"Good Morning.  This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

"Recently we've begun to see some hopeful signs of recovery in our economy. Employment is increasing in a variety of sectors. In fact, some 9,500 more New Yorkers had jobs in February than in January. That's the first such monthly increase in nearly two years. Broadway ticket sales and other indicators of tourism activity - a subject I'll come back to in a minute - are headed in the right direction. That's good news for an industry where so many of our newest New Yorkers get their first toehold in the local economy. 

"We're still a long way from full recovery, but one of the reasons we can be confident about our future is that we've continued to make New York City a great place in which to live and work.  And nothing is more important to our quality of life than public safety.

"This morning, crime in our city is nearly 40 percent lower than it was in 2001. We've reduced crime every year during our Administration; it's down 2.3 percent so far this year, too.  Murders hit an all-time record low of 471 in 2009. While we're not quite on pace to match that this year, we are on track to have the third-fewest number of murders in almost 50 years. Murders are down 10 percent from two years ago; they're down 35 percent from 2001; and they're down 77 percent since 1993. Not so long ago, crime was a top concern of subway riders.  But during our Administration, we've cut subway crime nearly in half; it's down 7 percent so far in 2010, too. 

"Ensuring public safety is City government's most basic responsibility. It's also the most basic concern families and businesses take into consideration when they're deciding whether to move to, stay in, or visit a city. And there's no question that families and businesses think New York is safe today, and is going to be safe in the future. The evidence: Our population is at an all-time high of 8.4 million people - and still growing. One of the nation's major airlines, JetBlue, just decided to expand its headquarters in Queens instead of relocating to Florida. We're also the top tourist destination in the U.S. - and international tourism and hotel occupancy are up significantly in the early months of this year.

"We've made New York the nation's safest big city because we take the mission of reducing crime very seriously. We'll continue to deploy police officers strategically - where they're needed most and where they'll do the most good. We'll also continue to push our partners in Albany and Washington to help us keep illegal guns off our streets. We're not going to give an inch in combating crime - and that's why I'm confident that the trends of the past eight years will continue, and that crime will go down during 2010, too. 

"Before signing off this morning, let me also remind everyone that if you haven't yet filled out and returned the 2010 Census forms you recently received in the mail, the deadline for responding is coming up fast. It's this Thursday, April 15th. Every New Yorker uncounted in the Census jeopardizes our representation in Washington and Albany, and also translates into $30,000 in lost Federal funds over the next ten years for roads, schools, hospitals, and other essential services. Filling out the Census takes just a few minutes, and strict laws keep the information you give completely confidential. So answer the Census now; stand up and be counted for New York.

"This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.  Thanks for listening."