Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears Live on the Brian Lehrer Show

December 27, 2019

Brian Lehrer: And now onto the News Quiz. We will have a few guest Quiz Masters along the way, and guess who is in the lead-off spot? You know how we usually have Ask the Mayor on Friday mornings? Well, for the first 15 minutes or so of the News Quiz, we’re flipping it around and it’s the Mayor Asks You – so, good morning, Mr. Mayor, and an early Happy New Year.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: A very Happy New Year to you and all your listeners, Brian. I think you’re going to have plenty of listeners who can get the two in a row. I’m very, very hopeful about this.

Lehrer: You think we have an informed lot out there, is that what you’re saying?

Mayor: You have a very informed, engaged group who listen to your show, and these are not the toughest questions in the world so –

Lehrer: [Inaudible] know some of the questions from the New York City list that we’re going to do together. You don’t know what comes after that, though.

Mayor: Okay, it gets harder. Okay.

Lehrer: By the way, you’re going to be at Times Square for the ball –

Mayor: Yes.

Lehrer: You do that?

Mayor: Yes, I’m going to be freezing with my fellow New Yorkers.

Lehrer: What’s that like?

Mayor: You know, it is – the ball drop itself is really cool and you feel a tremendous sense of, like, connection to all the people around you in those few seconds. I think the hours and hours leading up to it for most people, I don’t get it still, but I admire the folks who have that fortitude. But for the actual moment itself, it’s pretty magical.

Lehrer: Yeah, I wonder if there’s a ball-drop crowd census like what percentage actually live in New York City because everyone I know who lives here wants to stay away.

Mayor: That’s what I hear, too.

[Laughter]

Lehrer: Alright, well thanks –

Mayor: It’s fun to watch on TV.

Lehrer: Thanks for agreeing to come out and play with us today. And listeners, considering the guest Quiz Master, again these first 15 minutes of the News Quiz will be all questions about New York City news from 2019, and instead of Ask the Mayor, it’s the Mayor Asks You. 2-1-2-4-3-3-WNYC. Actually, we’ll go back and forth. We’ll both ask questions in this segment. And let’s see who wants to play. How about starting with – where do you go here? Steven in Carroll Gardens – hi, Steven, you’re on WNYC.

Audience: Good morning. Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: Good morning, Happy New Year.

Audience: Thanks, you too.

Lehrer: Now, I’ve got the first question. So, Steven, New York was at the center of the nation’s largest measles outbreak this year after the disease was declared eliminated in the United States in the year 2000. Can you name the two counties where the outbreak was concentrated?

Mayor: You’ll have to clarify that question, Brian. I am cutting in.

Lehrer: Go ahead.

Mayor: I think you have to clarify the geography, generally [inaudible] –

Lehrer: Yes, that’s fair because one of the counties was in New York City, the other was not.

Audience: Okay. Yeah. Kings County and Rockland County were the two counties.

Lehrer: Very good. And not only did you know it was Brooklyn, you knew the official name of Brooklyn.

Mayor: That’s extra credit, right there.

Lehrer: It is. You should get the mug just for that. Alright, Mr. Mayor, let’s see if he can get the two in a row.

Mayor: Okay, here we go. So, there’s a new structure in town on the West Side, Hudson Yards. It has been compared to many things by many observers. One particularly popular comparison has been to a gyro. This prominent, new structure – what is it called?

Audience: I haven’t heard it called the gyro. I’ve had it called things I probably can’t say on the radio, but it is the Vessel.

Mayor: Yes, very good.

Lehrer: He knows the Vessel.

Mayor: And he kept it clean on the radio, too. Extra credit also.

Lehrer: Definitely extra credit. Steven, we will send you the Brian Lehrer Show mug. Hand on, we’ll take you contact information off the air. Let’s go next to Raul in East Elmhurst. Hi, Raul, you’re on WNYC – ready to play?

Audience: Yes, sir – Brian, Mr. Mayor, thank you. I’m ready.

Lehrer: Okay. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is running for president in the Democratic primary as you may have heard, recently apologized for what police tactic that his administration embraced at the time?

Audience: Brian, I love you. I know this one. Stop-and-frisk.

Lehrer: That is right. The Mayor said it was going to be easy. I think that was one of the easier questions. Mr. Mayor, let’s see if you stump Raul.

Mayor: Yeah, I think you should ask Raul about the nature of the apology and its sincerity but we’ll move on.

Lehrer: Is editorializing allowed – but not for extra credit.

Mayor: Rahul, here we go. In 2019, the NYPD got a new police commissioner. Now, two parts to this question. Can you name the new police commissioner and can you name the commissioner that he replaced? All you, Raul.

Lehrer: And – that means you need to know both.

Audience: Oh, this is not fair. Two questions in one. Well, the first question I have to say, I don’t know. And the second question, I don’t know. And I won’t be voting for Bloomberg because he apologized, but I don't know the answer.

Lehrer: Raul, thank you very much for trying. Alright, let’s see if Beth on the Lower East Side knows the outgoing and the incoming police commissioner. We’re going to give this question one more shot to one more caller. Hi, Beth, you’re on WNYC.

