Ken Mitchell, Executive Director, Staten Island Zoo: Well, good afternoon everyone. My name is Ken Mitchell. I'm the executive director of the Staten Island Zoo. It's my privilege to welcome Mayor Adams here, along with Borough President Vito Fossella, and our great commissioner, Laurie Cumbo of Cultural Affairs. You know, [with] the Staten Island Zoo, we've [been] very generously given approximately $15 million to our sensory, what we're going to do with the Children's Center. The Children's Center was built in 1968. So you think about it, like, I'm probably the oldest person in the room next to Vito.
We're privileged and honored. We service approximately 180,000 visits a year, 20,000 of our school children, and the sensory center will be incorporated into that, and it's my privilege to be here today. And I think Marie has a gift for the mayor. You get zoo swag when you come here.
Mayor Eric Adams: Is it under $50?
Mitchell: Way, way under $50. Way under $50. But you know, my mother always said, if you can't be brilliant, be brief. So I think it was Roosevelt who said that, but I'll give her credit. It's my privilege to present you with Mayor Adams at the Staten Island Zoo.
Mayor Adams: Job well done. Good stuff. Good stuff. You know, just keep rocking and rolling. I think during the first week in office, we were out here in 2022, we had a snowstorm, and the schools were open, and it was just a pleasure working with Vito and his entire team throughout these four years. You're not going to find a better advocate for the people of Staten Island. And we cannot say enough for what you've done for the borough that was once called the forgotten borough.
They were not forgotten under this administration. We spent a lot of time here in Staten Island, from the previous garbage dump, to the parks, to what Laurie has been doing. [What] Commissioner Cumbo has been doing around the cultural locations. Commissioner Rodriguez, what you have been doing around the parks. Just a lot of time out here in Staten Island and leaving our mark. And so, Ken, thank you. This is the first time I've been in a zoo, now that I think about it. You know, I'm going to have a lot of time to visit zoos. A lot of time.
You know, just visiting the city I made great. So I'm looking forward to doing that. And we're excited to be out here, because this is an important announcement. Parks are not just a place for flowers. It's a cross-pollination of culture and people. It's a great equalizer. It doesn't matter who you are, and what status, what degree, what neighborhood you're from. When you come to the park, you have to understand that everyone is equal. It's a great pollinator of people, ideas, and cultures. So public space is precious. It's something that we've put a lot of time in, from the days of being borough president, now as a mayor.
New York is a five-borough city. It's not just Manhattan centered. Each borough is important, because the people of the city are important. And under our administration, we have always made it clear that we have to catch up when it comes to Staten Island. For far too long, they were being denied. We want to make sure we put the resources here.
So today's announcement is just the latest example of this administration's five-borough concept and mindset. And with the partnership of the borough president, my good friend Vito Fossella, we are proud to celebrate nearly $30 million in investments in several parks and recreation projects throughout the borough, invested from our Best Budget Ever.
And Laurie and Commissioner Rodriguez, they fought hard for it. This funding would upgrade Bloomingdale Park Playground, the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, and the Staten Island Zoo, expanding access to these public spaces and improving quality of life for all Staten Islanders.
The reconstruction of the Bloomingdale Park Playground will transform it into a vibrant and safe place for children and families. It will include new play equipment, a spray play area, fencing, security, lights, and updated electrical and water utilities. Among the many developments to the Snug Harbor campus, our investment will modernize both the Staten Island Museum and Noble Maritime collection, with lab classrooms for students and renovated air conditioning for visitors.
And right here at Staten Island Zoo, the new funding will support the creation of an interactive education center, will provide children and visitors with an enrichment experience themed around sensory abilities in people and animals. I said it before and I'll say it again, our parks are public spaces that play a crucial role in the peacefulness of our neighborhoods. They offer a sea of greenery in the concrete jungle and an area to relax in a city that never sleeps.
They keep our city vibrant, and they are where our quality of life can thrive, and that is priceless for New Yorkers. Whether it's our pools and what we've done around pool spaces, swimming instructions, and renovating pools, If it's our beaches, our parks, New York City has space for everyone. And because we have always said that public space is not a privilege, it is a right, we are giving New Yorkers the right that they deserve.
