Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Expands NYC Ferry System, Connecting All Five Boroughs

January 14, 2019

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, Eddie, you know, you've really stolen all the thunder here with your big announcements – the birthday, the engagement, getting your fiancé to move to Coney Island – a lot going on in your life.

[Laughter]

I want to thank you for all you do for Coney Island. Let's give Eddie a big round of applause.

[Applause]

And Eddie, I want you to know – and everyone here from Coney Island – I want you to know, we heard your voices. We heard the voices of the elected officials. We heard the fact that Coney Island felt cut off, felt ignored for a long time. I saw it firsthand after Sandy hit. Coney Island has really laid low, but it was not the first time that Coney Island felt it was on the short end of the stick. This is a community that for so often experienced disinvestment, was ignored by government, felt it was sliding backwards. Even though it's one of the communities that is most synonymous with everything great about New York City. I've talked to plenty of Coney Islanders over the years and they have felt that they've had to struggle just to keep it together. And so, it is an act of fairness and an act of justice to say, let's give Coney Island a break for a change.

[Applause]

Let's make it easier for the hardworking people of Coney Island to get around, to be connected to all the opportunity in this city, to really get to have the lives they deserve. Eddie's right – so people can have the quality of life I talked about last Thursday – a quality of life, the time with their families, the time to actually live. Let's help them get that with this new ferry service. Coney Island deserves the very best and I'm here to announce that, Coney Island, your ship has come in.

[Applause]

We are right now starting to work to provide ferry service from Coney Island to Manhattan. We also announced that we're going to have new service from Staten Island to the West Side of Manhattan and we're going to be adding an additional stop in the Bronx on the already very successful Soundview line. These are kind of changes that are going to make people's lives a lot better. And I want to thank everyone who's been a part of it. I want you to know that the folks inside the City government who work on this initiative, for them, it is a labor of love. I have seen such commitment to making sure this happens, and it happens quickly, it happens well, because they know it's changing people's lives. So, I want to give a special thanks to James Patchett, President of EDC.

[Applause]

And James, I know some of your team is here – to everyone at EDC who's been working on NYC Ferry, let's give them a big round of applause

[Applause]

And their partners in this endeavor at New York City Department of Transportation – the Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Keith Bray is here. Let's thank everyone at DOT.

[Applause]

And then a special thank you to everybody at P.S. 188, I want to thank the principle, Antoinette Tucci.

[Applause]

Antoinette, where are you? There you are. Thank you, Antoinette.

Principal Antoinette Tucci: [Inaudible] they were excited for you to be here.

Mayor: Well, I'm excited to be here. And to all the kids at P.S. 188 –

[Applause]

All right, we’re going to do a quick survey of the kids – how many of you are ready to take a ferry ride? Raise your hand.

[Applause]

All right, it’s unanimous. It's unanimous. There's something unanimous in New York City, we just found it.

So, in 2017, we launched the first citywide ferry system in almost a century in this town. Here we are, one of the greatest coastal cities in the world, and yet we did not have a ferry system that really linked all five boroughs and help people get around. At the very same time, as our subways were more and more congested and our roads were more and more congested, this was something that needed to happen for a long time. You heard Eddie talk about it – 20 years, people have been fighting in this community. When we were up in Soundview last year and we opened up the ferry service there, it was the first time in 80 years that a ferry had stopped in the Bronx.

Somehow, the City turned away from the water when we should have been turning toward it. So NYC Ferry has been making a huge difference and it's made a difference, also, as I said, in the quality of life in New Yorkers. If you talk to people who now depend on the ferry service that they tell you the time they're saving, the better of quality of life they're having, the better commute, more time with families. It's a huge difference maker for them. Also NYC Ferry has addressed historic inequities. That's why we're here in Coney Island. That's why we have ferry service from the Rockaways. That's why we have ferry service from Red Hook, or from Astoria Houses, or Soundview. It's helped a number of communities to get connected in a way that was never possible before. That's why it's such an important idea.

We are expanding and we know it's a, if you build it they will come reality with NYC Ferry – over 8 million riders so far, growing all the time. The stories you hear from people, everyone else is hearing those stories and they're turning to NYC Ferry more and more. So, by 2021, this new route from Coney Island, through Bay Ridge, to Wall Street will be underway and I want to note that the dock along Coney Island Creek, it'll serve everybody, but I want to particularly note there are 4,000 public housing residents who live in close walking distance to this dock, and they are particularly going to benefit and they deserve it.

[Applause]

I have talked to riders on NYC Ferry who tell me that it is saving them up to an hour a day roundtrip. Okay? This is the busiest city in the world. I don't even know if we can put a price tag on what it would be to save an hour every single week day, but I think you all can realize what that means to people and how important it is. So we're starting this effort right away to get the Coney Island line going, to get a line that will leave from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, go to the West Side of Manhattan to Battery Park City, and then to Midtown West – that we'll be opening by the end of 2020, and that's going to be crucial because it's going to give Staten Islanders a whole host of new choices, including access to the many jobs that are developing in Hudson Yards. And then also by 2021, that additional stop in the Bronx on the Soundview route at Ferry Point in Throggs Neck, that's going to help people get to Manhattan all the way down to Wall Street. That's going to open up a huge amount of opportunity, save them a huge amount of time.

