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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 044-08
February 10, 2008

MAYOR BLOOMBERG THANKS CITY WORKERS FOR DELIVERING SUPER BOWL TICKERTAPE PARADE IN WEEKLY RADIO ADDRESS

The following is the text of Mayor Bloomberg's weekly radio address as prepared for delivery on 1010 WINS News Radio for Sunday, February 10, 2008

"Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

"New Orleans may have had Mardi Gras, but if you were looking for the biggest party in America last Tuesday, there was only one place to be: Lower Manhattan. That's where the New York Giants celebrated their amazing come-from-behind victory in Super Bowl 42 with one of our city's world-famous tickertape parades up Broadway's Canyon of Heroes.

"In the path of past heroes like Charles Lindbergh and John Glenn came the gifted Eli Manning, the inspirational Michael Strahan, the masterful Coach Tom Coughlin, and, of course, the parade's biggest guest-of-honor - the one-and-only Vince Lombardi Trophy.

"This was the first time that our city had held a tickertape parade for one of our football teams - and it was an honor well deserved. That's because the Giants were a team which embodied the best of New York. They never gave up. They believed in themselves, even when they were down. And it was this faith that helped them to prevail during the Super Bowl, to pull off the unbelievable and to inspire the nation. Decades from now, I'm sure that glorious night in Arizona will be remembered as one of the greatest games ever played.

"It was an incredible game - and what followed was almost as incredible: planning Tuesday's parade. That was largely because we could only do so much preparation in advance - for fear of jinxing our team's chances. So the moment the game ended and Giants fans started celebrating on Sunday night a dedicated team of City employees, representing more than a dozen agencies, began laying the groundwork for another celebration. And barely 36 hours later, we staged one of the greatest victory parties this city has ever seen.

"The numbers really tell the story: 15 floats, 12 marching bands and 11 double-decker buses and convertibles paraded up Broadway. A sea of fans stretched as far as the eye could see. Some 36 tons of confetti fell from the sky. Ninety-six Keys to the City were presented to players, coaches, and management. Four-hundred-and-fifty volunteers tended to every detail. More than 500 press credentials were distributed to media outlets from all over the country. There were very few incidents of trouble or public disorder. And using my favorite number - 311 - we held a public lottery for tickets to the post-parade victory rally at City Hall. That's really the beauty of 311. It's innovative and adaptable, and lets us serve the public in new ways we never anticipated.

"Just as impressive was the cleanup. Within minutes of the parade's conclusion, more than 300 Sanitation workers armed with hand brooms, leaf blowers, and mechanical street sweepers charged up Broadway, clearing away the debris - including more than two tons of paper that was recycled (the first time that's ever been done). The streets were reopened by the evening rush hour. And by Wednesday morning, you could walk down Broadway and almost imagine that nothing out of the ordinary had happened the previous day.

"But of course, it had. Tuesday's parade was nothing short of extraordinary. It was yet another chance for us to show the world that nobody puts on big events which are safe and exciting like New York City. And it was a clear demonstration that nobody has spirit like New Yorkers - nor a municipal workforce that is so skilled and dedicated. Most of all, though, it was the perfect way to thank and honor a team that has taken millions of fans on an unforgettable ride to the top.

"This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Thanks for listening - and let's do it again next year!"







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser   (212) 788-2958




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