The summer breeze may have faded, but we will continue to tell New Yorkers, we outside. Come outside, enjoy [the] outside. I know the tree lighting yesterday was a great festivity, and you're going to see tree lightings throughout the five boroughs. And so, I want to turn it over to my friend Vito Fossella. Job well done.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. And let me just say this to the outside, I know we're here to make these announcements, but on any given day, especially in New York City, public service is almost like ultimate fighting, right? It's a steel cage match. Steel cage matches comes to mind very often. And since day one, actually almost four years ago, I was elected on the same day as Mayor Adams. And as he mentioned, one of his first days in office, we met over at Pier 60 to highlight his priorities about education and keeping kids–
Kids were going to be a focus of the administration, and we were going to work together. And for the last four years, invariably, every time I picked up the phone to say Staten Island needs something, Mayor Adams was there for the people of Staten Island. I don't know if we're going to have another public announcement before the end of the year, but Mayor Adams, I'd like to thank you publicly for your service to the city. And we've got Ken Mitchell here. Commissioner, thank you for always being available and accessible.
We're also lucky to have a great borough parks commissioner in the home, Joe Homsey. He's committed to making sure that this community remains the Borough of Parks. We want people to get access, not just to open space and passive recreation, but active recreation. We've been committed to doing that. We will continue to do so. Snug Harbor, actually, we were there yesterday to announce a number of initiatives and support for our cultural institutions. It is a gem, not just in Staten Island, but in New York City.
People come from around the world, and we're committed to helping them. And of course, here at the Staten Island Zoo, we chose this room because we wanted to make sure everybody had a happy Thanksgiving. I will stop there because Eddie Burke will go on forever, and I'm going to borrow his joke. They're in schools, but these kids from St. Peter's are not in school right now. I went to Farrell, but we love the guys at St. Peter's. Great, great school, generating a lot of young leaders throughout Staten Island. My father-in-law was an alum of St. Peter's about 100 years ago. God rest his soul.
But the zoo has always been a beacon of allowing what this really should be all about, giving the next generation the opportunity to appreciate, to enjoy, to grow, to be curious, and to learn how to live and work together, and to have fun. And to have fun. Almost 200,000 people come in and out of this facility every year from around the world. It's great that they coordinate and have school trips. Kids learn. These kids should just be kids. And the folks here do a great job of connecting with them.
And we want to just make sure that in Staten Island, New York City, but especially here in Staten Island, every child, no matter where they're from or who they are, whatever they may be, on Staten Island they will get a great opportunity and great exposure and access to everything imaginable that we can give them. That's all we can do. And like I said, I want to thank the mayor, because a few months ago, he called and said we have a little extra money left over in our budget.
We want to be helpful. Normally I don't want to get into the budget process, but typically when it's over, it's over. And it was over. And he called, he said we have a little extra money left over, what are the priorities? And we agreed on these three. Snug Harbor, Bloomingdale Park, which we were there at the inception almost 30 years ago, and it's booming and continues to grow, and we need to provide access and more opportunities for the South Shore community and the zoo. And without hesitation, once again, Mayor Adams said “absolutely,” and that's why we're here today. Thank you.
Mayor Adams: Come on, commissioner, do your thing.
Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, Department of Parks and Recreation: Thank you, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you so very much. And welcome, everyone, to the Borough of Parks, right? Wonderful Borough of Parks. And of course, I have to say, you can't have any better leadership than we have right here in front of us here today. So I just wanted to say, again, Joe Homsey, who is our borough commissioner, wonderful advocate here for parks, and thank you so very much for acknowledging it.
And I will have to say, before I say my speech, because it will be a little bit redundant, we have young people over here that are juniors and seniors at St. Peter's, and I'm sort of trying to recruit them to become lifeguards. But good morning, everyone, and I'm so happy to be here to celebrate these amazing improvements coming right here to Staten Island, including those at Bloomingdale Park.
So Bloomingdale Park is a gorgeous 138-acre green space in the Blue Belt. It features natural wetlands as well as active recreation space. Thanks to the $5.6 million investment, this park's playgrounds will be fully reconstructed and create a more vibrant and welcoming space for the community. An upcoming capital project will bring, of course, new play equipment, new spray showers, as we know, the climate, we need the spray showers. New fencing, new plantings and landscaping.
