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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 300-03
October 22, 2003

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW YORK CITY ANNOUNCE NYC COUNTS

“NYC Counts” to Provide Information on Federal Lawmakers who Raise Money Here on Key Issues to New York City

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Partnership for New York City Co-chairs Jerry I. Speyer, and Henry R. Kravis and President Kathy S. Wylde today announced NYC Counts, an initiative to strengthen New York City’s voice in Washington DC and ensure that the Federal Lawmakers who harvest New York’s City resources are sympathetic to the City’s interest.  NYC Counts will track New York-based fundraising activities of Federal Lawmakers and their voting and appropriation activities to ensure that New Yorkers are supporting lawmakers that support New York.  NYC Counts will also be a bipartisan voice for the City’s interest that New Yorkers can use to focus and coordinate their message when communicating with Federal Officials.  The Partnership is New York City’s leading business organization.

“New York City has an outstanding Washington legislative office and the Federal Government has been there when we needed them,” said Mayor Bloomberg.  “But we need all the help we can get.  Each year, New Yorkers get back approximately $.85 on every dollar we send to Washington.  This is a formula we have to improve; New York City cannot continue to be our nations ‘cash cow.’  When Federal officials from outside New York come here to fundraise and tap the resources of our great City, we should know where they stand on the issues that matter to us.  NYC Counts will help ensure that New Yorkers speak with a unified and coordinated voice and that our Federal Lawmakers know exactly what the City’s priorities are.”

“The Mayor and his staff have established a strong presence in Washington,” said Jerry Speyer.  “They have achieved significant victories during the past 18 months.  Given the Federal budget deficit, the challenge of competing for federal attention and resources is increasingly difficult.  We need ‘all hands on deck,’ working together in support of the City’s federal agenda.”

“Business leaders meet with elected officials from Washington all the time,” said Henry R. Kravis.  “New York City businesses have employees and operations in states throughout the country, where we have connections to non-New York members of Congress.  We have the access and opportunity to educate them about the importance of our City to the national economy.”
 
“Under NYC Counts, whenever political leaders come to NYC to raise money from us, they will hear a unified NYC message,” said Kathryn S. Wylde.  “This is a bipartisan effort to raise NYC’s visibility in Washington and enable us to use our clout on behalf of the city and the city economy.”

New York City has long suffered from an imbalance of payments to the Federal Government.  Since Senator Moynihan first issued his “FISC” in the 1970s. New York City sends as much as $8 billion a year more to Washington than we receive back.  New York ranks 40th out of the 50 states in balance of payments receiving $.85 on every dollar that the State sends to Washington.  This imbalance exists even after the additional security and rebuilding requirements that the City has undertaken since September 11th, 2001. 

New York City has long been the most lucrative fundraising City for candidates for Federal office and national parties.  In the 2000 election cycle, New Yorkers donated nearly $120 million to Federal candidates and national parties. In the 2002 election cycle, New York City residents donated nearly $33 million to Federal candidates and national parties.  New Yorker’s $153 million dollars of donation over the last two election cycles dwarfs the political generosity of the next two largest donor cities; Los Angeles residents donated  $82 million and Chicagoans donated $70 million over the same period.







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Edward Skyler / Jordan Barowitz   (212) 788-2958




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