Kenny Minaya, Commissioner, Department of Small Business Services: Good morning, everybody. My name is Kenny Minaya, and I'm the commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. I don't know if you know, but September is National Workforce Development Month. And no better way to celebrate than to open the Jobs NYC Center right here today. So welcome.
I grew up in this city. I went to New York City Public Schools, and then I graduated from CUNY schools, first City College and then the CUNY School of Law. And I remember each of my milestone graduations distinctly: high school, college, law school. There was joy followed by anxiety about entering the labor market. And there was always sage advice from an active or retired employee — City employee — from either my immediate or extended support network about the importance of taking blank civil service exam now, because there's no telling when the next one will be offered.
I didn't know it at the time, but I was lucky enough to have people in my life that worked in City government and could help me navigate what seemed like an opaque system. These chance encounters made the possibility of working in City government a viable option. That's the playing field that this center seeks to level.
This is a place where any New Yorker can walk into and get real help finding, applying for, and landing a job within their own city, no appointment needed. Right here, we'll run hiring halls where City agencies will come in and interview New Yorkers on the spot. We'll run workshops that break down the civil service exam process step by step. And we'll connect people to the training they need to get there.
Public service has long been one of the most reliable paths to a stable future for New Yorkers. Today, we no longer leave that path to chance encounters.
None of this would be possible without our close partnership with the Department of Citywide Administrative Service, the Department of Cultural Affairs, their Create in Place program and the incredible Jobs NYC team at SBS. They're right here wearing the sky blue shirts. Thank you for your service.
And none of this would be possible without a mayor who believes deeply in the transformative power of City government, and by extensions, city workers, to change the lives of New Yorkers. My fellow New Yorkers, please welcome Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. It is an honor to welcome you to the launch of the first in-person Jobs NYC Center here in Manhattan. Can we have a round of applause for our emcee for the day? It is such a pleasure to our SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya to be here alongside you.
I also want to acknowledge, as you heard from Commissioner Minaya, the importance of DCAS. We have our DCAS commissioner who is here with us, Yume Kitasei. And we want to acknowledge that we have partners here, our City Council members, who have been helping to lead this fight both in the chambers and outside of it. We have City Council Member Shirley Aldebol, who's here on my right. We have City Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry, who is the chair of the Small Business Committee and the chair of the Civil Service and Labor Committee.
And as you heard earlier from Commissioner Minaya, we also have here the NYC BEST team that we are so excited to be swearing in today. If we can have a round of applause for them as well. To them and to our Jobs NYC team, it is truly a pleasure to be here, because today we are rolling out our job menu. Like any good bodega breakfast board, everything on it is a variation of something that New Yorkers know and love. The BEC, or as we call it, Bringing Economic Change.
First up is an item that we at City Hall like to call an ECRJ. And no, I'm not talking about an egg and cheese on a roll with jalapenos, though that is incredible. I am talking about an extremely cool and reliable job. Every New Yorker deserves an ECRJ and the stability, good pay and benefits that it provides.
And yet for many New Yorkers, as you just heard from Commissioner Minaya, searching for a role in City government, that opportunity has long sat just out of reach. Piles of paperwork, bureaucracy that is impossible to navigate and a lack of application assistance have made it far too difficult for New Yorkers to find positions serving the city that they love.
Today, as we announce the official launch of the Jobs NYC Center, we are changing that. Thanks to the hard work of the public servants of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, this space, which had previously been left shuttered and vacant by past administrations, has been transformed into a bustling career center.
When New Yorkers walk through these doors, they will find workshops, trainings and agency hiring halls alongside job fairs. And beginning on Oct. 5, any New Yorker will be able to walk in between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and get help filling out paperwork and applications or connect with agencies that are hiring. And they can do all of those things without even having to make an appointment.
So often, New Yorkers looking for work struggle with loneliness and isolation. With this center, the job search will no longer be something that New Yorkers have to contend with alone but a process where they have the support and the backing they need.
We already know that services like this work because the next item up on our BEC menu is proof of it. We call it BEST. Now the breakfast sandwich aficionados out there might think that I am talking about a sandwich with bacon, eggs, sausage and tomato. And while the Jobs NYC Center will be serving up some of those later this morning — shoutout, I think we have them coming up — I am not talking about the sandwich in this case.
I am talking about our Business Express Service Team, NYC BEST, and its newest class, who are beginning their first day on the job. They are here with us today thanks to a Small Business Services hiring hall held here at 2 Lafayette following a commitment we made in Executive Order 18 to accelerate hiring across City government and to expand the BEST team specifically.
