Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Meets with Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino

July 20, 2014

Mayor Ignazio Marino, Mayor of Rome: [Speaks Italian]

Oh, should I say something in English? I am, how do you say – very honored – to welcome Bill, Chirlane, Chiara, and Dante here in Rome in the House of Romans. We are one of the most prestigious [inaudible] and we are very grateful that this first stop after the [inaudible]. We have discussed about a few important issues. We discussed about the fight against poverty and the important challenge of immigration. Immigration is a huge opportunity, it is not a problem in our [inaudible]. We believe that we should fight inequality, particularly when inequality in the young population [inaudible] the same opportunities in their lives. We also discussed about the mayor’s interest in waste management. Rome is doing now what New York City has done 14 years ago when they closed down, probably the largest landfill in the entire planet, which was at least four times as large than [inaudible] landfill. And we also proclaimed in the near future to establish some kind of [inaudible] exchanging young student and young artists. And so we will [inaudible] with less monetary possibilities with the opportunity to visit Rome from a town like New York City and from New York City to visit and study in a town like Rome. So in particularly [inaudible] I feel we can [inaudible] in the near future. Thank you Bill.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: [Speaks in Italian]

For Chirlane and for Chiara and for Dante and to me, this is a very special moment. We are in the Eternal City. We are in a city that means so much to the people of New York, and it means so much to the world. I can tell you as someone who studies cities around the world that Rome is in very good hands with Mayor Marino, and we [inaudible] we were profoundly impressed by his concern for all the people of Rome, including those who are struggling. His concern for people who have been forgotten in this society, and it’s the same fight that we have in New York and in the United States. What I see in this mayor is a progressive, a person who believes in making this city function well for everyone, believes in an inclusive society, and also a visionary. And I’m very happy that his success in the medical field didn’t stop him from entering government. And that he is sharing his skills with all the people of Rome. Because what he’s doing, for example recognizing the fragility of the antiquities of Rome and ensuring their preservation, making sure that traffic is not allowed to undermine the symbols of Rome itself, protecting it for future generations and protecting such an important part of the local economy as well, because of the power of tourism. I think that takes vision and strength to pursue such policy, and it takes vision and strength to pursue a policy of helping people to recognize in the society ahead, we have to rely more on mass transit and less on private automobiles. He sets his own example with his bicycle, which is renowned all over the world. But I think Mayor Marino is doing the kind of things that mayors should be doing all over the world, helping our society to evolve, in recognition of modern realities. And I admire his progressiveness, I admire his intelligence, and I admire his ability to take on tough issues. We in New York are taking on the challenge of Vision Zero. Mayor Marino here is taking on the challenge of reducing car usage and traffic [inaudible]. In everything we talked about, income inequality, the [inaudible] of sanitation and mass transit, we’re speaking the same language. And it will be my honor to work with the mayor closely over the years to come, and I know we’ll find some common solutions we will work together on.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor Marino: Well, I would like to have already overcome the [inaudible] reorganize the waste management. As you know, New York City did it 14 years ago,  we are just beginning. We closed our landfills only 10 months ago, so we have a lot of work to do. But to keep the town clean is obviously an important preoccupation for a mayor, so I guess we need to  shoot in that direction, and you know, do our best to help the City of Rome be as clean as possible.

Mayor de Blasio: And what I would want to borrow from Mayor Marino is his visionary commitment to helping people learn to use the automobile less. It’s something we have to do. I said to the mayor earlier, the planet is speaking to us, the environment is speaking to us. It’s time to move towards with mass transit, it’s time to recognize that we have to change that culture. And I think the mayor is doing something very important [inaudible] and I am inspired by them.

Question:  A similar question [inaudible] it said that you were having [inaudible] and if that’s [inaudible] that you might go back to City Hall [inaudible]

Mayor Marino: [Inaudible]

Question: Are there any cultural traditions [inaudible] from New York that you would want to bring to Rome.

Mayor Marino: [Inaudible] You know one thing that I would like to bring [inaudible] we have been trying aggressively [inaudible] from the country of the United States to Italy is [inaudible] push for philanthropy. We need a philanthropic [inaudible] in order to have that [Inaudible] resources to restore, preserve our [inaudible], and also to start a new excavation. We believe that what we have here is not just belonging to Romans, it belongs to the entire mankind. And we need to share it with [inaudible] but also resources. And so to [inaudible]

Mayor: So a note to finish the [inaudible]. We had mineral water, it was delicious, and a very engaging conversation with the whole family participating. And for all of us, and I think I’ve said many times, Dante has a particular interest in ancient Rome, so he got to indulge that interest on that beautiful balcony looking out over the Forum. And Dante [inaudible] deeply involved in the conversation with [inaudible] and Chirlane of course [inaudible] It’s less about what was served and more about the ideas that were served. Not the drinks that you serve, but the ideas that you serve and the inspiration that we took from hearing the leadership the mayor is providing. I must note that we have family in Rome from the part of my family originally from Matera Province. Some members of that family have moved to Rome and they have waited for me for dinner. So [Inaudible] and Phil, decide how many more questions because I’d like to end this. [Inaudible]

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: Well it means a lot on both levels. My family has been very kind to allow this to be a trip with so many official events. And yes, [inaudible] it’s a vacation, but there’s a lot of important people to meet as well. And all I can say is that the connection that we have to Italy, every one of us – and I always say that I’m certain that Chirlane was Italian in a past life because she was so ready to name Chiara, Chiara and Dante, Dante. So [inaudible] we have a very strong sense of connection to Italy, and particularly to the hometowns that my family – the whole family has been to Sant’Agata de’ Goti [inaudible], but not yet to Grassano, which we will visit on this trip and [inaudible] so it’s very exciting for us. But I think, like many of you from the United States, my sense of heritage is one of the most fundamental elements of my identity. Chirlane and I made a decision early on when we got married that we would take our children to all the places of our origin. So we came here four years ago. We also went to the island of Barbados in the Caribbean, where Chirlane’s great –grandmother and her grandparents come from. We went to Ghana in West Africa to represent the part of Africa that [inaudible] came from originally. And it’s something we wanted to share with our children for their foundation for the future. But for me, Italy is history [inaudible]. And I know Italy has its challenges. And I think it must be difficult sometimes for people in the middle of those challenges to see their greatness and see what they have done to inspire the world. But they’ve certainly inspired me. I think one of the reasons I’m able to do the work I do is because I have my origins [inaudible] as an inspiration. [Inaudible] deepest respect for the Italian people, and for the ability of Italy to bounce back and the resiliency that [inaudible]. And again, the Eternal City [inaudible] what real resiliency is. This city has meant so much to the world for 3,000 years. So it’s a working vacation on many levels, but it’s a source of energy and inspiration as well. Grazie.