, and help more of them achievethe dream of the middle class.

To overcome the biggest challenges facing every community: chronic unemployment, the highcost of housing and health care, and lack of access to quality education.

*****

New York City was built by generation after generation of immigrants who came here to pursuethe American Dream. Like the women of Si Se Puede, they started their own businesses, and setto work shaping our communities from Arthur Avenue to Richmond Hill. Many arrived on ourshores unable to read or write. But they dreamt that one day their children could grow up to bedoctors or lawyers or engineers, and New York City helped make those dreams come true.

We have to keep that dream alive for future generations. Thats why well be working withCouncil Member Melissa Mark Viverito and our colleagues in Albany to pass the DREAM Act.Because every child in New York State should have the ability to go to college.

But we cant stop there. Right now more than 600,000 New Yorkers are dying to becomeAmerican citizens and have a legal path to get there, but the high cost of immigration servicesholds them back.

We need to help these New Yorkers get on the road to citizenship. Unfortunately, mygrandmother Nellie is no longer around to serve as a de facto immigration lawyer. But the goodnews is weve found an even better solution using real immigration lawyers. Working withCouncil Member Danny Dromm were going to dramatically increase the amount of freeimmigration services in the five boroughs.

Mayor Bloomberg deserves a lot of credit for his work to make New York City an even morewelcoming and supportive place for immigrants from around the world. Well build on his andthe Councils current efforts, by adding weekly legal clinics in 30 immigrant neighborhoods.

Just think about the difference that citizenship will make in the lives of thousands of ourneighbors. Theyll be able to tap into all the promise of New York City. And well be able to tapinto their energy and passion and ideas, to make our city even stronger.


3/12

*****

Now lets talk about one of the greatest challenges facing New Yorkers in every neighborhood unemployment. A few months ago, I laid out the Councils vision for strengthening our economy

and getting New Yorkers back to work. I focused on two areas: harnessing the potential of thetech industry, and restoring the jobs that serve as a gateway to the middle class.

Im proud to say weve already made progress on many of the ideas we proposed. We talkedabout linking DUMBO, the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Downtown Brooklyn into a thriving techtriangle. In the last few months, industry leaders in all three corners have launched a formalpartnership.

And the first ever venture capital fund in the borough has formed to support new tech companiesin these neighborhoods. This fall, were going to launch our new software language certificateprogram at CUNY. This is a booming field tech companies literally cant fill these jobs fast

enough. Were going to give New Yorkers the skills they need to get them.

These initiatives will help get New Yorkers back to work but theres plenty more that needs to bedone. So today I want to focus on three strategies that build on these efforts. First, well harnessthe potential of some of New Yorks strongest industries. Second, well create job opportunitiesin neighborhoods with high unemployment.

And finally, well remove the barriers that keep many New Yorkers from accessing good jobs.Sometimes we hear people talk about job creation as though were starting from scratch. Wedont need to create brand new industries. We just need to take the strengths we already have what New Yorkers have created and make them go even farther.

So whats one of the industries that New York is known for? Design. We have more designersthan any city in the United States, with nearly 40,000 New Yorkers working in everything fromgraphics to movie sets, architecture to interior decorating. Well grow our design sector bystealing an idea from the fashion industry.

Fashion Week, which starts today, brings 300,000 visitors and nearly $800 million into our cityevery year. Working with Council Member Karen Koslowitz, were going to give that same kindof boost to our design industry by creating and hosting a New York City Design Week.

It will be a global event, attracting visitors from around the world, and putting our designers rightin the spotlight. And well work with community groups who are already hosting design events,like a group on Staten Island that already holds a digital design event on the North Shore. Peoplewill head to Bushwick to watch local artisans create custom furniture. Astoria can feature its filmand television studios, while Cooper Union highlights the next generation of design genius. Themore we market our design industry, the more job opportunities therell be for New Yorkers.

These are good, middle class jobs, ranging from marketing to manufacturing. And speaking ofmanufacturing, our city is primed to become a center of next generation manufacturing.