Now I know there are some who might wonder, is there room for everyone? I actually just heard from a Manchester City fan that he got hired. So clearly, we are not discriminating on who we are hiring. We are hiring the best of the best no matter who they love.
And after they take their oath of civil service today, each member of this team will make the lives of small business owners that much easier by acting as a point of contact with City government. No longer will entrepreneurs have to navigate the confusing landscape of permits and regulations alone. Instead, the bodegas and barbershops, nail salons and laundromats that make New York New York will now have a dedicated member of the BEST team to support them through the process and equip them with the resources to help their businesses flourish.
For some BEST members like Mohammad Djouf, this work is deeply personal. Nine years ago, to this day, Mohammad arrived in America. In the years that followed, his mother built a small business right here in the five boroughs. And now, as he steps into his new position alongside all those who are a part of this team, he has the chance to build a meaningful career supporting small business owners like her. One with steady pay, good benefits and the stability of a union.
This is the kind of program that makes our city work better. And it puts our city to work. Economic change is brought about by the people who know their communities best. That's what the BEC menu is all about.
Now there are more hiring halls and opportunities coming up here at the Jobs NYC Center in just the next few weeks. So, if you have been looking to satisfy that craving for an ECRJ, come on down to 2 Lafayette. Who knows, there may even be some breakfast sandwiches waiting for you too. Thank you so much. With that, I am now proud to bring up the commissioner who is responsible for opening up the viewing center at the David Dinkins Municipal Building herself, DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei.
Yume Kitasei, Commissioner, Department of Citywide Administrative Services: Thank you, mayor. Good morning, everyone. My name is Yume Kitasei, and I am the commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, also known as DCAS. And we always like to start by reminding people what we actually do, since many people have not heard of our agency.
DCAS is the behind-the-scenes agency that does everything from buying stuff and services that agencies need and managing the city fleet and energy. And through that work, we impact the lives of every single New Yorker.
But more relevant for today, we are the agency that handles the city’s real estate and runs the civil service system through which we connect New Yorkers to 80 percent of City jobs. And we also manage 56 buildings, including this very lovely 2 Lafayette.
When I started in February, one of the first things that we did was we came down here to 2 Lafayette. And the first question was, “What can we do with this vacant storefront?” This was actually something that the mayor talked to me about before I was announced, which is the importance of making the most of our city buildings for New Yorkers and finding creative uses for spaces that have gone empty.
We learned that the Small Business Services had an idea for a job center here, and our real estate team immediately went to work with their team to figure it out. And we had also heard that the space had previously been used as an art space. And we said, “well, why not both?” So, how about a job center that partners with an art organization to integrate art into the space? And you can see the lovely art already on the walls.
We're really excited to partner with SBS because job centers don't connect New Yorkers to jobs. They connect New Yorkers to great City jobs. And the synergy of this location is that for jobs that require an exam, New Yorkers can go right upstairs to our testing site on 17.
This fits perfectly with our ongoing work to make it easier for New Yorkers to get City jobs, whether it's online or through a newsletter, at a hiring event and now at this new job center. I just want to give a shoutout to everyone being sworn into today. We're so thrilled to have you on Team NYC. Congratulations to you all. There's no greater career than working for the City of New York. Take it from me. Thank you and congratulations.
Commissioner Minaya: Thank you, commissioner. Our next speaker chairs the City Council's Civil Service and Labor Committee, from attaining collective bargaining rights for public employees in Puerto Rico to winning the prevailing wage for New York City Public School employees. She has been a longstanding leader in the labor movement. She most recently served as the executive vice president of Local 32BJ SEIU. It is my great pleasure to welcome Council Member Shirley Aldebol.
Council Member Shirley Aldebol: Good morning, everyone. This is a great day. I am proud today to represent the East Bronx on the City Council. And I'm, as mentioned, the chair of the Civil Service and Labor Committee. And I'm committed to improving our city's workforce pathways and modernizing our civil service system.
That's why I'm excited to be here today to celebrate the official opening of the New York Jobs Center and swear in 17 new city employees. Congratulations.
This new job center model is exactly the kind of innovative program we should be investing in in New York City. I began my career in New York City Civil Service as a caseworker. And I remember my first day of orientation thinking, “Wow, I actually get health benefits. Incredible.”
But, you know, a New York City job is more than just a job. It's a career, and it can be a lifelong career. Before spending, you know, 30 years as an organizer and a leader in the labor movement, I really did cherish my time as a City employee. I know firsthand how transformative a good union job can be and the powerful role that union-backed city civil service jobs have played in bringing New York families into the middle class.
By demystifying the City job application process, we can make these jobs accessible to more New Yorkers while filling crucial vacancies in City government.