Audience: Hi, this is such a thrill, Brian. I am thrilled. Yes, the outgoing commissioner was Jimmy O’Neill and the incoming – the new commissioner is Dermot Shea.

Mayor: Exactly right. Well done.

Lehrer: Well done, in fact. Mr. Mayor, let’s see if you can help Beth win a mug. Oh, you did that one, I’m sorry. It’s my turn.

Mayor: You’re next. You’re next.

Lehrer: Yep, so Beth, a WNYC Gothamist investigation found what hazardous substance inside four New York City public schools earlier this year?

Audience: Yep, they found lead in the drinking water.

Lehrer: Beth –

Mayor: No, that’s – I think she wins for lead –

Lehrer: She wins for lead.

Mayor: But not in the drinking water.

Lehrer: It was not in the water.

Mayor: Not in the water.

Lehrer: Lead was all she needed to win the mug.

Mayor: I think it counts because she said lead. I think we should accept it. But I want to give an important note to your listeners that the Department of Education has remediated all the classrooms. It was lead paint, actually –

Lehrer: Yes, it was paint.

Mayor: – that had to be remediated. All those classrooms with kids under six, that’s the group that has vulnerability that we need to watch out for and we are inspecting those classrooms three times a year, and now remediating also libraries, cafeterias, gyms, and auditoriums. So, a lot of work going on to make sure our kids are safe.

Lehrer: Beth, thank you, hang on. We’ll get your contact information and send you a Brian Lehrer Show mug. Andrew in Astoria, you’re on WNYC. Hi, Andrew, ready to play?

Audience: Yeah, sure, Brian. Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: Good morning. Alright, here we go, this beloved western New York-based grocery chain opened its first door in New York City in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in October. What is the name of that store? You’re not from – where are you calling from?

Audience: Astoria.

Mayor: Okay, because Brooklyn folks are going crazy over this store but it hasn’t reached as far as Astoria.

Audience: [Inaudible] spot?

Lehrer: Oh, sorry, Andrew, thanks for trying.

Mayor: Good try, man. Good try.

Lehrer: And let’s see, we’re just going in order here but the next caller is from Staten Island. So, let’s see if Joe – hi, Joe – knows that –

Audience: Hi, Brian. Hi, Mr. Mayor.

Lehrer: – that store that opened not that far from the Verrazano Bridge. Hi, Joe.

Mayor: Joe, did you hear the question or – did you hear the question?

Audience: Yeah, I did hear the question. It’s Wegmans.

Mayor: Yes, it is.

Lehrer: Absolutely right. So, you got the Brooklyn question right there in Staten Island. Let’s see if you can get the Queens question that happens to follow it. The Queens Borough President, Melinda Katz, changes jobs in January having won the Democratic primary for the new office by a razor thin margin. What is her new job?

Audience: She is the District Attorney.

Lehrer: We are giving away mugs. Joe, thank you very much. Hang on, we will –

Mayor: Well done, Joe. Happy New Year.

Lehrer: Happy New Year, indeed, from both of us. You will get that mug in the mail. Hang on. And now we’re going to go on to a Brooklyn caller who happens to come up next. It’s Arnold in Brooklyn. Hi, Arnold.

Audience: Hi.

Lehrer: Thanks for playing the News Quiz. Now, what we have here first is a follow up question to the Melinda Katz one. You heard that she won the job of Queens DA. It was a very close election, within a thousand votes, what was her margin of victory?

Audience: Five-thousand.

Lehrer: Sorry, Arnold. We’re going to move on. Let’s see. I’m going to cherry pick here, and Ian in Ridgewood, you’re on WNYC – hi, Ian.

Audience: Hello, good morning.

Lehrer: I’m guessing this is Ridgewood, Queens and not Ridgewood, New Jersey. Am I right?

Audience: Correct.

Lehrer: Okay.

Audience: Ridgewood, Queens.

Lehrer: So, within a thousand votes what was Melinda Katz’s margin of victory in the DA race which was close?

Audience: I believe it was slightly less than 2,000 votes.

Lehrer: Oh my goodness –

Mayor: Wow. Wow.

Lehrer: Ian, thanks for trying. How about that –

Mayor: I think – Brian, you’re giving really good clues here. I think your listeners need to – you’re trying to help them.

Lehrer: I tried. I tried in this case.

Mayor: You’re trying.

Lehrer: But the rule is we retire a question if two people in a row get it wrong. And the answer folks is, Melinda Katz won that race officially by exactly 55 votes.

Mayor: Another lesson in the fact that every vote counts. Fifty-five votes in a borough of 2.3 million people.

Lehrer: Good lesson to draw from that conclusion. Liba, in Brooklyn, you’re on WNYC – ready to play the News Quiz?

Audience: Yes, thank you.

Lehrer: Mr. Mayor, I think you’re up.