It will cost money. We're anticipating about $100 million more in capital expenses, but this is a kind of investment that we believe is worth it for the long-term needs in New York City. We're a growing city. Want to remind everyone, we're not getting smaller, we're getting bigger. We need more good options, more and better ways of getting around. That's going to make a huge difference for the people of the City.

So that's what we're doing on the water, but I remind you – we talked about it in the State of the City, we're going to be doing a lot on land as well. We're going to be working to get bus riders much faster routes, doubling the pace of installing new bus lanes, and we're going to work for what we've all needed for a long time – a long-term solution to the of our subways, that actual funding plan that will make our subways work. That fight will happen in Albany over the next weeks. And I said, I'll be pounding on a lot of doors to make sure the needs of the people in New York City are heard. If we get all these pieces right, it's going to be a very different city where you can depend on the ferries, the buses, the subways to get around, and New Yorkers deserve that. And when that happens, New Yorkers will actually have a little more time for themselves and their families. So, we're excited because this is all about creating a better city and also a fairer city. There's one ultimate destination, to be the fairest big city in America, and NYC Ferry is leading the way.

[Applause]

With that, I want to turn to a man is all about justice and fairness. He has made it his focus of hi career, whether he was serving as an NYPD officer, or whether he was serving as a State Senator, and now the Borough President of Brooklyn.  He – boy, have I heard from him on why Coney Island needed a ferry stop. I heard from him many, many, many times. I got the message – Borough President Eric Adams.

[Applause]

[…]

Mayor: Okay, we are going to take questions from media. First on the ferry announcement and then we will take questions on topics as well. So first on the ferry announcement, back there.

Question: So I’m wondering how [inaudible] –

Mayor: A little bit louder, I heard the beginning but I couldn’t hear that last part.

Question: EDC conducted a feasibility study in 2012, considering [inaudible] a ferry at Kaiser Park which is just a few blocks from the location that’s been chosen but concluded that it was too far from Amusement District. So what’s changed between then and now and will there be some sort of shuttle service [inaudible].

Mayor: So, on the question of what changed between here – now and then. Suffice it to say that was another administration with a different set of goals and I’m not familiar with everything they looked at when they did their study of Coney Island but as you said perhaps part of the focus was on the connection to the Amusement District, which is a valuable thing, but that’s not what’s motivating us. What’s motivating us is making sure the residents of Coney Island can get opportunity.

[Applause]

So, you know, I wouldn’t be surprised if you said well we want to bring people from outside to Coney Island, they might have come to a different conclusion. This is about ensuring that a part of the peninsula that feels a lot more cut off has real opportunity to get where they need to get quickly. And there are always logistical challenges but we believe that they are surmountable and we think this is a really good choice. There is – we can go into, if people are interested, the process we looked at - the process we used to look at literally was almost three dozen sites around the city and why we got to these as the finalists.

But I think for people who need transportation, this very much fits the pattern that I mentioned some of them before, the Rockaways, Red Hook, Soundview, places where there was an obvious need – Astoria, right there Astoria houses 20 minutes away from the subway, now that’s greatly improving people’s commute. This is very much consistent with that. We’re announcing this as is, but on something like shuttle service, that’s something we will certainly keep in mind, we do that in the Rockaways, we don’t do that in a number of other locations, but it’s something we will keep an open mind on depending on how things develop. Yeah?

Question: You talk a lot about fairness and inequities here, the NYC Ferry is still on its own fare payment system, you know, there is some concern that, you know, you’re blocking out people who might have transfer and can’t afford the MTA fares. This is rolling out at the same time the MTA is rolling its new fare payment system, is there any talks or plans to finally try to integrate the two payment models?

Mayor: We’ve let the MTA know that is our goal and we’re going to start talks in earnest about how to do that, that’s very well established with the MTA that that’s what we want to be their partners in achieving. Yeah?

Question: Mayor, as the system expands do you foresee any need to perhaps increase the subsidy that the city is providing to keep the cost at $2.50 [inaudible]?

Mayor: The cost should be whatever the subway fare is and it will move with it and I think we’ve established a concept – we want to keep consistent with that concept. It’s proven to work for people. I obviously look forward to the day where the ferry system and the MTA as a whole are integrated in terms of a single fare, that’s the goal we’re all working on. But in the meantime, keeping at the price of a subway fare is working for a lot of people, obviously. A lot of people are getting on the ferry and getting off where they need to be or near enough to walk. So, you know, while we work on that bigger goal, I think this formula clearly is the right one now and has been proven by the popularity.

Question: If you can figure going to have to – the city will have to spend more money to operate the network as it gets larger, you know –

Mayor: Well there’s - yeah there is some – James, why don’t you speak to what the additional costs are with this expansion?

