Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears on 77 WABC Radio

May 16, 2016

Rita Cosby: So much is happening in New York City – with new crime stats, new investigations, and already talk of the Mayor’s reelection campaign – and joining us now is New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Mr. Mayor, thank you so much for being on the show.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: My great pleasure, Rita.

Cosby: Lots of news especially on the crime front – and big news on gangs. We were hearing that takedowns – it’s anticipated, the NYPD, that they will takedown – what – 20 gangs between now and the Fourth of July? I guess my question is how serious is the gang problem in New York?

Mayor: Well, Rita, it’s a real problem. Although, I will say New York City is in much better shape than some of the big cities around the country. But, listen, here’s the good news – the NYPD is getting so strong and so good at this work of taking down gangs and crews. And they can literally project to you how many more they will take out of commission over the coming weeks. Let’s just look at the last 30 days – seven major narcotics and gang-related takedowns. Now, this means huge numbers of people arrested – 219 arrests. 219 suspects caught in those takedowns. [Inaudible] those gangs out of commission. And what we’re seeing more and more is that the NYPD is focusing resources on the most violent offenders because we keep pushing crime down. So, therefore, every time we push crime down, we have more energy, more focus, more personnel to apply to where crime still exists, particularly violent crime. First quarter of this year – fewest shootings and homicides of the first quarter of any year, ever. This last month of April – the fewest number of shootings of any April since CompStat was begun almost 25 years ago.

It’s amazing what the NYPD is doing. And Rita, we have 2,000 more officers – on top of that, 2,000 more officers who will be on patrol by the end of this year. So, there’s a lot momentum, and we’re going to be taking more and more of these gangs and crews out of commission.

Cosby: What do you say to some of the recent results – I guess, some surveys that have taken place with the police officers themselves. There was one that was, you know, a number of weeks ago, and it said that 87 percent of the officers feel that the city is less safe since you took over. The perception, at least, is different.

Mayor: Well, the numbers are so obvious here, and I think every day New Yorkers know it – that this is a city that has gotten safer and safer. We’re the safest big city in America by far. We’ve just seen continued progress on reducing violence. Look, folks who are in a labor union are often going to have their differences with management. That poll was taken by the union, as you know. And I think sometimes – and I’ve said this about some of the union leadership – that they need to come up with something that they disgruntled about, instead of saying let’s look at the good things. The NYPD is really successful – more and more successful. I heard from a lot of officers, I heard from a lot of every day New Yorkers that the thing that was most important was to give the officers more backup and support. That’s why 2,000 more officers will be on patrol by the end of next year – the first increase in patrol strength in 15 years. Better vests to protect – better bulletproof vests to protect our officers – the latest. We’re going to constantly replace them so our officers are safe. Better technology than ever, like Shot Spotter, which helps us to identify when a gun goes off anywhere in the city so we can get to that perpetrator immediately. Better training than our officers have ever received, and more training. Smart phones – you know, the latest technology to help them stay up to date on where suspects may be and that keeps officers safe as well as the community safe.

This is – as Bill Bratton has said – he said it very openly – he said no mayor he has ever worked for has invested more in the police force on his watch. So, we’re going to keep making those investments and backing up our officers. But, you know, it’s never going to surprise me if the union has a different agenda.

Cosby: I want to talk with you about transgender issues because the Obama administration is issuing a sweeping decree – I’m sure you’ve heard about this – telling every public school district in the United States to allow transgender students to use bathrooms that match their gender identity. I know this something that you’ve been supportive of. What’s your reaction to this news from the Obama administration – coming from the administration itself?

Mayor: I think the President did the right thing. This is about the people being able just to be who they are, and to be respected, and not ostracized. Transgender people are Americans. They are a part of our communities. I – you know, you’ve seen some of the young people talk about their lives, you know, imagine something as basic as you need to use a bathroom and you’re not even allowed to use the one that actually makes sense for you. I mean, that’s just not fair, and we have to be respectful of people’s need. And the rhetoric against this just common sense measure – the rhetoric and the division that’s been [inaudible] it’s very, very sad because this is just about giving people basic respect and, you know, being able to embrace every kind of person.

Cosby: So, you believe it’s very important that the administration took this step?

Mayor: Oh, absolutely. And look, this is part of the forward march in history – there’s no question in my mind. We’re seeing it all over the country that this is becoming a more and more inclusive country, more and more tolerant country, more and more understand country. And that’s what – particularly the generation coming up, and I give them a lot of credit – they have overcome a lot of the biases, and, you know, a lot of the blinders of previous generations. I am convinced this is the kind of thing that will define the direction the country will take.

Cosby: And we’re talking to New York City Bill de Blasio. Mr. Mayor, I have to ask you, because there’s been so many headlines of late about corruption convictions, and also now sentences. Sheldon Silver, of course, got 12 years for corruption. Dean Skelos just got five years – a five year sentence. What’s your reaction? What message do you think this sends?

Mayor: Well, look, justice was served. I mean, it’s tragic that two leaders were, you know, either lining their own pockets or family’s pockets in this way. And the public has every right to be outraged. And the process worked here. And that’s part of how we, you know, slowly but surely, restore public trust in government. And there’s a lot of cynicism out there, and some of it is because of these bad apples. Some of it is because the government has not served people’s needs sufficiently. I think we all have a mission which is to run a clean, ethical government but also an effective government that people can look at and admire. You know, for example, we’re very proud we’ve done Pre-K for All in this city. It’s a great example of people actually seeing their government do something for them, do it efficiently, use their money wisely – that restores faith. But, you know, when people line their pockets, it’s very important that the public see that there’s a real outcome and justice is done.