Mayor: Okay, I think I got this one. Okay, Liba, here we go. Now, together, our administration and the City Council worked for years and the City Council voted this year to close a major piece of our criminal justice infrastructure by 2026. So, two questions – what is closing and what will replace it?

Audience: Rikers Island is going to be closing and there are going to be new facilities in every borough, I believe, except Staten Island [inaudible] –

Mayor: Exactly right. Brian, super extra credit for getting the details exactly right. Well done.

Lehrer: That’s right. And for the mug – New York will become the first American city to raise money for public transportation in this way when this policy starts to take effect in 2021. What is the policy we’re talking about, Liba? To raise money for public transportation.

Audience: I think that’s going to be – is it an income tax? Some kind of tax on real estate? I’m not 100 percent sure.

Lehrer: Somebody may have wanted to the one percent to pay extra income tax –

Mayor: Yeah.

Lehrer: But they didn’t pass it in Albany. 

Mayor: That’s what I talk about.

Lehrer: Liba, thank you for trying. Robin in Manhattan, let’s see if you can get that question right. Hi, Robin, first of all. Hi.

Audience: Hi, Brian. Hi, Mr. Mayor. How are you?

Mayor: Hey there, Happy New Year.

Lehrer: And –

Audience: Happy New Year. Okay, this is a guess but is it congestion pricing?

Lehrer: It certainly is –

Mayor: That’s correct.

Lehrer: That’s one in a row. Mr. Mayor, hit her –

Mayor: Okay, here we go. Starting in early October drivers who are looking to get across Manhattan had one less option available to them. Which street has been closed off to car traffic in Manhattan?

Audience: Is it 14th Street?

Mayor: It is. Congratulations – and just a bonus piece of information for your listeners. Travel across 14th Street now by bus is nine minutes faster than it was before the busway was put in. Congratulations, you got it exactly right.

Lehrer: Robin –

Audience: Thank you very much.

Lehrer: Robin, thank you very much. Hang on, we’re going to take your address and send you a Brian Lehrer Show mug. Dan, in Greenwich, Connecticut is going to try his hand on a New York City quiz question or two. Hey, Dan, thanks for calling.

Audience: Thank you, Brian. Good morning to you and Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: Good morning.

Lehrer: And the question is name at least one reason – to follow up on the question we just asked the last caller – name one reason, there are a few, why City officials decided to close 14th Street to car traffic.

Audience: Due to ambulances not being able to get to their destination, or fire trucks, that sort of nature. Yeah, so, emergency services having trouble getting to where they need to go.

Lehrer: That’s not on my list but Mr. Mayor, you can confirm whether that was one of the reasons or not.

Mayor: I wish I could in the spirit of the holidays, but no, that’s not actually what it was.

Lehrer: Dan, thanks for trying.

Mayor: Happy New Year.

Lehrer: Billy in Manhattan – Happy New Year from me too. Billy, you’re on WNYC. Hi, Billy.

Audience: Hey, good morning, Brian. Good morning, Mr. Mayor. I’m holding a Brian Lehrer mug as we speak.

Lehrer: I’m so happy. I wish we could send you something else if you win, but, you know, maybe you have somebody to have coffee with and you’ll both have mugs.

Audience: You can never have too many mugs.

Lehrer: So, the question was, name at least one reason out of the several why City officials decided to close 14th Street to car traffic.

Audience: One big reason, and one reason I supported, is because bus speeds were dismal on 14th Street. Now we see trips taking 30 or 40 percent faster. So I would say increasing the speeds is one reason for the busway.

Lehrer: That is exactly right. And the others as I have them are to improve the commutes for the L train riders who were going to be partly displaced over the period repairs, and also to reduce carbon emissions in the city. Alright, Mr. Mayor, let’s see if Billy can win a mug.

Mayor: Billy has a great quote there. He said, you can never have enough mugs. That’s a good omen. Okay, Billy, here we go. It may have been a relatively off year, quiet year for elections in 2019, but this year’s election made history because New York City voters were allowed to do what for the first time?

Audience: New York City voters, Mr. Mayor, were allowed to vote early for the first time.

Mayor: That mug is coming to you. You are adding to your collection.

Lehrer: You are going to have a match set. And it will be perfectly matched because we have not revised the Brian Lehrer Show mug design in a couple years –

Mayor: Because it’s a classic, Brian. It’s a classic.

Lehrer: It’s about a two-year-old classic but if our standards are diminishing that much for classic, sure I’ll take it. Billy, thank you, hang on. We’re going to take your contact information and Mr. Mayor, that was fun. Thank you so much for being our first guest Quiz Master today. You’re really good at this, by the way.

Mayor: You know, that Quiz Master – that’s a growing profession. I’m looking forward to it in the future. But, I want to say to all of your listeners – a very, very Happy New Year. You have a well-informed listenership and I really appreciate in the course of the year the important questions that people ask, the smart questions, the thoughtful questions, the heartfelt questions. So, it is a good way to end the year. And a very Happy New Year to you and everyone at WNYC, Brian.

Lehrer: I will talk to you next decade, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: See you next year. Take care.