Rush Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears on the Cats Roundtable on AM 970 The Answer

November 8, 2015

John Castimatidis: We have the mayor of the City of New York, Bill de Blasio, and we’re very lucky today to have Mayor de Blasio. I had him during the week when we were substituting for John Gambling, and he’s agreed to come back for our Sunday morning show. And good morning, Mayor de Blasio, how are you this morning?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: I’m doing good, John. It’s a pleasure to be on the show. A lot of people – you’ve got a lot of fans out there, so I’m glad to be able to finally get a chance to be a part of it with you.

John Castimatidis: Well, we’re glad you’re with us. And tell us, how is it to be the 109th mayor of the City of New York?

Mayor: It’s obviously an honor. It’s a humbling experience because there is so much to do, and there is a lot of things we have to address in a city of almost eight-and-a-half million people. And the city never sleeps, John. That phrase is a true one. So, there is not a moment of the day where I do not think about the things that we have to get done. But I’ve got to tell you, it’s an amazing experience too, because when you know that something you’ve done has improved someone’s life, what more can you ask for?

John Castimatidis: Do you – are you afraid when the phone rings are three o’clock in the morning?

Mayor: I’m never afraid, but I sure as hell know that when that phone rings, it’s probably not good news. And, look I – you know, you’ve been active and involved civically in New York City for a long time, and I thank you for that. I’ve been in public life for a long time. I’ve been – had lots of tough situations, and nothing tougher than when we lose a police officer or anyone else in public service. I’ve seen plenty of crises and challenges. So, you know – you know the phone is going to ring at some point for one problem or another, and the job is to be ready, and to have great people. And one thing I’m very proud of, John – you know, Commissioner Bratton, literally the finest police leader in America; our Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro, you know, an extraordinary leader – helped lead the department through 9/11 and after. And all around, when you look at the people in this administration, they’re proven veterans, and I know when the phone rings people are going to be ready.

John Castimatidis: What can we do to straighten out the bail process? You know, everybody in New York was upset when that guy who got arrested 28 times – 29 times was out on bail again and he ended up killing Police Officer Holder.

Mayor: Yeah, it’s absolutely unacceptable, and it should have been fixed a long time ago.  Look, here’s a fact – there are only three states in this country that have such an arcane bail system. 47 other states and the federal government follow a simple rule – a judge is allowed to consider how dangerous an individual might be, and what their record has been in terms of being dangerous, and then make the bail decision. If the judge were allowed to look at the totality of what Howard did, there is no question that he would have been someone who would be out on the streets. The guy had a consistent criminal record. He was either in jail or out as a criminal, there was never anything else, either in jail or committing crimes. And on top of that, he had violated parole and probation repeatedly. I think all of that information should have been in front of the judge with a law saying you have every right to consider this as part of the bail process. The same with diversion programs – there are people – there are low-level offenders, non-violent offenders who are appropriate for diversion. And diversion works in many cases, but a judge should be required to consider if someone is dangerous before making a decision on diversion. This is not someone who ever should have been in a diversion program. So, this has to change. Albany has to pass a new law. Judge Lippman, the top of our judicial system in this state, has called for this change. Manhattan DA Cy Vance has called for this change. It’s time for Albany to act.

John Castimatidis: I think 110 percent of New Yorkers agree with you on that. You can’t let these people just out hurting people. As far as – let’s go into schools. What can we do to improve out schools? You know, we have a 67-69 – I forget what the exact number are in graduation rates. I know you’ve been working on it. You’re including computer courses now. What can we do to improve our graduation rate?

Mayor: Well I appreciate that question. So, our vision, which is called Equity and Excellence, I announced it a few weeks back. This is very simple. We say, look, we’re going to lift up our schools, we’re not going to allow some schools to lag behind others. We’re making very major investments to create excellence across the entire school system. It begins with pre-k, which now, as of the last few weeks, for the first time in the history of the city – full-day pre-k – absolutely universal – any child, and neighborhood – and that will now be a permanent part of New York City public schools. Parents can depend on their child will have an automatic seat in full day high quality pre-k – that’s a strong beginning. We’ve got a lot more to do to increase and improve reading levels early on. When you get up towards graduation, we’ve said a couple of things. First, the current graduation rate is still too low – I want it to be to 80 percent over the next 10 years. I want kids to be much more college ready. Fewer than half of the kids who get a high school diploma in New York City are actually deemed college-ready by the tests we use to determine that. I want that number to get to at least two-thirds over the next ten years, and I want to go farther.