We'll also be adding new safety lighting, which is exceedingly important, and improving drainage to prevent flooding in extreme weather conditions. We are so exceedingly, exceedingly grateful to Mayor Adams and the Borough President Fossella, for funding these improvements in this borough, and for their continued support of our parks and amazing green spaces. We expect to begin designing the new playground this coming spring after a community input process where members of the community can share their vision for the space.
In addition, we are ready to start construction now on a separate capital project to renovate the park's basketball courts. Bloomingdale Park is an essential place for recreation for Staten Islanders. That is why we are so thrilled to bring these wonderful enhancements for the community. When we make these investments in our public spaces, we're doing more than just making and engaging places to be, but places to enjoy and to be fruitful with. We are also enhancing public safety, bringing communities together, and making our city more livable.
From the start, this administration has prioritized improving park amenities in this borough, and that includes the ever-wanting, it's necessary, the Mary Cali Recreation Center that will be right here in this borough, which we are excited to be opening up next year, and this amazing North Park section of Freshkills Park. This turned a section of a former landfill to a beautiful park now filled with wildlife.
Under this amazing administration, we've completed $86 million in Staten Island in capital projects alone. So that goes to show you the investment that this administration has done in this marvelous and wonderful Staten Island. Once again, thanks, Mayor Adams, and thank you to the Borough President Fossella for the continued support. Thank you so very much.
Mayor Adams: Good job. And you know, it's so imperative that when we have these budget conversations that we have someone that understands cultural institutions and what Commissioner Cumbo has done with baselining our allocations to our cultural institutions [and] advocacy. It has just been truly amazing. From her days as a City Council person and now as the commissioner, we could not have had a better cheerleader for cultural institutions. I want to turn it over to the amazing, consistent, vocal supporter of cultural institutions, Commissioner Cumbo.
Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, Department of Cultural Affairs: Thank you. And if I could, if I could have my sisters in culture, please join me. We have the executive directors of the Noble Maritime, Snug Harbor, Historic Richmond Town, the Staten Island Museum. We are a dynamic group of dynamic cultural women leaders, and for diversity, we put in the great, great, great Kenny Mitchell [as] the executive director who we utilize for the diversity in this all-women crew of cultural leaders. We had to have a guy in there just to round it out.
But I just want to thank our mayor, Eric Adams, for this incredible opportunity, this incredible administration. This administration is going to go down in history as the greatest cultural administration of all time. It is undisputable. We have increased in these four years the cultural budget by $75 million in expense funding for this city. We have baselined that budget by $45 million, and that increase has not happened since 2008.
And Mayor Eric Adams wanted to make sure that all of this funding was going to be able to be realized in all five boroughs. In addition to that, we expanded the cultural institutions group by five institutions. This is the largest increase to the cultural institutions group since the 1970s. It includes the Noble Maritime right here in Staten Island. The Louis Armstrong House in Queens. It includes Pregones, [which] has a theater in Manhattan, as well as the Bronx. In Brooklyn, it includes BRIC Arts Media, which we are super proud of.
And we wanted to make sure that all five boroughs were represented, and so that is the reason why we have done this extraordinary expansion, to make sure that this can be felt in all five boroughs. Mayor Eric Adams wanted to make sure that we don't just prioritize Manhattan. He wanted to make this a five borough city, truly. And in addition to that, we were able to expand the Cultural Arts Council, right here in Staten Island, by 15 percent, so that more artists would have an opportunity to be able to participate in the cultural vibrancy of New York City.
But this is an incredible day, an incredible administration, and I just want to thank Vito Fossella, our borough president, for his incredible leadership, because this doesn't happen, all of these announcements, without partnership. And our borough president has been extraordinary, and I also want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the work that you've been doing on Sandy Ground, and making sure that on the southern shore of Staten Island, this prominent Black community is preserved, and the history of those incredible individuals that were here in Staten Island, that that history is preserved.
We have so much more to do, but we've come in an extraordinary way, and I'm so proud to recognize that we have done this through true partnership, and I thank all of my colleagues that are here, because we have really, really continued to thrive, and to expand the visibility of Staten Island, because we know that cultural vibrancy is economic development for this borough. And the more we invest in art and culture, the greater Staten Island will be, the stronger it will be.
And my son, who is eight years old– [who] comes here so often to the Staten Island Zoo, this is one of our favorite places. And I just want to conclude by really thanking the young men that are here today, because they are part of the Staten Island Zoo Club, there is a club, so I want to make sure that we shout them out. But I just want to add, for the young men that are here today, this press conference is really for you, it's really for the next generation, your students, your colleagues.