4/12

Nowadays, this industry requires high tech equipment, which can be too expensive for smallmanufacturing firms to afford on their own. So working with Council Member Letitia James, theBrooklyn Navy Yard, and a local company called Macro Sea, were going to build a state-of-the-art shared manufacturing center. Itll provide equipment, studios and office space for 200

professionals and students.

Creative New Yorkers designing engine parts for motorcycles, or building custom chairs. Ourcenter will be a hub for industry training and innovation, and help dozens of new businesses getoff the ground.

Our second strategy will empower people to invest in neighborhoods with high unemployment.These days communities dont just exist in a physical place they also exist online.

Theres a Lower East Side tech startup called Kickstarter that uses the energy and potential ofonline communities to bring investment to real-world neighborhoods. Heres how it works:

someone with an idea for a community project or a business venture posts a proposal on theKickstarter website. People pledge money, and in return they get a reward. Were going to workwith Kickstarter and Council Member Al Vann to help people raise money for creativebusinesses and projects in neighborhoods with high unemployment. Every month the CityCouncil will highlight a new set of people working to transform their communities.

Like a group in Brownsville that wanted to start an urban farm on an abandoned lot, and teachkids about healthy food. Kickstarter helped them raise $25,000, and investors got invited toharvest some veggies, or name one of the chickens. And who wouldnt love to name a chicken?A couple of entrepreneurs are looking to start a new restaurant in Clinton Hill. Theyve alreadyraised $1,400, and if they hit $10,000 by the end of the month, theyll be creating dozens of jobs.

Local residents will have the chance to contribute to projects they want to see in theirneighborhood. And people all over the city and all over the world will be able to supportNew Yorkers who are making a difference and giving our economy a boost.

Another way we can target community investment is by helping small businesses expand so theycan hire more workers. Theres a federal program called the New Markets Tax Credit. Everyyear New York City uses New Markets credits for construction. But weve never used them forsmall businesses to help a moving company buy more vans and hire more movers, or a localrestaurant open a second location and create new jobs.

So this year Im announcing that well be partnering with Council Member Inez Dickens,Economic Development Corporation President Seth Pinsky, and Small Business CommissionerRob Walsh. Well create a $10 million dollar small business loan fund exclusively for businessesin high unemployment neighborhoods. And the best part is, it wont cost the city a dime.

*****


5/12

All these initiatives Ive mentioned will help us create more job opportunities. But for some NewYorkers, the barriers to employment extend way beyond just a shortage of jobs. The averagelength of unemployment stands at 41 weeks the highest its been since World War Two.

And the longer youre out of work, the harder it gets to find a job. New Yorkers unemployment

benefits are running out and many have had to dip into their retirement savings to get by. Butthey arent giving up.

Many are looking to get an internship and learn new skills but they just cant afford to work forfree. So working with Council Member Diana Reyna and SBS, were going to launch a brandnew pilot program called New Skills, New Jobs. Participants will spend up to eight weeks in apaid training program at a company that has a full time job opening.

Theyll get a new set of skills, and on completion of the program theyll be hired on a permanentbasis. With New Skills, New Jobs, well get hundreds of New Yorkers on the path to a newcareer.

As we look to help people get back into the workforce, the most infuriating stories we hear arefrom people whove been turned down for a job just because theyve been unemployed for toolong.

Imagine youve spent every day for months looking for work. Now they tell you the reason youcant have a job is because you dont have a job. Some companies say its their policy. I say itsdiscrimination, plain and simple. And just like weve done with other kinds of discrimination,were going to make it illegal.

I want to thank Borough President Scott Stringer for calling on the State and City to take action.I want to thank Senators Liz Krueger and Andrew Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly MemberKeith Wright for introducing bills to ban this discrimination statewide. But we wont wait forAlbany.

Well pass legislation sponsored by Council Members Leroy Comrie and Vincent Gentile,prohibiting employers from refusing to hire someone just because theyre unemployed. Wewont let discrimination prevent New Yorkers from getting back to work.