Cosby: Mr. Mayor, of course, there is a number of criminal investigations of you and your administration. What do you say to the public who is concerned about these investigations against you?

Mayor: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – we have done everything appropriately, everything legally. We have put the public interest first. Unfortunately, in America over the last few decades, investigations are a very common thing. They are – the fact that an investigation exists does not imply an outcome, it doesn’t tell you where things are going. And we’ve said, hey, we want to cooperate with these investigations. We’ve been very proactive about it. We want to help them get to a speedy conclusion, share information, and be helpful in every way we can. And my point of view is – look at the facts of what we have done here. Not only what we’ve achieved for people but the high standards we’ve held ourselves to. In so many instances, I sought the guidance of the Conflict of Interest Board in different initiatives I was undertaking. We went proactively to our ethics panel, asked for guidance, and then followed that guidance with constant check-ins with lawyers to make sure that the guidance was being followed properly. That’s the kind of thing we should see more often in government. So, I think when all of the facts are aired, people are going to see that we did things the right way.

Cosby: Let me ask you directly to put this to bed. Have you directly solicited funds from people with business pending before the City?

Mayor: Rita, it’s very simple. I went to the Conflict of Interest Board – that’s our ethics panel for the City – I said, what am I allowed to do? They gave me very specific guidance. I followed that guidance. And all – this is a matter of public record – that we followed that guidance and stayed exactly within what was appropriate and within the law every time.

Cosby: And never deviated from it?

Mayor: No, because – again, let me tell you something interesting. There are so many people in public service who sadly do not seek ethics guidance before they do things, and who don’t even disclose what they’re doing. Everything we did, we disclosed. That is an example of confidence and belief that we’ve done things right, that we fully disclosed the donors that I was working with on different issues. I have no problem disclosing them. That has not happened at the state level, as you know – plenty of money has flowed that no one ever knew where it came from. The same at the federal level. The same with millions and millions of dollars of advertising directed against me by the hedge fund managers, for example. We don’t know who they are because they never had to disclose. But everything I’ve done, I’ve disclosed.

Cosby: Do you believe this is a witch hunt? That it’s sort of part of a political smear campaign against you?

Mayor: Well, I think there’s a couple different pieces here. I think there are some realities in Albany that, really, are worth looking into – what’s happening with the Board of Elections, what’s happening with the panel called JCOPE. There really do appear to be some very unusual things happening, where there’s a double standard – where we’re being looked at and no one else is. Where the personnel involved all seem to come from the same place and have the same political agenda.

Cosby: People are saying it’s Cuomo. Do you believe it’s – why don’t you just come out and say it’s Governor Cuomo?

Mayor: Because I want to respect the fact that the media has a job to do [inaudible] investigate the facts, and certainly law enforcement will look at all those facts. But it’s not for me to make a firm conclusion. But there’s a lot of questions that should ask about why such a double standard is being held. And the bottom line is – I’m comfortable we not only have served the people of the city well but we’ve done it with a very high ethical standard. And, again, I have no problem working with all of these investigations unless they act in a fundamentally illegitimate fashion. That’s why the letter by Laurence Laufer, the lawyer who laid out how the JCOPE investigation went from something that seemed absolutely appropriate, within its purview, and we fully participate in into something else that seems to stretch beyond this legal purview into something that suggests a very clear political agenda. That’s something we draw a line at. But any legitimate investigation – of course, we’re working with them 100 percent to get to the truth.

Cosby: And, Mr. Mayor, I want you to ask you – I know you had a big fundraiser – by the way, happy birthday. I know you had a birthday recently too.

Mayor: Thank you. I did.

Cosby: Are you more careful at the fundraising given all these investigations? Do you feel like you’re walking on egg shells in terms of what you’re doing or not doing because so many different folks are looking at it?

Mayor: Well, I feel, first of all, that we’ve done everything appropriately. So, I’m comfortable, you know. We’ve – over the years – plenty of times we did not think a donation was appropriate – we’d send it back. I feel very good about the way we’ve approached it. But I can tell you one thing, what we did last night was we went for the fundraising that got me here to begin with – grassroots fundraising, every day New Yorkers, modest contributions. But boy did it add up. We had a packed house. We raised almost $120,000 from every day New Yorkers, and when you add in the matching funds that we’ll get from that, it’s going to be as much as $750,000 – three-quarters of a million dollars – an impact from that event. And what you’re going to see is a lot of that very – we’re going to do a lot of local fundraising, grassroots, house parties, block parties – the kinds of things that got me here. We’re going to be doing that, and that’s how we’re going to win the day.

Cosby: And very quickly – do you think it’s going to be a very heated 2017 mayoral race? There’s a lot of people already throwing their names in. Are you confident that you’ll get reelected? Are you confident your record will hold?

Mayor: Oh, yeah. I feel – look, I think it’ll be a contested race, of course. And I have said many times, if people want to run against me, we welcome all comers. 250,000 jobs have been created in the last two years – the most in any two years in New York City history. We achieved pre-K for all children in the city in record time. Crime is down. Stop and frisk is down. We have the strongest anti-terror force anywhere in the country. Now, I’ll put these facts and these achievements up against any candidate, any time.

What I do assume, Rita, is there will be at least one or more very well-funded candidate, you know funded by the hedge fund world or some other powerful corporate interest. I expect a lot of money will be thrown at me, but, again, the way we’ve won historically is by going to the grassroots, building up support neighborhood by neighborhood, and I expect to do that again. I expect to prevail.

Cosby: Mr. Mayor, thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy your birthday weekend too. I hope it continues for you. Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: Thank you, Rita. You be well.