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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 157-09
April 6, 2009

MAYOR BLOOMBERG DISCUSSES USING TRANSPARENCY AND INNOVATION TO KEEP GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDS 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, April 5, 2009

“Good Morning.  This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. I’m a big believer in the idea that transparency in government makes for good government.  Transparency allows the public to see exactly how their elected leaders are performing, and to hold them accountable for results.

Particularly in a down economy, it’s important to know that your tax dollars are being put to the best possible use.  In New York City, we’re determined to stretch every dollar further, and to let the public see how we’re doing it.  Last week, we launched a new tool that will let citizens track how we’re using the stimulus dollars that are coming to us as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that President Obama signed in February. It’s called the ‘NYC Stimulus Tracker’ and can be found on the City’s website at www.nyc.gov .

“The Federal stimulus funding will allow us to immediately get to work on critical transportation projects in all five boroughs.  Using Federal dollars for these projects will also free up some City funding that we’ll now be able to use to jumpstart 25 other infrastructure repair projects that had previously been stalled.  Taken together, these infrastructure projects have a total value of $1.1 billion, and are expected to create or preserve some 32,000 jobs, both in construction and in other industries.

“On ‘NYC Stimulus Tracker,’ you’ll be able to see where all the projects are, when contracts for them have been approved, and who the contractors are.  It’s a great example of our commitment to provide accurate and up-to-date information about performance, but it’s not the only one.  In fact, our Department of Education is about to launch another powerful online tool called ARIS Parent Link. ARIS is already providing regularly- updated information on student performance to our teachers and principals. Later this year, it is also going to be available to every public school parent or guardian in the city through a parent portal we’re creating.  Using ARIS Parent Link, parents and families will be able to get the full picture of their child’s current and past performance in the classroom with just a few clicks of the computer mouse. 

“Later this year, it is also going to be available to every public school parent or guardian in the city through ARIS Parent Link.  Using ARIS Parent Link, parents and families will be able to get the full picture of their child’s current and past performance in the classroom with just a few clicks of the computer mouse.

“We’ve also made city government more transparent by creating the Citywide Performance Reporting Online System at www.nyc.gov.  CPR, as we call it, is a revolutionary tool that gives citizens online access to critical agency performance measures.  It was recently nominated for a prestigious ‘Innovation in Government Award’ from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  This year, our city was nominated for a total of eight of these innovation awards – more than any other state or city in the country.  The nominations highlighted such successful policies as PlaNYC, our ambitious sustainability agenda, the management training programs in our Fire Department, and our groundbreaking anti-poverty initiatives.

“We’re proud that New York City government is recognized as a real leader in using innovation and transparency to keep ourselves accountable to the people we serve. And here’s one more way we’re going to stay on the cutting-edge:  This spring, New York will hold the first entirely online public election in U.S. history.  All parents with children in New York City public schools are invited to participate.  From April 6th to 12th, you’ll be able log on to a special website to cast an advisory vote for the parent leaders you want to represent you on the Community and Citywide Education Council. For more information on the election and where to vote, please call 311.

“This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.  Thanks for listening.”







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser   (212) 788-2958




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