Another major obstacle for many New Yorkers is balancing the demands of a job with thedemands of a family. Were grateful to Governor Cuomo for restoring cuts that would have costthousands of local families their child care.

Theres a lot more work to be done, and were committed to working with community advocatesto protect and expand child care for low income parents. But theres a group thats been left outof the conversation altogether: middle income families who cant afford to pay for child care outof pocket, but make too much to qualify for subsidized programs.

Child care can be a daunting expense for new parents. Its much easier for them to spread out thecosts over a few years. So working with


6/12

Council Member Jessica Lappin and Senator Daniel Squadron, were going to launch a pilotprogram, where the City covers half the upfront costs of child care, allowing families to pay itback over time through a low cost loan.

This program is the first of its kind in the nation and could become a model that provides

financial stability and quality care for families across the country. Because its not just abouthelping people get jobs today. Its about keeping them secure far into the future, and making surethat the next generation has the opportunity for success.

Another growing cost for New York families is health care. Premiums are up more than 50% inthe last ten years, and many employers have responded by asking their workers to contributeeven more. But some employers have found innovative ways to provide top quality health carewhile reducing everyones costs.

The Hotel Workers Union, under the leadership of Peter Ward, has created a network of one-stopclinics where union members can receive any care they need, free of charge. By building a

medical community, and providing their own insurance, the union has developed a system soefficient they can offer free coverage at 1/3 the cost of the average HMO.

You may think that sounds crazy. I think its crazy weve waited so long to try and replicate theirsuccess. So this year well bring the Hotel Trades model to a group of New Yorkers that has ahard time affording health care freelancers.

Independent workers like temps or copy editors now account for 30% of the workforce, and onein four make less than $25,000 a year. Through the leadership of Sara Horowitz, the FreelancersUnion has created a growing community of over 93,000 members in the five boroughs. Workingwith Council Member Maria del Carmen Arroyo, were going to help the Freelancers launch aflagship clinic, to provide low cost care to any member who needs it. This kind of creative healthcare model has the power to connect more New Yorkers to primary care, take some of the burdenoff of struggling hospitals, and strengthen our non-profit healthcare system.

*****

Its impossible to talk about rising costs without talking about housing. How many of you canremember the first time you laid eyes on your home? Not just your house or apartment, but yourhome in the truest sense of the word.

You could imagine the pencil marks on the door frame as you watched your kids grow. Youknew exactly where youd hang that big screen TV once you saved up the money, picked out aspot for the recliner when you retired.

For far too many New Yorkers that dream gets cut short. They moved into affordable housinghoping theyd be there for the rest of their lives. Then they discovered that affordable nowdoesnt mean affordable forever.


7/12

Right now, when the City negotiates deals with developers, we provide incentives in exchangefor affordability. The problem is that affordability has a built in expiration date, usually thirtyyears. So homes we built three decades ago are now in danger of losing their affordability.Which means families get pushed right out of their homes, and the working class gets pushed outof entire neighborhoods. Sometimes working with community members we are able to find

ways to keep buildings affordable beyond the expiration date. Like when Council Member HelenDiane Foster helped protect more than a hundred homes at the birthplace of hip hop 1520Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. But other times, were not so lucky. We need to create housingthats not just affordable for a few years, but for generations.

So lets talk about an idea thats long overdue in New York City permanent affordability. Foryears its been thought of as a pipe dream. But the City Council has a plan to make it happen. I'mhappy to announce that HPD is going to start requiring sixty year affordability in many of ourbiggest developments.

Sixty years isnt permanent, but its a critical first step. I want to thank Council Members Erik

Martin Dilan and Joel Rivera for their leadership on this issue. I want to thank Senator AdrianoEspaillat and Assembly Member Vito Lopez, for agreeing to sponsor the necessary legislation.

But we wont stop there. Our goal will be a new kind of deal with developers as long as the Citykeeps renewing your benefits, you have to keep your housing truly affordable. I'm very gratefulto HPD for agreeing to work with us to develop a strategy for permanent affordability. This workwill continue until we get there. With permanent affordability, well make sure the people whobuilt a community get to stay in that community.