I'm grateful to Mayor Mamdani, DCAS Commissioner Kitasei and SBS Commissioner Minaya for their readiness to tackle the challenges facing our city's hiring system head-on. Thank you all for having me. I look forward to building on the success of this project with all of you. And again, congratulations.
Commissioner Minaya: Thank you, Chair Aldebol. Next, I want to introduce Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry, chair of the city's Small Business Committee. As a former small business owner herself, she is relentless in her efforts to protect the small businesses that make New York City special. Together, rain or shine, literally, we've canvassed small businesses across the city to learn from and bring their voices to the forefront. In just a few short months, she's racked up several small business wins from helping repeal the Bloomberg-era security roll-down gate law to simplifying outdoor dining. Please join me in welcoming Council Member Thomas-Henry.
Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry: Thank you and good morning, everyone. I am Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry from Queens, chair of the Committee on Small Business, and I'm excited to join you as we open this new Jobs NYC Center.
For so many New Yorkers, a good job can change the trajectory of your family. But finding that opportunity and navigating the process to get there shouldn't feel complicated. This center is about meeting New Yorkers where they are, opening doors and connecting people directly to opportunities.
And the 17 new members of NYC BEST being sworn in today represent another promise being fulfilled. As a former small business owner, I know how frustrating it can be when government feels like it's another obstacle instead of a partner.
Growing NYC BEST is an opportunity to mend that relationship, to make sure entrepreneurs have someone to turn to, someone to help them navigate the system and someone invested in helping them succeed. That is what it means for government to meet people where they are.
Together we are redefining a New York City of opportunity, where a good job, a growing business and a pathway forward are within reach for every New Yorker. Thank you to Mayor Mamdani, Commissioner Minaya, Commissioner Kitasei for your tireless work, and congratulations to all of you.
Commissioner Minaya: Thank you, Chair Thomas-Henry. Up next, my newest colleague, Mohammad Djouf, who joins our NYC BEST team today. As the mayor said, he is the son of street vendors in Dakar, and he will now be working to advise and support vendors in New York City. As a small business advocate, he will also be one of the first SBSers hired to help the City's 20,000-plus street vendors navigate complex regulations that govern street vending and also help them obtain the new licenses being released shortly. So, please welcome Mohammad.
Mohammad Djouf: Good morning, everyone. My name is Mohammad Djouf. It's an honor to be here. Thank you, Mayor Mamdani, and thank you, Commissioner Minaya. Nine years ago, I moved to New York City from Senegal. I worked in retail, driven a cab, driven rideshare and worked in security. For the last two years, I've worked as a Wolof and French interpreter, and along the way, I've found myself helping people with a background like mine.
I've helped street vendors in cities like Los Angeles and New York understand rules and regulations and run their businesses. I advise many newcomers on how to get started, and as a son of a small business owner, my mom owns a store. I know what it means when a permit, a fine or a form stand between a family and their livelihood.
So, when I saw the city was hiring for small business advocate, I was intrigued. Here was something I was doing already, and now I had the opportunity to even help more people with a background like mine.
The process was surprisingly simple. I came in a hiring hall right at this Jobs NYC Center, and just a month later, I'm here standing in front of you with, I guess, the honor, to have the person right now who is currently writing history.
So, it's an honor for me on behalf of all of my newly beautiful colleagues to say that we are ready, and we are excited and honored. Like mayor said, no one should go through this process alone by helping them understand rules and regulations and to support their businesses.
Opening and running a small business, whether as a street vendor or whatever it is, does not have to be hard and nobody should have to go it alone. I'm proud to join this incredible team at SBS and to help others find their own American dream. I look forward to working with all of my new colleagues. Thank you.
[Mayor swears in NYC BEST recruits.]
Mayor Mamdani: So please repeat after me. I do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully discharge the duties of which I am elected, appointed or hired to execute for the City of New York to the best of my ability and perform my duties in a manner consistent with the Constitution of the State of New York and the Charter of the City of New York.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: On jobs — today's announcement obviously very focused on filling municipal jobs and helping small business owners. But in covering you for these first nine months or so in office, I really have not heard a broad articulation of your plan to support private-sector jobs. And we do know private-sector jobs in the city are stagnating. If you exclude home health workers, I'm sure you've heard this stat before, we're basically flat or losing private-sector jobs.
So, at this point, you've made this announcement. You've made a number of other job announcements. But what are you doing to bring private-sector jobs to the city?