We're hoping that in the next few years, you are standing at this podium, and advocating for Staten Island on so many levels, because you're witnessing and seeing history happen right here before your very eyes, and you certainly are going to be a part of taking that legacy to the next generation. So thank you all so very much, and I'm now going to turn it over to the greatest cultural mayor of all time, Mayor Eric Adams.
Mayor Adams: Thank you so much. You gotta let me know if you want me to answer, or my friend in the back.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: [Inaudible]...what are you particularly most proud of?
Mayor Adams: I think that the development on the North Shore, the housing, we partnered with the councilwomen there. For many years, they have been trying to accomplish that, and we were able to get it done. And I think what I'm really pleased about is what Vito and I have been able to accomplish. You're seeing partisan politics play out across not only the country, but the globe, and we both stated, the election is over, it's time now to deliver for the people, and we did that over and over and over again.
And so, that's an important chapter in this administration, our ability to reach out across the aisle, come together and just work for working class families. And we're just two blue collar guys that want to help the working class people of this city, and I'm really proud of that.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: Last night you signed two executive orders that are important to the Jewish community. I wonder if you could talk about them and the message you are trying to send?
Mayor Adams: It's not important just to the Jewish community. I think that we fail to realize our connectivity, and when we talk about Israel, one of those EO’s we're dealing with BDS, the move to disinvest in Israel, to not have investments in our stock funds in Israeli companies. I don't think people realize the innovation that's coming out of Israel, how it is helping the mother in Brownsville. The technology that Israel is creating is improving the life of a person who's dealing with an ailment in the Bronx.
When you start stating, because of our political personalities, that we're not going to allow investment in places that are creating advancements in science and quality of life, it's going to impact us on the ground. We have to stop believing that we are on an island. No, we are connected.
And so, I believe that we need to stop this thought process that we're not going to, number one, have Israeli in our bonds, making those investments, which are doing well, and it's helping pension funds. I have a pension, and I want the best investment, and politics should not get in the way of that. And I don't believe we should do anything that's going to stop the development of technology in Israeli companies. And so, that's why I signed the executive order dealing with BDS and the investment in our stock markets.
But also I signed an executive order of protesting in front of houses of worship. It's unimaginable to me that we've reached a level of disrespect, that when I go to find some spirituality and walk into a church, a synagogue, a mosque, a Buddhist temple, that someone is out in front of that place yelling at me, screaming at me, calling me names, making me fearful of [whether I] should I go.
I don't want folks that live in the city and have to pause [on whether] they should wear their hijab or not, or calculate their steps to the synagogue when they have to take off their yarmulke or their Star of David. This is not the city that we're in. Houses of worship, they're sacred places, and we should treat it with the respect that it deserves. What happened a few weeks ago was despicable, and it should not happen.
I don't want– if someone is walking into St. Patrick Cathedral to go to pray, to deal with stress of life, someone should not be standing outside saying anti-Catholic comments. It should not happen anywhere in the city, and that's why I signed those executive orders. Now, if the incoming administration wants to reverse them, that is on their watch, but on my watch, houses of worship are sacred locations.
Question: Why do you think that at this point, people feel it’s okay to go to the synagogue or return to a mosque and disrespect those who want to go in ?
Mayor Adams: I'm going to have a whole lot to say when I'm out of office. But I don't know who we're raising nowadays. Just common decency. We have turned into a mean place where I have to yell you down. I can't disagree with you based on comments, I have to be disrespectful. We've never had a city where people stood in front of houses of worship and did those mean things. Standing in front of a synagogue calling for “globalize the intifada,” that means kill Jews everywhere.
And if we're not all saying that's wrong, is it going to be all right if someone stands in front of St. Patrick Cathedral and says “kill Catholics everywhere” Or stand in front of St. Paul's church and say “kill Christians everywhere” This is just wrong, and leadership demands that we stand up and call it out for what it is. It's wrong. It's mean, it's wrong, and when you do it like that, you're doing it to hurt people in a real way. The politics of the Middle East has nothing to do with a family that's going inside their house of worship. Plain and simple.
[Crosstalk.]
Mayor Adams: Okay, first thing I'm going to do is point to my staff who's going to determine who I'm going to call next, okay? Go ahead, who am I calling next?