Now theres another group of New Yorkers whose homes are getting less affordable: our citysveterans. New York State has a homeowners tax exemption for veterans. But through a strangequirk in the law, the value of their tax exemption rises and falls not with the value of their homebut with how much the City spends on public schools. The more we spend on schools, the lessveterans get. Is that a classic government kick in the pants, or what? I could tell you how thisproblem came about, but like any other part of our property tax code it would take an hour toexplain. Im happy to stick around afterwards, if anyone wants to chat. But I think we can allagree that we shouldnt be punishing veterans every time we help students. Were going to stopthis by introducing legislation sponsored by Assembly Member Michael Cusick and SenatorAndrew Lanza that will fix the problem. Its the least we can do to thank the men and womenwho have done and do so much for our country.

And I want to recognize Council Members Vincent Ignizio, James Oddo, Mathieu Eugene, andLew Fidler for all their work on this issue.

As we work to provide all our neighbors with an affordable place to live, we cant ignore thegrowing number of homeless New Yorkers. There are currently 10,000 families living inhomeless shelters in New York City, some with children just a few months old. If these kids aregoing to have a fighting chance, we need to get their families back on the path to stable housing.But for many, our shelter system has become a dead end. Without a rental assistance program forthe homeless, most families have no way to access long term housing.


8/12

They either end up back on the street, or return to crowded shelters night after night. Thats notthe New York City we know. This is a city that catches you when you fall, and helps set youback on your feet. Thats why Council Member Annabel Palma and I are calling on the City tocreate a new program to get homeless families off the streets, out of the shelters, and into their

own homes.

Working together we can create a brand new rental assistance program to help families coverrent in private buildings. And we need to prioritize homeless New Yorkers for NYCHAapartments and Section 8 vouchers, so we can get even more families into long term stablehousing. By the way, this isnt just the right thing to do, its the fiscally responsible thing to do.The average cost of a rental subsidy for a family of four is $800 a month. To house that samefamily in a shelter? $3,000.

Now its not enough to just make sure New Yorkers have a place to live. We need to make surethose homes arent falling apart. One of my first jobs in New York City was as a local housing

organizer. I remember the frustration we felt watching bad landlords let a building deteriorate sothey could push out tenants and sell their building for more money.

Ive made it my mission to tackle these problems head on. This year well expand on the successof our Safe Housing Act, a law we passed in 2007. It's already made top to bottom renovations inhundreds of the city's worst buildings.

Now we'll pass legislation, sponsored by Council Member Gale Brewer, that allows theDepartment of Housing Preservation and Development to target the root cause of a housingproblem. I want to thank Commissioner Mathew Wambua for working with us on this initiative.

Instead of just fixing water damage, landlords will have to repair the hole in the roof that'scausing it. Slumlords will have to spend real money and fix the real problem or well haul theminto housing court.

As we crack down on these bad landlords, we need to keep in mind that the City hasnt exactlybeen a model landlord either. Ask any tenant at NYCHA. Theyll tell you stories about waitingyears for repairs that take less than an hour to make.

NYCHA is supposed to be the cornerstone of working class affordability in our city. We cantallow it to be another form of sub-standard housing. We have to find a way to get these repairsdone in a responsible amount of time. Part of the problem is NYCHA just doesnt have enoughfunding to make all the needed repairs. So this year, the Council is stepping up our commitmentto NYCHA. Working with Council Member Rosie Mendez and NYCHA Chair John Rhea, weregoing to add money to their budget so they can make more than 100,000 additional repairs in thenext year.

And most of those repairs will get done as soon as a problem is identified. Not in a year. Not in amonth. Today.


9/12

Best of all, well create 175 new jobs. And better than best of all, well offer those jobs toNYCHA residents who can get trained in new skills and on track to a union career.

We have a responsibility to make communities livable for all New Yorkers. We have just as biga responsibility to make sure every community is safe. Commissioner Kelly has made great

progress reducing crime in the five boroughs, and Mayor Bloomberg has been a national leaderin the fight against illegal guns. But theres always more work that needs to be done.