Mayor Mamdani: Well, I think first and foremost, we appreciate all of the different jobs that make up this city's landscape. Just a few days ago, I had a roundtable with business leaders that represented employers who were giving more — about 9,000 New Yorkers their jobs that made it possible for them to live in this city. Speaking with them about what of the city attracted them to build their headquarters here.
This is, you know, across banking industries, technological industries, so on and so forth, and asking them what more could the city be doing to ensure that this would be the case for other employers.
Now, we will continue to do that work. It is critically important work. I was proud to have that meeting alongside our deputy mayor for Economic Justice, Julie Su, as well as our head of EDC, Tony Shorris. And those are relationships that will continue.
And then also here, to make it clear that we want to set an example as opposed to simply ask others to do this work. And for us, as one of the larger employers in our city, more than 300,000 city workers, when we look at a City vacancy, we have to ask ourselves, how can we fill this vacancy? How can we do it faster? How can we do it quicker?
And when you hear from Mohammad that everybody in this room came in here a little less than a month ago, and now today are being sworn in as City employees, that's how it should work. That should be the timeline. That's what this kind of initiative does.
Question: So, I guess I'm curious why an announcement like this didn't include, let's say, a place in this room for certain private sectors to come in and say, “hey, we're hiring too.” Was that a consideration?
Mayor Mamdani: So, that is a key part of the 18 workforce centers that we have across New York City; a lot of them are focused on making connections with private-sector job opportunities. We wanted to have one place that would be focused on public-sector employees. Those, again, are public-sector opportunities in City government, state government, federal government, as well as with nonprofits that are contracted with the city. However, the other 18 workforce centers are also bringing in a focus on private-sector employment.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: I wanted to ask, you mentioned the 18 other workforce centers, and Commissioner Kitasei also mentioned 56 buildings across the DCAS portfolio. Are there any concrete plans to activate spaces that have lain dormant like this one across other boroughs for either a purpose, as you said, like this one that focuses on municipal, state and federal jobs, or for any other purpose? Or is leasing in the conversation for those kind of dormant spaces owned and run by the city?
Mayor Mamdani: That is a key part of our vision for DCAS. I mean, I can bring the commissioner up here for a moment. As you heard from her, even just during the interview process, one of the key questions was, how can we operationalize what the city has in this moment?
This was a vacant storefront. Now it is a storefront that is quite literally connecting New Yorkers with jobs, first with those who will do the connections, and then for those who will receive the connections.
But I think across the board, we want City government to lead by example, and that also means looking at every single site that we have and asking, is there a better purpose or a better use for this? Commissioner, I don't know if you want to add anything.
Commissioner Kitasei: I just want to add one thing, which is that just last month we opened in our old mailroom at 1 Centre Street right across the way — that was an example of taking a vacant site. We've converted it to the first free municipal childcare center.
So, we are definitely looking at all of our buildings, not just the ground floors, but all over; you know, how can we keep them in good repair, but also use them to the best of — and as you mentioned, we also have that new free observation center at the top.
Question: I guess two questions. Were you happy with your depiction on SNL over the weekend? And then second question, I'm wondering if your appearance with Trump last week, do you think that kind of weakens the argument from Republicans running for office, either Blakeman or those running for Congress across the state? Does it weaken their efforts to sort of depict you as a foil or like villain and for your far-left politics?
Mayor Mamdani: Far-left politics, like connecting New Yorkers with jobs at the NYC service center. Here we are. I think to your second question, I will leave it to pundits and analysts to make that judgment. What I will say is that I will continue to meet with anyone and everyone who can help deliver for New Yorkers.
And when it comes to your first question, I think it's — it's always something to be celebrated, if the fact of our focus of $21 billion to create 12,000 new homes at Sunnyside Yard is given a national audience as it was. And it's a — think Ramy does a great job.
Question: So, the New York Times has a story out that you're going to be campaigning with Governor Hochul, putting out two videos. Just how much of an effort, I guess, what do you see as your true role in this campaign? Do you see yourself as somebody who has a statewide appeal or is it something that you're just going to be maybe focused on here in New York City?
Mayor Mamdani: I think generally my focus is New York City. What I will say is that I'm incredibly excited to be out there in my support for Governor Hochul.
When I think about these last nine months, one of the most important days was the eighth day of our administration where I stood alongside Governor Hochul on stage and announced that she was committing $1.2 billion to make universal childcare a reality in the city.
And that to me is an example of the kind of partnership we have. It's also an example of the leadership that she brings to this work and to the state. You know, she often says, “Your family is my fight.” And New Yorkers has felt that over the course of time that both I've been in office working alongside her, but really since she's been in office.