President and CEO James Patchett, Economic Development Corporation: Sure, of course, morning. You know, bottom line is the Mayor has been committed and we are committed to keeping the fare at the same costs as the MTA. So in order to do that first and foremost we’re adding more lines, so that is going to involve additional cost, absolutely. We focus on the cost – the subsidy per rider, and we believe we’re consistent with what we’ve been – the range we’ve been in to date will be between $7 and $8 per rider. That’s where we will be when the system is fully expanded. You know, we’re going to some locations that are a little bit farther away, less – fewer locations that are as close in, so there are additional costs associated with that. There’s also $100 million in capital that we’re putting into the budget to deal with the landings and the additional vessels that we will need to purchase and procure as a part of this.

Question: Would you expect the subsidy to [inaudible]?

President Patchett: Well I’m saying – said that what we’re still expecting once we’ve added it on. Yeah?

Question: Staten Island, especially on the South Shore and Mid-Island, are upset that you chose to add this ferry [inaudible], can you explain, you know, why -?

Mayor: Sure.

Question: [Inaudible] that particular route and do you foresee [inaudible] in the future being able to add another route to a different part of Staten Island?

Mayor: On the question on the future in general, we’re going to do an assessment in 2021 as to whether there needs to be additional routes. I mean obviously we would love to keep seeing additional routes added, but they have to be viable in every sense. These were ones we had a high level of confidence in, but given the success that NYC Ferry has experience so far and given the possibility of cross registering the ferry with the MTA, we’re going to keep an open door to further expansion in the future and I think the logical time to do that is after these lines are in place. So that will be by the summer of 2021.

On the question of Staten Island, we looked long and hard at the options. You may know that I went with the Borough President and other elected officials, looked at sites on the South Shore. I certainly felt that there was some understanding after that tour that those sites were physically very, very difficult and unfortunately weren’t viable. We also had to think about sites in terms of what kind of ridership we knew that they would get, because this is an expensive endeavor to put together, once it has a strong ridership it’s worth it, but it’s a lot to build it up. And we didn’t’ see a place that worked properly.

But I want to affirm to you that having now the option to get to the West Side, which is something a lot of Staten Islanders want and opens up a whole world of potential for many, many Staten Islanders. That is true for anyone who can get to the ferry terminal and obviously a lot of the Staten Island transportation system points towards the ferry terminal. So I think there are people in all parts of Staten Island who are going to benefit from this because it’s going to take them to the West Side and that’s never been a possibility before. I think this is going to be a big net gain Staten Island. Gloria?

Question: Sorry, so is this the average subsidy still $7 – between $7 and $8?

President Patchett: Yes.

Question: [Inaudible].

President Patchett: So well it was – just to be clear, when we initially announced this system it was $6.60 per rider, so it’s slightly higher than it was originally anticipated to be because we’re going out to slightly more far flung locations. Frankly Coney Island, and Staten Island – the North Shore of Staten Island, and –

Mayor: Ferry Point.

President Patchett: And Ferry Point, which are three locations that are ultimately getting further out than the average distance right now.

Question: So are there lines that are more expensive [inaudible]?

President Patchett: Well – we look at it as a system, I think just like the MTA does, you know, pay the same no matter where you are. So certainly the Rockaways is slightly more expensive than the other system – the rest of the system – but, you know, we look at it in the aggregate.

Mayor: Yes, Yoav?

Question: Just wondering, why is this not going to launch until 2021? And what’s –

Mayor: The Staten Island piece is 2020. The other two are 2021 by -- let me make this official, on record -- by 2021. There is a number of things that have to fall into place including federal and State approvals. We’re going to work for those to be as fast as possible and hold out hope that we can speed up but we know that we can do Staten Island in 2020, the other two in 2021. Go ahead, James.

President Patchett: Yeah there’s two – there’s – so Staten Island the two existing landings so that’s much faster. 2021, the Mayor has made clear we’re going to make every effort to be as fast as we can. Practically speaking we have to build new docks at those locations and they’re slightly – both here and in Ferry Point Park, there’s also a fair amount of upland infrastructure work in Ferry Point Park that needs to be completed, including the parking lot and connections. And so those require approvals from the army corps of engineers as well as the State Department Environmental Conservation, so we just have to go through that process and, you know, sometimes those approvals take longer than we like.

Mayor: Nicely said. You have a follow-up?

Question: Somewhat related, did you have any projections for ridership here and how many vessels –

President Patchett: So in the aggregate we’re expecting two million additional riders by adding one stop on the Soundview line, Coney Island which is going to be a half-a-million, and the balance is the Staten Island route.

Question: Do you still plan on using the boat manufacturer [inaudible]?

Mayor: Yeah, and I will just start and then pass to James on the specifics. We are because we want to keep things moving, we’re going to look at any and all manufacturers that make sense, but you can speak to the specifics.