After a series of tragic shootings last summer, the Council convened a Task Force to CombatGun Violence chaired by Council Members Jumaane Williams and Fernando Cabrera. The taskforce is made up of community leaders and anti-gun violence advocates from all across the fiveboroughs.

Theyre looking at the many factors that contribute to this problem, and theyll be releasing a setof full recommendations later this year. But we cant wait another minute to take action againstgun violence.

So weve developed an initiative we can put into action right away. Members of the task forcespoke about places in their neighborhoods that seem to invite criminal activity. Abandoned lotsand overgrown parks. Blocks where streetlights are missing or burned out.

Weve learned from experience that taking a ground level approach to fix these problemsproduces real results in decreasing crime. So starting this spring, were joining forces withcommunity leaders and Criminal Justice Coordinator John Feinblatt. Were going to launch aprogram in five neighborhoods that have more than twice the citywide average of gun violence.We call it Youth SHIELD which stands for Safe Havens, Improved Environments, LocalDevelopment. Working with community leaders and local youth, well survey theseneighborhoods and find every spot that invites crime, or gives criminals a place to hide. Thenwell work with city agencies and residents to make repairs. By harnessing the power ofcommunities, we can and will make our neighborhoods safer for all New Yorkers.

*****

The last point I want to discuss today might be the most critical for the future of our communitiesand the future of our city education.

Imagine for a moment that you had the opportunity to rebuild New York Citys education systemfrom scratch. What would you do?Would you create a dozen separate agencies to oversee different parts of a childs life? Wouldyou have government officials working in a vacuum? Would you focus on children only betweenthe hours of 8 and 3 and only between the ages of 4 and 17? Or would you build a system thatrecognizes and respects the role the whole community plays in educating our kids? One thatviews education as a continuous journey from cradle to career. What if I told you we could buildthat system without starting from scratch?


10/12

Cities like Houston and San Francisco have found ways to layer this community education modelright on top of their existing schools. Cincinnati started doing it in 2003 and graduation rateshave already gone up by double digits. Cincinnati did this under the leadership of a womannamed Nancy Zimpher, who now just so happens to be the Chancellor of SUNY. Thats the great

thing about New York we can steal the best talent from everywhere else in the world.

Well Cincinnatis loss is New Yorks gain, because Chancellor Zimpher has agreed to help usapply what she learned in Cincinnati right here. Were calling our program the StudentEmpowerment Partnership or STEP for short. Working with Council Members Robert Jackson,Jimmy Van Bramer, and Peter Vallone Jr., were going to roll out STEP starting in District 30 inQueens.

Well do it in partnership with a community group called Zone 126, a grassroots organizationthats already started recruiting the partners and collecting the data we need to make thisinnovative vision a reality.

So heres how it works: first we look at all the specific challenges facing students and theirfamilies, at every stage of their development. Then bring together community groups, cityagencies, parents, teachers, CUNY, and Chancellor Walcott and the DOE and we see whateveryone can contribute to help these kids succeed.

Educators will coordinate at every level, even if they arent in the same schools. So the preschoolis teaching vocabulary that will get kids reading at grade level when they reach elementaryschool.

And high school students are learning key study skills so they can manage their time in college.Well make sure teenagers have something productive to do after school, whether thats an artprogram or a part time job. NYCHA housing can host adult education classes, so parents willfeel more confident helping kids with their homework.

In short, well work together to strengthen every aspect of a childs life all with a focus onimproving academic results, and their long term success. Once we figure out how to make STEPwork in Queens, well expand the model to schools in all five boroughs. Our ultimate goal is tohave high quality schools in every community. Because parents shouldnt have to send theirchild halfway across the city just to get a decent education. Having choice is a very good thing.But our city will never have real school choice until every family has a good choice right in theirown neighborhood.