We’ve got to fill in a lot of the blanks that are missing now, and here’s where the computer piece comes in. We all know where the economy is going. You know, it’s becoming a higher and higher tech economy, and people need more and more education to be competitive. So, it stands to reason that computer science should be a consistent part of a child’s education. So, what we’ve announced is a great public-private partnership – and you know plenty about all the good that can happen when the public sector and the private sector work together – there’s an $80 million effort. We did this with Fred Wilson, who is a great tech entrepreneur. We’ve gotten firms involved like AOL. $80 million combined effort – we’re going to ensure over the next 10 years that every child at every grade level will be exposed to computer science in a host of ways, in all parts of the curriculum. We’re going to re-train teachers throughout the system to be able to bring computer science into all of the things they are doing all of the things they are doing in the classroom. And what it’s going to mean – and I have to tell you, the folks in the technology sector in the city are so excited about this – we’re going to be by far the largest school system in the country that is going to have computer science for all.

We have already a very, very successful technology sector in this city, employing now over 300,000 people – and growing all the time. What this says to that industry is, now they can really ramp up here in New York City, because the entire school system is going to be devoted to teaching these technology skills. And then on top of that – I know how much you believe in CUNY – we’ve invested tens of millions of dollars to give CUNY the ability to teach more and more kids in science, technology, engineering, and math – the STEM programs. Even the two-year degree in a STEM program can get you right into a good paying technology job. So, we’re investing a lot more in CUNY so more and more young people can get that degree and get right into this field.

John Castimatidis: Earlier this week the city council speaker and you have announced a 10-point action plan to grow industrial and manufacturing jobs. Tell us a little but about it.

Mayor: John, I’m so excited about this. So, look at where our economy is going. There is so much to be excited about here. We’ve got all the traditional strengths of New York City. But on top of that, these new sectors – what’s happened with technology is unbelievable – 300,000-plus jobs, what’s happening with life sciences, what’s happening with film and TV where we have more movies being filmed than we’ve ever seen in recent years – more TV pilots than ever. All of these are industries that are typified not only be a lot of jobs, but a lot of good paying jobs. Well, here’s the one that didn’t get a lot of attention – industrial and manufacturing jobs. For a lot of people, they think that’s something of the past in New York City, but that’s not true. There’s over half a million people still employed in industrial and manufacturing sectors here. Again, typically good paying jobs – over $50,000 a year – the kind of jobs that people can actually live on.

So our plan is to add 20,000 new industrial and manufacturing jobs over the next yet ten years. We’ve invested $115 million in this. So, what is it for? It’s for building out the kind of facilities that these businesses want to be in – like the Brooklyn Navy Yard; like Hunt’s point in the Bronx; like the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn – where these new, emerging businesses – 3-D printing, and businesses that do metalwork, woodwork, that do things for the local economy where highly specialized, high-skill work is needed for a host of businesses and institutions in this city. There’s a real market. They are quality jobs, but they need space to work with. We are going to provide that infrastructure and that space, and we’re going to provide loans to help these businesses build out. And what it’s going to mean – 20,000 more good paying jobs over the next decade.

John Castimatidis: Also, in your last 22 months you’ve been mayor, I hear we added 177 new jobs –

Mayor: 177,000.

John Castimatidis: 177,000 – and are you proud of that number? Do you think you can do better?

Mayor: Look, we always are working to do better, but I’ve got to put it perspective, you know? This is a stunning number of new jobs. We’re at 4.2 million jobs in this city, the most in the entire history of the city. So look, I’m always about saying we have big, big challenges, and things we have to address, but look at these numbers for a brief moment. The highest population – we’re pushing on towards 8.5 million now, on the way to 9 million – the highest population we’ve ever had. Obviously, the highest real estate values we’ve ever had, and that’s a blessing and a curse because that’s also created some of the affordable housing challenges. But we have a very, very strong and more diverse economy than ever. So, we added 177,000 new jobs in less than two years, planned for 20,000 more just in industrial manufacturing. I’m guaranteeing you the tech sector is going to keep growing because it’s becoming – we’re becoming more and more the place where entrepreneurs want to be in that community of talented people who want to be here. They want the lifestyle of New York City. They want to be around all the other industries that they want to work with. I think we’re in a very strong position. What we’ve got to do better is keep ensuring that that opportunity reaches every corner of the five boroughs and every kind of New Yorker. And that where – and I’ve talked about a lot the challenges of income inequality. I want to see this constant growth in our economy, but I want to make sure the jobs reach a lot of folks who haven’t had opportunity.

John Castimatidis: Mayor, guaranteed those people in high-tech don’t want to live in Boise, Idaho. They want to live in New York City where there’s great restaurants, great atmosphere, and a great way of living. Thank you so much for being with us this morning, and we hope you join us again in the future to talk about other things like transportation and just what else we can visualize in our city. And thank you again for being with us.

Mayor: John, I look forward to being on again and again. I want to thank you for all you do for this city. I always like to mention what you do for the Police Athletic League, which is so important for this city, and I think you for being so committed to our kids.

John Castimatidis: Well, have a great Sunday, and we’ll talk to you real soon.

Mayor: Take care, John.