President Patchett: So we are currently using two shipyards in the Gulf Coast to manufacture our vessels. We are manufacturing them through Hornblower, who’s the operator of our service, we have – we actually have a standing order effectively with Hornblower the ability to add additional vessels. We anticipate adding between seven and eight additional vessels as a part of this. Each route needs a few and you need a spare just in case. So that’s the expectation here and, you know, that will be using the same mechanism we’ve been using. Their vessels are 150 person vessels and 350 person vessels, you base that on the capacity needed at any given time. So Coney, at first, we will probably be running 150 person vessels but depending on demand will increase.

Mayor: Willie.

Question: By chance, under subsidy, the $6 to $8 you mentioned to projection for when the system [inaudible]. What is the subsidy at this moment for riders?

President Patchett: So last year, if you look at it on an annual basis, this was reported I think was around $10 – it’s available, I’m happy to share it with you specifically afterwards – that was the fiscal year, ‘19, ‘18? Whenever that was?  Fiscal Year ’18 – lose track – it’s never consistent with the calendar year, so Fiscal ‘18 was – that was the number but the way the contract was structured from the outset, it was the same payment per year even though ridership was lowest at the beginning and going up over time. So it doesn’t change our expectations that will be at that same range at the end. On average the issue is just that –

Mayor: You’re saying that same range it’s in is $7 to $8?

President Patchett: Yes.

Mayor: Okay, yes?

Question: Is Slip 7 in St. George the only place you’re considering to put a new [inaudible] vessel? Can any other locations in St. George and what’s the projected ridership?

Mayor: So on the – you’re saying – just to make sure everyone is speaking the same language – we’re going to use the existing ferry terminal and add—

President Patchett: Slip 7, within St. George, is the only location we’re considering at this point. We’ve been working closely with DOT to make sure it’s viable. Obviously the Staten Island Ferry comes out of there as well so we’re – I’m actually speaking with both the Coast Guard and DOT to make sure we can coordinate it. We’re not going to be impacting Staten Island Ferry service – that’s of paramount importance to us, and Slip 7 is viable for that. We’re expecting over a million-and-a-half riders on the Staten Island route, and just for everyone’s clarity, we’re putting out a comprehensive report today, which should be available online now or any minute which looks at all of the 35 sites and shows the detailed evaluation of each of them including the routes that we’re announcing and those that we’re not moving forward with at this time.

Mayor: Yeah?

Question: [Inaudible] can you – a $100 million in capital – was that part of the $300 million that you announced back in May or is that additional –

President Patchett: It’s additional, yes.

Mayor: Yes.

Question: So when the subway fare goes up, this fare will go up?

Mayor: Yes.

Question: Will there be any time where you were you think there’ll be a sliding scale in New York for how far or close you are?

Mayor: No, I don’t. I think we have a very straightforward system now, I will say –

President Patchett: You’re the Mayor.

[Laughter]

Mayor: Although, I will never rule anything out, I would say we have a system now that makes sense to people and they’re obviously taking it up in a big way. The – again, when we get to the day, and I am confident we’ll get there, when we cross register with the MTA, I think you’re going to see a huge surge in the service. That’s the thing I think we need. I think it would be – I’m just editorializing of the top here – I’ve been to places like Washington, D.C., that have the – you know, the ticket prices calibrate how far you go. I think as New Yorkers we’re used to a one-price-fits-all system so that’s where I tend to stay, but if the experts at EDC come back with a new idea I’ll always listen.

Question: Have you ever taken a ride?

Mayor: On the ferry? Sure, I love it. It’s absolutely amazing. It’s absolutely amazing, and I really – you know, Julia, I thought people would not only say this is faster in a lot of cases, but they would like it better as a way to get around. And I got to tell you, I mean I love it personally, I love the fresh air and the sunshine, and you see things you would never see. But the – when I talk to riders, they say – I remember a group of riders I was talking to coming from Soundview the first day and they said it’s like going on vacation. It’s like you have a whole other approach, you feel relaxed, it’s not hassles and harried the way it unfortunately often can be in the subways or if you’re driving. There’s no traffic jams on the water. Willie?

Question: You’ve been critical in the past of – me and you had a whole conversation around MTA funding and funding for the subway system – you’ve been critical about the way the MTA finances the commuter rails and the subsidy of the commuter rails. Several years ago the MTA put out numbers for those subsidies. The Long Island Rail Road subsidy is approximately $7 per rider, for Metro-North it was about $4 per rider, compared to about $1 per rider for subway riders. Can you square your criticism of that with this system which you created which has a comparable subsidy to the Long Island Rail Road?

Mayor: Sure, this is – first of all, this is our own thing here in New York City. This is of and by and for New York City, and we are making sure we reach a lot of our neighbors in a lot of different places, including places that have been left behind, including places – yeah it costs more money to provide the service but there are also places that have often been isolated and neglected. So I think that’s a very different discussion than what we saw over the years with the MTA which was the – by any measure of where the need was greatest, the investment should have been going into the city into subways and buses and it was not, proportionately. It was going disproportionately to better-off, suburban areas. So I think it’s a fair question but I really do think they’re an apples and oranges situation here because we’re saying this is what matters for our people and we’re making that decision for ourselves. Obviously, the MTA was governed in way that we didn’t get to make that decision for ourselves.

