Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Hosts Media Availability After Voting in General Election

November 4, 2014

First Lady Chirlane McCray: Yeah, it’s a little cooler out here.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Yeah, but you good without the coat? [inaudible] maybe do this for a little more room.

So, before we talk about any other matters, I just want to talk about the importance of voting. Chirlane and I are proud each time we vote, because we know we’re making a statement about what we believe our city should like, our state should look like, our country should look like.

And I want to just take a moment to remind people there’s still many hours left in the voting day – to remind all New Yorkers to get out and vote. It really matters. Very important offices are being determined in this election. People in New York City need to stand up and be counted. Everyone needs to show up, make their voice heard. It’s important because everything that will happen over the coming years will be determined both by the decisions people make at the ballot box, but also by how many people show up to vote. It’s very important that we represent the importance of our city, in this state and nation, by showing up in strong numbers.

Now, there’s so much at stake and we’ve seen it in the elections across the state. We’ve seen it across the country. The issues that we talked about so much last year – fighting inequality, particularly income inequality, getting people decent wages and benefits, doing the things we have to do to turn around our schools, bringing police and community back together – all of these issues will play out in the decisions that are made today. You know, we have a huge affordable housing plan we put forward. We’re going to need help from both the state and federal government to achieve that plan. Those positions, again, will be decided by votes made today. So, all of the everyday needs of New Yorkers are on the ballot today, and that should motivate people to want to get out there and make their voices heard.

I just want to say a quick, similar concept in Spanish.

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

Again, we vote, and the numbers in which we vote and the way we vote affects Albany, affects Washington, affects all of our lives. So, I’m urging all my fellow New Yorkers – get out and vote. You have until 9 pm tonight. If you haven’t made your plan when to vote, go make your plan now. Even if you get home at 8 pm, you still have time to get to your poll site and vote before 9 pm. It’s our duty and it’s something we need to do for the future of our city and our state and our nation. Everyone needs to get out and vote.

With that, we welcome questions.

Question: Mayor, can you tell us how you voted on the three propositions?

Mayor: Yes, I voted in favor of the school bond, in favor of the paperwork reduction, and against the redistricting proposal.

Question: Could you just explain why you voted against the proposal for redistricting?

Mayor: I think we have to do more. I think, all over the country, this has been a big issue – how we get to fair redistricting. We’ve seen, in some states – most notably, Texas – extraordinary examples of really unfair gerrymandering that have set back that state and this country. What we need to move towards is a model more like California’s – you know, a much more objective redistricting process that really ensures the districts represent the organic reality of the communities.

Question: Are you confident that Democrats are going to hold the United States Senate?

Mayor: Look, I’m a Democrat and I’m proud to be a Democrat, and I don’t have a crystal ball, but I think there’s a good shot, for sure, to hold the Senate. But we just – we know it’s going to come down to a variety of outcomes in states that are all quite different, that have had, you know, very, very local issues predominate. And we also know there can easily be recounts in the foreground and there can easily be runoffs in Louisiana and Georgia. So, we're not even sure when we're going to know the outcome, but I think – you know, a lot of strong Democratic candidates out there who I think have run good races.

Question: Do you believe the governor did enough to help elect a Democratic state senate?

Mayor: Well, from the beginning, we had a shared vision, going back to the spring, of the kind of values that should be front and center this year in the effort to elect a Democratic State Senate. We talked about increasing the minimum wage, we talked about passing the DREAM Act, passing the Women's Equality Act, passing campaign finance reform – that set of values, those ideas, those messages that pervaded the approach that the governor and I and the state senate candidates have taken, and it's a great set of ideas, a great message – and I think there's been a lot of unity. And obviously, if you look at the resource dynamics – historically, Republicans have a resource advantage, but because of what I thought was an amazing joint effort by Democrats all over the state, and allies all over the state, you know, we had something much closer to resource parity. And I think that came from the coalition that was built in the spring. So I'm very satisfied with that result, and I think what we've started here is going to play out with some good results around the state. Again, I wouldn't be shocked if there were recounts, I wouldn't be shocked if some of this goes on for a while, but I think we're going to have good results around the state, and then we're going to build on that over the next two years. And I am very, very optimistic about what's going to happen in this state in 2016.

Question: Mr. Mayor –

Mayor: If you want to do – if there's anything else on elections, we'll just do that for continuity, and then we'll go to off the election.

Question: Yes, sir, did you end up voting on the Democratic line –

Mayor: Yes.

Question: –and did the first lady do so as well as opposed to Working Families?

Mayor: I voted Democrat. Let's found out what she did.

First Lady Chirlane McCray: I'm not talking.

Mayor: She's not talking about it. She's a private citizen. Okay.

[Laughter]

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I voted Democrat, as I said. So, on elections, let's just – anything else on elections?

Question: [inaudible] Italiano –

Mayor: Election?

Question: Yes. 

Mayor: Elezione.

Question: Sí. [Reporter asks question in Italian]

Mayor:La vita è lunga. [Laughs] 

[Mayor de Blasio answers in Italian] 

Question: [Reporter asks follow-up in Italian]

Mayor: No, va bene, va bene.

Question: [inaudible] commissioner [inaudible]?

Mayor: Commissioner Bratton and I consult constantly, as I made clear Sunday. I'm very confident in his judgement on a host of matters. What we do is we talk about a range of possibilities and options, in any issue we're talking about – personnel, policy, et cetera. I trust his judgement, and he'll obviously make his announcement tomorrow.

Question: [inaudible] 

Mayor: Again, Commissioner Bratton will make the ultimate decision about his team, as is right. He always consults with me, and I really enjoy those conversations, because we're very like-minded, and we get to consensus very quickly. But he'll have a final decision tomorrow, and he'll announce it. 

Question: The question is for the first lady – you denied a report in the New York Post [inaudible] you can't trust Commissioner Bratton. If you didn't say that, what did you say?

First Lady Chirlane McCray: Well, quite frankly, I didn't have time that day to have a conversation with my husband. If you look at my schedule, you'll see that I was like, kind of all over the place. We didn't actually talk. And the truth is, I didn't say those things, we didn't have a conversation, and I didn't even think those things. I have great admiration for Commissioner Bratton, and I really look forward to working with him in the coming weeks and months. And I don't know who dreamed up that conversation.

Question: When you did finally speak, what was the conversation?

First Lady Chirlane McCray: With my husband?

Question: Yeah, about… 

Mayor: Just what she said.

First Lady Chirlane McCray: Yeah, just what I said. Yeah, we were like – just what I said, great admiration for Commissioner Bratton, you know, it's too bad things didn't work out the way they're supposed to, but we move on. 

Phil: Other things, guys?

Question: As we understand, you made a [inaudible] Ben Tucker, for the first deputy commissioner's job?

Mayor: No. No meetings today.

Phil: Couple more, guys.

Question: The 9/11 [sic] dispatch system for a couple hours yesterday –

Mayor: Yes.

Question: – EMS workers, are you concerned about that, is there anything the mayor's office is doing to ensure that doesn't happen again? 

Mayor: We're looking at it very closely. Thank god it was only a couple hours, and thank god, you know, the backup approach was effective. Look, we all know that a series of changes are being made in our approach to 9-1-1, both in terms of personnel training and supervision, but also the technology. And when I came into office, there was a plan in place, which was deeply flawed, and we've made a series of changes to that plan to improve it. But we're certainly looking right now at what happened yesterday, and how to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. We'll have more to say as we know more.

Phil: Last call, guys.

Mayor: Going once. Going twice. Thanks, everyone.