And that is something that I'm excited to make the case directly to New Yorkers and also to make it very clear what a Blakeman governorship would look like for a city that cares so deeply about the immigrants who call it home to have a potential governor who embraces ICE and has gone so far as to create effectively a private militia in Nassau County. That is in many ways the antithesis of what people hope for is the future of the state. And yet that's exactly what he's offering.
Question: Do you see yourself campaigning with Congresswoman AOC as well with Governor Hochul?
Mayor Mamdani: I'd love to.
Question: I wanted to follow up on Morgan's question. Campaigning with Hochul, there are some people who might not like that — that support you. What's your message to them? If they're asking you these questions about maybe the governor not necessarily being in alignment with all the policies that maybe you have.
And then my other question is, you know, you're very popular, not just here in the state, but across the country. I'm wondering, do you feel disappointed that maybe you're not being used more by the Democratic Party in these midterm elections to maybe drive out some voters?
Mayor Mamdani: I will say that it is the job of a lifetime to be the mayor of our city. And every day, what fulfilling that responsibility means is delivering for the city. So, I'm very happy to be right here focused on the things that matter to New Yorkers.
And what I will say is my hopes for the midterms is that we see Democrats win across the board. And one of the priority races to me is ensuring the reelection of our Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul.
And, you know, we know that, you know, the governor and I, we are aligned on the things that matter, which is how to ensure that working-class families can afford to keep living in this state. And too often politics, it feels like — it feels like a hobby only some people can afford to have. And what I so appreciate about the partnership with Governor Hochul is it has been on the things that matter.
We are coming up to a month of school having started here in this year. And that's a month of 2,000 families have — being able to save more than $20,000 that they would otherwise have had to spend to send their child into 2-K that is now free thanks to the governor's leadership on this.
Similarly, the leading cost, the leading driver of the cost-of-living crisis in our city is the lack of affordable housing. The governor's focus is not only on how do we deliver something tangible right now; how do we also tackle the inefficiencies in our own system? And I was proud to work with her on changes that were made to SEQRA so that could speed up the process by which we can build affordable housing.
These are just a few examples that I'm excited to share with those who support me and frankly New Yorkers at large, because they are tangible, they are material and they are — they're much more than what the opposition has to offer.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: Speaking of promises, the SRG last week outside the U.N., you had members of that unit arrest people protesting Benjamin Netanyahu, including some elected officials that are quite close to you. Do you think that's an appropriate use of police resources?
Mayor Mamdani: I've been clear that my vision is for the disbanding of the SRG. And the reason for that vision is that the SRG were created a little more than a decade ago with a intention first of dealing with threats, terroristic threats to the city.
And what it has eventually become is both dealing with counterterrorism and responses to exercising First Amendment rights. I do not believe that those purposes need to be dual purposes. I believe that we should have a focus on counterterrorism that is separate from our response to the use of First Amendment — [that] continues to be a conversation I'm having with our police commissioner. I have made that promise. I will fulfill that promise. The only question is the timeline of it. And when we fulfill that promise, then those purposes will be split.
Question: I guess with the timeline, though, we're almost 10 months into your mayoralty at this point, what is the holdup? Why is it not possible to get a timeline?
Mayor Mamdani: This is something that we will be not only continuing to discuss but will be implementing. It'll be not in an “inshallah” timeline, but an actual one. And the critical point of it is just how to ensure we're doing so while protecting New Yorkers' rights and keeping New Yorkers safe. And that's something that we're going to share more information about soon.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: I wonder after Mr. Netanyahu's visit last week, do you think it sends a message that President Trump met with you, but not with him? And then on a lighter note, on that SNL skit, was there a moment that made you laugh out loud? Is it surreal to you to see something like that, especially after running in a campaign where we know that you were all, to some extent, claiming to be the person who would stand up most to Trump just about a year ago.
Mayor Mamdani: I think it's always surreal to see a depiction of yourself on Saturday Night Live. It was — I had no idea it was coming. But to be featured on the same episode as the king of New York, as well as OG getting to relive the glory of the tip-in was incredible.
And I think, you know, to your first question, I will leave that analysis to you and to others. What I will say is that at the heart of that conversation with the president was: how can we deliver on something that'll make a difference to New Yorkers' lives?
And I appreciated that SNL featured the specifics of Sunnyside Yard in that sketch, because what we're talking about really is the largest housing development this city has seen since the early 1970s. And that is something that is so critically needed because when you look at the cost of rent across the city, it is skyrocketing. And what we need to combat that alongside many other things is an increase of supply.
Question: Did any part of it resonate with you — the animal friendships piece?
Mayor Mamdani: I thought that was one of the funnier jokes. Yeah, I was watching it live — quite an absurd experience. Thank you, everyone.
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