Question: Speaking of MTA [inaudible]—

Mayor: Segue –

[Laughter]

Question: I’d like to get your reaction to things. One, Governor Cuomo, today, on the radio saying that nobody controls the MTA, and that he’s fine with having the responsibility but you’ve got to give him the full control. Everyone needs to give him the full control, otherwise he only gets six out of 14 appointments on the board and as a result really doesn’t control—

Mayor: Right, but—

Question: You’ve heard him say—

Mayor: Yeah, yeah, yeah and I’ll – let me answer and say I’ll take this and I then I want to see if there’s any other ferry questions, then we’re going to get a break to let our friends go on, but I’ll take this one to begin. There has to be accountability. There has to be someone in charge. I believe that when it comes to our schools. That’s why I believe in mayoral control of education. I believe that when it comes to policing. That’s why I am responsible, ultimately, for the NYPD. I believe it in terms of all other things the City of New York does. So I want to affirm that it’s very important that the state and the governor take responsibility for the MTA – that’s a good thing. That said you still have to have some kinds of checks and balances. So I haven’t seen his proposal. I want to see his proposal. You know, we have mayoral control of education but there’s still the Education Policy Panel, the EPP, that has to decide on a host of things and sometimes says no that’s not a good enough plan, take it back, or no, modify in this way, there’s still some checks and balances, even in the context of clear accountability. The other thing is – any time – and we have put in money in the past and any time the City of New York puts in money, we need to have the right to have a say over our own money. So that’s a very clear specific, but, look, I’m looking forward to seeing his proposal and I think it’s a step in the right direction that he is taking such a clear sense of – he’s projecting such a clear sense of responsibility and accountability. I think that’s a good thing. So, let me see, is there anything else on ferry, and then we’ll take a quick break and go on to the questions, yes?

Question: Return to the note of possibly reassessing ferry service or expanding it, [inaudible] Canarsie had also –

Mayor: Yeah.

Question: -- been very big. They’re circulating petitions that [inaudible]. Would that be on the table in the future? Would the city kind of get to possibly consider [inaudible] again?

Mayor: We’re certainly, in 2021, going to look at any viable option again. Now you’ll see when the report comes out that James referenced. I think it was 35 – 35 locations were assessed. Some of them just had overwhelming physical problems. You know, just for example, water that was too shallow for a ferry – it’s very hard to overcome that. Some of them were, in real travel time, a lot longer than we thought anyone would actually want to use them. So you’ll see from the report, some of them I think it’s very hard to conceive of them being viable in the future. Others, it’s more debatable, that there’s real questions still about ridership, cost, et cetera. But we’ll look at that again in 2021. So, Canarsie was an example where time was really the big question, that it looked, from what we could see, like it was going to take so long to get from Canarsie, come around all the way to Manhattan – that there was not going to be the ridership that we would want when we compared it the existing subway service. But, again, some of those locations will absolutely get another look in 2021.

Anything else on ferries? Okay, I want to turn to the children and say thank you and let them go on to their education. Thank you very much guys.

[Applause]

[…]

Mayor: Okay and Dave. Hold on one second. Let's get people quieter. I'm sorry Dave. Oh, David, hold it, hold it, hold, it. Everyone if you're not staying, please leave so we can get quiet for this press conference and just give people one second to move and then you are up, Dave. Okay, good to go.

Question: Just a follow up to Andrew’s question. The letter, I’m sure you probably read from the Budget Director – the Governor’s Budget Director –

Mayor: Yes.

Question: Yeah the thing that I’ve found really interesting is – okay, so he wants control and you say, okay fine, take responsibility.

Mayor: Again, I want to see the plan –

Question: Right.

Mayor: But I liked it. I liked the underlying idea for sure.

Question: But, what I found very interesting in that letter is, yeah, yeah, yeah, and all the repairs on the subway, you have to pay for half of it –

Mayor: Right, And I –

Question: That's a rich idea.

Mayor: That’s a very rich idea and I don't - I do not endorse that letter with all due respect to the Budget Director. I endorse the notion of accountability and I am willing to talk to the Governor's team about any governance plan that creates real accountability. But I do want to see the details and I do commend the Governor for stepping up and saying he wants responsibility for the MTA. I think there's something good there. On the question of how we pay for the MTA - I'm going to say it again - we need a long term sustainable plan to pay for the MTA. We have until April 1st to develop that in Albany. This is the decisive moment for the future to MTA. It will not work if the MTA thinks that the City of New York, which is already stretched to the limit in terms of all the things we do with our capital budget. We're not in a position to pay for the MTA. We're not going to be in a position to pay for the MTA.

Question: Just as a follow up, if that funding stream that they do come up with is very similar to what we saw last year, $11.52 per car, per trip. Are you in favor of that?