Itll take time to implement STEP citywide. But that doesnt mean we have to wait to give kidsaround the city a better education. We can start with something thats proven critical for everystudent early childhood education. Every year nearly 3,000 5-year-olds in New York Citydont enroll in kindergarten. Not pre-K kindergarten. You may be as surprised as I was to learnthat kindergarten isnt mandatory. That means thousands of kids enter first grade every yearhaving never set foot in a classroom. Many of them are kids who need kindergarten the most.


11/12

Children of immigrants who are still learning English. Kids with special needs. Foster kids, orchildren in transitional housing. What kind of message do we send to parents when we as a citytell them its not necessary to enroll their kids in kindergarten? Were going to make sure wenever send that message again and that all our kids have the best possible start.

Were working with the State to pass a bill allowing New York City to make kindergartenmandatory. I want to thank Council Member Steve Levin for his work on this important issue.And I want to thank the DOE and Chancellor Walcott for joining with us in the movementtowards mandatory kindergarten.

And by the way, if were really going to embrace a cradle to career philosophy, we need to stoptreating our public colleges like second class citizens. CUNY used to be the model of a publicuniversity system. But for decades weve been cutting back on their funding. ChancellorGoldstein and everyone at CUNY deserve tremendous credit for what they do every day withsuch limited resources. Imagine what they could do if we actually gave CUNY the funding theydeserve.

But believe it or not, we left $71 million dollars in State funding on the table last year, becausethe City didnt pony up its share. In this years budget, under the leadership of Council MemberDomenic M. Recchia, Jr., the Council will be pushing for a full $71 million in additional capitalfunds to CUNY.

That means a total of $140 million that CUNY can use for renovations and upgrades. Thisfunding will help CUNY fulfill its original mission: providing an affordable education that rivalsthe best private schools in the nation. There was a time not so long ago when City College wasknown as Harvard on the Hudson. It counts among its graduates Colin Powell, Upton Sinclair,and our own Ed Koch.

And most importantly, City College was free which meant the best and the brightest our cityproduced could get a world renowned education without a nickel in their pocket. We need toprovide that same top quality education to the brightest students in New York City again.Chancellor Goldstein and Dean Kirshner have taken a great first step with the Macaulayprogram. It provides honors classes for a group of our best students, free of charge.

But if we really want to have an institution that can compete with the nations top schools, weneed to build an honors college, complete with its own campus, and the best faculty in the world.

I want to thank CUNY for agreeing to work with us and with Council Member YdanisRodriguez, to explore models for making this honors college a reality. Just imagine futuregenerations of Nobel laureates, discussing philosophy or technology while walking through theirquad, or having spirited political debates in their cafeteria. Lets give our brightest students anincentive to really work hard in school the promise of a free education, and a degree that canopen any door.

*****


12/12

Thats how we make good on the promise of New York. By ensuring that every generation hasgreater opportunity than the ones that came before.

Thats why the people of East 96th Street helped each other through the daily trials of life in theGreat Depression. Its why the women of Si Se Puede are working so hard to make a better life

for their children. And thats what people who have never been to New York dont understand.They look at our city, and they cant see the people for the crowds. But we see New Yorkers, theteacher, the firefighter, the furniture maker. New Yorkers coming together, creating the energythat fuels our city, building products that people around the world clamor for. Living andlearning secure in the promise that we can shelter and educate our kids, care for the leastfortunate among us, and dream attainable dreams about how much we can do for ourselves andeach other. Working hard because New York is a ladder that always leads us to greateropportunity.

The poet Muriel Rukuyser said that our reach must always exceed our grasp. Some of ourchallenges may seem at first beyond our grasp. But we have the responsibility and opportunity to

reach farther. Street by street, school by school, neighborhood by neighborhood, reachingtogether to become a city even greater than the sum of its parts. We began with a story my fathertold. Let me end with a truth all our fathers and mothers knew instinctively and believed whole-heartedly. That the dream of every New Yorker is always within our grasp. That opportunity isnot a privilege but a promise. And that there is no greater power in the world than the power ofour people the people who inhabit the small towns that make up the great City of New York.

Thank you.

###

City Council Press Office: 212-788-7116

Documents

Speaker Christine Quinn's State of the City Speech 02.09.12