Question: I’m curious, did you and the mayor-elect discuss antisemitism at all in your meeting on Monday? And I’m also wondering why didn’t you make it more public, and why didn’t you appear with him afterwards? Was there any thought behind that?
Mayor Adams: Our conversation was a private conversation. If he wants to talk about it, he can feel free to do so. That is up to him. When we sat down, everyone that knows me, knows that I believe private conversations are private conversations. And this is his time. I'm not trying to overshadow him.
I'm just finishing up my last 20-something days. I've got a lot of work to do, a lot of things I want to do in these 20-something days, and I'm trying to get out of the way. I'm just– do your thing, lay out your transition, put your vision in front of you, and I'm not trying to get in the way of that. I want the mayor to succeed, but I'm not going to disappear, because I love the city and I'm going to continue to fight for the city.
And so when someone says, why didn't you do the BDS before, we did the IHRA definition before. We opened the Office of Combat Antisemitism before. We've done things around Asian violence. We did Hidden Voices in school. We're going to continue to do things as it escalates. When I saw what happened in front of the synagogue, I called the first deputy mayor and said, “that's unacceptable.” So in the next 28 days, I'm going to do the same things I did in the last three-and-something years. When something comes up that I believe needs to be responded to immediately, I'm going to respond to it immediately. That is how I operate.
Question: I'd like to hear your responses. I think your answer is really important. Recently, you added 5,000 police officers to the budget. You signed the two executive orders last night. What would you say to people who are going to suggest you're trying to sandbag the incoming mayor?
Mayor Adams: I'm the mayor. I said that the first day I was elected, and I said it periodically. And the mayor is not about abandoning your obligation and responsibility just because there's someone incoming. I have a job to finish. I have not landed the plane on the aircraft carrier and said mission accomplished. I have more stuff to do. We have more stuff to do. You know, there's a host of other things that we're going to churn out. I said this before. We're going to continue to churn them out.
Now, at the end of the administration, based on the powers that are vested in the incoming mayor, he can make a determination of what he wants to do with it. Just as Bill de Blasio did. Bill de Blasio put in place many things that I had to make a determination to continue or not to continue, based on them. I had to find the funding for pre-K. I had to find the funding for the Summer Rising program. I had to find the funding for a host of things that were put in place.
And if you do an analysis of the people who sit on boards, like the Campaign Finance Board, those are not my people. I have one appointment. The decisions that are being made on me are based on previous mayors' appointments, not my appointments. And many of my boards that I have, have overlapping appointments. So, I have been really under the previous administration. That's the business that we're in. That's what the charter has laid out. I follow the rules of the charter. And the rules of the charter states, Eric, you’re the mayor until December 31st.
Question: Just to kind of follow up on that, with a thing like BDS though, are you thinking at all about some of –given how sharply, in contrast, you were with the mayor-elect during the campaign season on a lot of these issues, are you thinking about making some of these decisions because you know he's on the other side of that?
Mayor Adams: No, I'm thinking about what the need is, as I've always done. What's the need? The need is to say, “Hey, guys, let's look at who received the largest number of Nobel Peace Prizes globally” Israel. “Hey, guys, who did I partner with as borough president and mayor to bring Israeli companies here because of the innovations based on my several trips there?” Israel. Who's benefited from Israel development and technologies successes and advancements? Communities throughout New York City. So I'm making a smart decision, not an emotional decision.
You take investment out of Israel, you don't have the technologies that are going to help our grandmothers, our grandfathers, our children. And it's very interesting, people sit down at computers and type on computers using the apps that are developed in Israel to say BDS and boycott Israel. So, why do you boycott their products then? I mean, you're using the products, but you want to boycott them. I'm astute enough to know that we must do what's best for the city and best for the country, and Israel is our best partner in that region.
And the same people who state “destroy Israel” state “destroy America.” Same people. So who's your friend? My friend is not with Hamas. Hamas wants to destroy America. My friend is not with Hezbollah. Hezbollah wants to destroy America. My friend is not with ISIS. ISIS wants to destroy America.
So, what– I mean, am I missing something here? The person who's saying they want to support us, we want to denounce, and the person who says they want to destroy us, we want to lift them up. That just doesn't make sense. This is about who's your friend. Israel is a friend of America in New York City. Okay, I got to bounce.
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