Mayor: Again the question on, I assume you're saying, what's my position on congestion pricing? It's the same it was yesterday and the day before and the day before. The proposals have improved. I still have not seen a proposal that responds to all the concerns I have about fairness to Brooklyn and Queens and hardship cases, but this is a process. I look forward to more information. But the bottom line is, as I said in the State of the City is, you could talk about any of the options, a millionaire's tax congestion pricing, revenue from marijuana, a State Transportation Bond Act. You could talk about any number of options or any number of combinations. What matters is that by April 1st we get to a plan that will provide sustainable funding for the MTA. It can be done, but if anyone thinks that money can be found in the city budget they may be smoking marijuana. So the fact is that it just isn't there.

Look at what we're spending our money on. We're spending money to create affordable housing, to build school seats for an overcrowded school system, to ensure that people can get around, like repaving our roads, all the things that are basic and necessary to keep - keep our bridges up, all these basic things. We don't have money to also fund a subway system that should be the responsibility of the State, and is the responsibility of State, and that needs its own separate revenue stream anyway.

Question: So you are saying 50 – 50 not going to happen?

Mayor: No, it's not realistic.

Question: Is there – is that a negotiating starting point?

Mayor: It’s where I've been always. It's not negotiating starting point. I've always said we cannot pay the costs of MTA. We need a long term sustainable plan. By the way, look at a lot of the other experts. Look at what Dick Ravitch says and so many other experts who say it is not realistic to think you can find this money in existing government budgets. It's never going to be there. You need a new revenue stream to pull it off.

Question: But if you have to pay something – [inaudible] agree on something –

Mayor: It's not, that's not how – I appreciate the question – but that’s now how I look at it. As I look at as let's get a revenue stream that actually will pay for the problem. Why are we trying this nickel and diming approach saying let's take a little bit out of the City here and a little bit of City there?  It doesn't make any sense because when I talked to my constituents, they want us to do all those other things I just mentioned. They understand, you know, if you want your bridges to stay up and you want your roads to be passable, we have to do that. If you want your schools to be good enough, we have to do that. If you want to see, you'd be safe. We have to do that.  So in the end we have a capital budget now, we’ve put a lot of priority on really doing big capital projects, you look at it and you see it's very close to its breaking point. We can't go a lot farther.

The - there's no way we could even come close to making up the gap. The truth is we need a sustainable funding source and we shouldn't be afraid of that. That's why I said in the speech, everyone, me, the Governor, everyone in Albany, needs to take responsibility for the fact it's - it's decision time. It's decision time. If you punt, you're damning this system to a very bleak future. You're damning the people of this city to a bleak future, if the subways and buses aren't going to work. We could actually make the right decisions now to sustain us and to have the kind of mass transit we deserve in this city. But it's not going to happen by trying to take a little bit here and a little bit there out of the city budget. That's not the right way to do it. Yeah?

Question: Back on the governance and control the MTA. Do you agree with the Governor's premise he doesn't control the MTA right now? Do you –

Mayor: I think I've spoken to is probably a million times, so I'm a little surprised at your question respectfully –

Question: [Inaudible] State control –

Mayor: What I've said, the State and the Governor possibly a million times. You can respectfully ask your colleagues. I have said it over and over and over. The State and the Governor have controlled the MTA for a long, long time. They controlled it before Andrew Cuomo. So it's obviously the case if he's saying he wants to codify that in a new way, I'm very open but there need to be some checks and, and we need to see the details. Yes?

Question: Mayor, the city has plans to explore a chip, like a [inaudible] some immigration advocates who are concerned that that could lead to ICE sort of getting access to information about undocumented immigrants and the Deputy Mayor who is overseeing the IDNYC Program has got a history of working with [inaudible] creates some of the technology that might be [inaudible]. I'm curious what you think of the concerns from advocates and what you think of the potential for a conflict of interest or the appearance of one?

Mayor: Yeah, I do. I understand all those concerns and I respect them. There will not be either a conflict or an appearance of conflict. The Deputy Mayor will recuse himself from anything having to do with that contract process. On the question of the concerns about privacy, those are real concerns. First everything we do with IDNYC is predicated on keeping people's information private and ensuring that for those who are undocumented, that that information will never travel to the federal government. That's been clear from the very, very beginning and I think everyone has seen that that's what proved to be true in the end.

The reason it's important to figure out a way to make this card more usable is we, when we started at, one of the great goals was that folks of all backgrounds, not just undocumented immigrants, but every kind of New Yorker who got a card could access banking services more easily. We said that literally the first day we announced it. It hasn't been as common as we'd like it to be. So you've got too many people are still going to check cashing stores and going to payday loan places and predatory lenders, and that's very bad for them. That's bad for undocumented immigrants. That's bad for everyone. We're trying to overcome that and we think that this new approach may allow us to get those folks much better opportunities to protect their money and to have more money for their families.

Now, no one has to participate if they don't want it. You can have an IDNYC under this new plan and not participate with any financial institution. So right there that nullifies the whole point, the concern meaning, but we're going to put safeguards in place that any information is kept private. And I think what you're going to see is a lot of people, while they rightfully are concerned about what's happening in Washington, they still want to have an opportunity to take care of themselves and their families better, and being able to go to a bank as part of that. Please.

Question: If I could just – [inaudible], it’s a completely different subject. There is a television show airing tonight called “Made in Staten Island” -

Mayor: Yes.

Question: I saw you had some criticism of it on Twitter a little earlier. I’m curious what are your thoughts?

Mayor: I mean, these stereotypes, they're ridiculous and they've been around a long time and they got to stop. It's 2019. Stop treating Staten Island this way. Stop treating New York City this way. You know, there's this horrible attempt to demonize Staten Island and demonize New York City, and, you know, it was offensive a long time ago. You'd think in an in a time where people are a little more sensitive, you'd think MTV would know better, but it's, it just, they, they should cancel that show. It's ridiculous. It's unfair. Yes?

Question: So, yesterday morning as you’re aware, [inaudible].

Mayor: Yesterday morning, as I am aware, I like that opening. I was? I didn't remember that.

Question: Yeah. Once again you’re asked about running for President and you do not rule it out? So if you were to focus on your job here in the City, why aren’t you filling it out, keeping it [inaudible] especially all of us, all the national media, to consider you a potential candidate? Is it because you like the attention or are you actually considering in some way running for President?

Mayor: It’s literally what it says – not ruling it out means not ruling it out. I think you saw on Thursday there’s a huge host of initiatives that I’m working on here and I’ve said to you many times, my current plan is to do this job with great intensity all the way to the end of 2021 but we’re in an ever-changing environment and I was trying to be honest, I’m simply not ruling it out, but I’m very clear on you, as you can hear right here today on this announcement, what my focus is and what my mission is.

Question: Two unrelated issues. First as a follow up, do you agree with the Governor who said the MTA is being as poorly run as the former Board of Education where each borough president had a – you know, a nominee to the board and they couldn’t choose a chancellor? Or do you—

Mayor: No, no, I think it’s a bad analogy. The Governor has had effective control for a long time and before him, you know, again, this is not a news flash – Pataki had the same control. It’s not a new thing. What has been true and the Governor – Governor Cuomo said this and I agree with them, is that there’s been an effort to obscure who’s really in charge for a long time, and that’s literally part of the origins of the MTA structure as we know it. I think any structure where you can’t figure out who’s in charge is a dangerous structure. But in practical terms, the State of New York and, specifically the Governor in New York, have been in charge for decades. So no, this is not like the Board of Education. That was an entirely different and more balkanized reality. You first and then we’ll go over.

Question: He also said something about if the – if the state legalizing recreational marijuana, that localities and counties would be given the option of opting out. Would you consider giving the boroughs the chance – each borough a chance to opt out of –

Mayor: No. No, I think it’s not realistic to have opt-outs, first of all, I think this is a matter of justice. We need to legalize marijuana the right way. I’m very clear about that and I have a whole report that you’re familiar with about how we should do that. But we need to do it for the whole state equally. Yeah?

Question: Do you think – are you concerned at all that if you do [inaudible] you some sort of – or if the governor does get some more control of the MTA and if you’re fine with that, that kind of absolves him a pass leadership wrongs, maybe? You don’t think that lets him off the hook?

Mayor: No. I mean, look, I understand the question because it’s been obscure on one level, but this is why my, my earlier points – so you’ll remember of course going back to the opening of the extension of the Second Avenue subway and I think from that moment to now the people of this city and the people of the state have gotten a real education in how the MTA really works. And I’ve mentioned a few times, you know, at town hall meetings, I’ve had almost 60 of them. I used to ask people who was in charge. It was like a third said the city, a third said the state, and a third weren’t sure. And now I go to town hall meetings, I say who’s in charge of the MTA, and it’s like 80 – 90 percent say the state. So I think something happened and the dialogue was a healthy one.

It’s quite clear the Governor and the state are in charge, practically speaking, and it has been for a long time. So whatever good is happening, whatever bad has happened, this governor and his predecessors, obviously, were the people in charge – just like I’ve been in charge of the schools and the police and everything else, but really I’m not worried about the past. I am worried about how we fix the problem once and for all and I believe that if we do something by April 1st I think this is a historic decisive moment. If we act by April 1st on a substantial plan to make the MTA sustainable economically, we can really fix the underlying problems, the signal problems, and the rolling stock problems, and everything else. If we miss the opportunity, April 1st, you’re talking probably about several years before there can be another opportunity and the situation gets a lot worse than that time. Yeah?

Question: Back on your never say never approach to a run for president. Senator Gillibrand is said to be officially getting in next weekend – Kamala Harris a week from today. The timetable is moving – [inaudible] a seven-day expiration date on it for you, and are you having any active conversations with people about setting up an infrastructure in Iowa or New Hampshire or somewhere else?

Mayor: No. The point in what I’m saying is it’s a never-changing dynamic and I wanted to be honest about the fact that’s it’s a never-changing dynamic. My focus is on the work I’m doing here. I’m not thinking about what each and every person does, it’s – we’ve never seen anything like this. I think we can all agree this is an entirely unpredictable, unprecedented dynamic. I’m focused on my work here. If at some point I have something more say, you will be the first to know.

[Laughter]

Question: I’ll sit by the phone.

Mayor: Yeah. Willie.

Question: On the same topic, do you think that your experience and your policies and proposals qualify you to be a good, competitive Democratic candidate for president?

Mayor: I want to speak about the broad reality. I think the broad reality is that mayors all over this country are providing a lot of the leadership because the federal government’s been paralyzed for a long time, and because state governments in many cases either won’t act or have been going in a regressive direction and a lot of the responsibility has devolved down to mayors, which is why it’s not surprising that for the first time in memory you see a number of mayors actively considering a run for the presidency. I think the world has changed. I think you can see it around the world too, where national governments have been less and less decisive and local governments have had to step up on a host of issues, including things like immigration that you would have thought were inherently national issues – a lot of ways they’ve devolved down to becoming local issues because the national governments aren’t acting. So I think it is an age where mayors are more pertinent than ever. I have nothing else to say about me because, again, I’m very, very, very clear – I’m Mayor of New York City. That’s what I’m focused on and if anything changes, I’ll speak to it. But I do think mayors are in the mix in a way that we have never seen before. Gloria?

Question: So not ruling it out means not ruling it out –

Mayor: Very good start, Gloria.

Question: Is there something you could say today that would make you rule it out. [Inaudible] today, what do we know, is there something –

Mayor: No, it’s, it’s just – it’s a broad statement. It is a literal statement. We are at – I know, I know, to Andrew’s point, it’s like the, the calendar feels super-heated right now. I remember those quaint days when the election year was actually the election year and not a year or two earlier than the election year. But now everything feels superheated and everyone thinking it feels like, you know, it’s moving right now. It’s not, in my opinion, this is, this is the very, very beginning of a long process, and expect tons of twists and turns. And I’m simply acknowledging that reality and being straightforward, but, uh, it’s very simple to me. I’m doing my job. We’ll see where the world goes. Go ahead.

Question: You know, you’re saying you’re not ruling it now but in 2017, when you were running for reelection, you were asked about this at the debate, you said you can serve your full – your full four years as being mayor. So that’s kind of ruling it out, I know you’re saying you’re not ruling it out – what changed between then and –

Mayor: The world changed. I mean, you know, that’s what I saw then I meant it. And today when I say, you know, my plan is to serve to until the end of 2021, I mean it – that is my plan. But I also see an extraordinarily dynamic environment where we’re seeing challenges we never saw before. We’re seeing dangers we never saw before. You know, it’s a time when it makes sense to rethink what’s going on and how to address it. So I think we can say the world has changed a lot in the last couple of years. But in the meantime, my statement is literal – just not ruling it out. Yes?

Question: Can we just get your reaction, Mayor, on the early-voting proposal [inaudible]?

Mayor: Yeah.

Question: What that means for voters in New York State?

Mayor: It’s a total game changer, Dave. The people of this city have gotten used to voting being a painful experience, a difficult experience, like you’re giving up a huge chunk of your day just to vote. And bluntly, a lot of people are not voting because of it. Who should be? And we need everyone voting. We need everyone participating. People want to participate more than they have in a long, long time. Why is it that this state that’s supposed to be so modern and so progressive is one of the hardest places to vote in the whole country? It makes no sense. So early voting takes a ton of pressure off of Election Day and means a lot of people will vote in the weeks before. You all still have, I hope, a great turnout on Election Day, but it will be a much more spread out process. So it’ll make Election Day days go more smoothly. Yes.

Question: On – the city just filed a massive lawsuit against a real-estate agency regarding listings they had for a Manhattan building being entirely Airbnb. Is this the new strategy considering the judge had halted the data you were supposed to get about Airbnb listings, so should we expect the city to see – to have a more grounded approach for filing lawsuits versus—

Mayor: Yeah. We’re, we’re, look, first of all, we obviously do not believe that the court case is over. That was just one action by the judge in what’s going to be a longer case. Second, you’re going to see the aggressive use of a variety of tools, whether it’s against illegal hotels or whether it’s against bad landlords depriving their tenants of heat, hot water, et cetera. We have tools now. We want more tools. Uh, we want the ability to seize buildings and that’s something we need city legislation on. I believe the Council will be receptive, but you’re going to see an intense and progressively tougher approach. Last one.

Question: I’m following a case on Staten Island where a minor was able to live with a registered sex offender who also was a relative, and this sex offender went on to – he was arrested and charged with committing a crime sexual in nature against this minor, and it turns out that in New York, sex offenders of any level, as long as they’re off any type of supervision, or probation, or parole, are free to live wherever they want, even if it’s with a child or next to a school unless there is some type of local law or ordinance preventing them from doing so. Do you think that New York City needs some type of law saying, you know, even if  a sex offender is off any type of supervision, they’re not allowed to come –

Mayor: I’m concerned about the issue because we want to keep people safe, but I don’t know the specifics of the law, so I need to talk to the NYPD before giving you an informed answer.

Thanks, everyone.