Transcript: Mayor de Blasio and Senator Schumer Announce $3 Billion in Federal Funds to Repair and Protect 33 Sandy-Damaged NYCHA Developments

April 1, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you, Lillie. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for having been a pillar of this community for a long time. And I think you’re right, the people of Red Hook are strong. They have been through a lot, but they have an incredible sense of commitment to this neighborhood and they’ve continued to make this neighborhood better all the time. Lillie, in your role as president of Red Hook West, you provide a lot of leadership to people, including in those though times.

I remember very vividly, in the weeks after Sandy struck, I came to this development and Chirlane and I walked with some of residents through the hallways at night – up the stairs. And literally, think about buildings with hundreds and hundreds of people plunged in darkness night after night, waiting for a solution. That went on for weeks. People banded together. They helped each other out. But if you experienced that, you came away with a strong, strong feeling – a simple feeling – we can’t let this happen again. We can’t let this happen again to the people of Red Hook, and to those who live in our public housing.

Well, today is a real step forward. Today is a real answer to that crisis that we experienced. Today is a very good day for Red Hook, a very good day for Brooklyn, a very good day for New York City. We’re here, at the largest public housing development in Brooklyn, to announce the largest grant ever by FEMA in its entire history. And I want to thank at the outset – and I’ll thank again later – Senator Schumer and our congressional delegation for the extraordinary work they did on this front.

[Applause]

But literally – the largest grant FEMA has ever given in its entire history. $3 billion dollars will fund repairs and upgrades to 200 buildings – 200 buildings in 33 different NYCHA developments. This will affect tens of thousands of people. This will protect them. This will make their lives better. This will make our housing authority better. This will be a big step forward in the city’s overall resiliency efforts as we prepare to deal with the future of extreme weather. This is a case where the federal government did the right thing. And I think it’s important to give credit where credit is due. FEMA did the right thing. The administration did the right thing. Our senator, our congressional delegation did the right thing. There was an immense amount of cooperation with all of our federal partners and our local government to get this done, and it worked.

I’m going to call up, in just a moment, Senator Schumer. But I want to thank him. I want to thank the congressional delegation. They were tireless. I want to acknowledge Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who has joined us. I want to acknowledge also from the City Council, a man who represents this district and was in the thick of helping people. And I remember Carlos Menchaca’s extraordinary efforts for, in the immediate aftermath of the storm – the way he helped people on the ground. We thank you, Carlos, for those efforts and all you do today. I also want to thank two of the leaders in our administration who were working on recovery and resiliency for this city. Amy Peterson, director of our housing recovery office, who runs the Build It Back program, has done a great job turning that program around; and Dan Zarrilli, the director of our Office of Recovery and Resiliency, is doing so much to make sure we are safe in the future.

So, this grant couldn’t come at a better time because the jury has come back on the question of climate change and extreme weather. It’s part of our lives. We could have a whole separate conversation about the things we have to do to reverse climate change. But for now, this is a reality we’re dealing with, and it means we’ll have extreme weather, and it means we have to be ready. And with this grant, we will be ready. The things we saw after Sandy – they’re embedded in our minds so intensely. The human impact is embedded in our minds – the sheer intensity of nature. And it’s clear we have to do things very differently to be able to handle this reality.

What happened in Red Hook Houses in those days and weeks? Well, so much of what was fundamental to a decent standard of living was gone – the pumps, the boilers. Everything was inundated. We saw how vulnerable these buildings were. And so, a model was put together to change things, to approach things differently. We talked about this first back in September. Senator Schumer and I gathered at Coney Island Houses. We talked about a different way of doing things. We got funding back then, but much more funding now to go farther. 33 developments will now have the kinds of things that truly make them resilient – elevated boilers, roof repairs to protect against water coming in through the roof, electrical upgrades – so many things that will change life fundamentally and for the better. We have to keep people safe and we particularly owe an obligation to our public housing tenants because for so many years, they have not received the resources they deserve and it’s time to address that in many, many ways.

I’d like to thank Congressman Greg Meeks for joining us as well. Thank you, congressman.

[Applause]

This crucial new effort will happen against the backdrop where we’re doing a lot of other things. We’re accelerating the Build It Back program. We are doing, with our federal partners, a series of efforts to strengthen our coastlines, upgrade buildings. To protect our infrastructure, Army Corps of Engineers is doing more and more in New York City, including 600,000 cubic yards of sand at Coney Island’s beach. A lot is happening as we speak. We’re doing work with the state as well. And we announced, back in December, an effort with Governor Cuomo to study and to design a float protection system here for Red Hook more broadly, so the whole peninsula.

A lot is happing at all level of – all levels of government to make a change. But what FEMA has done is transcendent. And again, FEMA’s job is to respond to emergencies and to help us deal with a future where we need to be more resilient. This is one example of the federal government investing, in this case, in public housing. Unfortunately, that’s again, against the backdrop of years and years in which the federal government stepped away from its obligation to public housing – decades in fact, where we’ve had diminishing investments. So we have a lot of work to do in NYCHA in general. That’s a topic we’ll go into at another time. But there’s a lot of work to do to turn around the housing authority because it has suffered all those decades in disinvestment. This federal grant will play a key role in at least making sure we can do the resiliency efforts we believe in.

Very quickly in Spanish before I turn to Senator Schumer –

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

With that, I have an easy time praising Senator Schumer’s efforts on behalf of New York City because they have been extraordinary and they have been constant. And he has a knack of figuring out how to break through any bureaucracy and get things done for the city. And when it’s come to Sandy, we would not be having this announcement today – because if Senator Schumer hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t even have had the legislation to respond to the crisis of Sandy. So Senator, another feather in your cap and thank you for all you’ve done for us.

[…]

Mayor: Okay, we are going to take questions on topic, and then questions off topic. And then whoever wants to stick around for the off-topic questions are welcome. Whoever wants to escape before the off-topic questions is welcome. But now, on this topic of this extraordinary FEMA grant. Jen?

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Okay. So the actual money flowing and the repairs beginning – I’m going to give that question to Shola, and we also have Dan Zarrili and Amy Peterson here if we need any additional info.

Chairwoman Shola Olatoye, NYCHA: So, the resources will begin to flow as soon as we finalize our letter of agreement with FEMA, which is imminent. And we expect – I should say, design has already begun on the 33 buildings – 33 developments in question. We expect construction to begin later this summer and we’ll take, you know, the next several – several months to begin. But this is a high priority for us, certainly, and the entire Sandy team that are poised to begin work immediately. 

Question: [inaudible] 

Chairwoman Olatoye: [inaudible]

Mayor: Question on topic – yes?

Question: Senator, with Republicans controlling Congress, are [inaudible] it could be more difficult to get climate resiliency funding like this? Is that how you push for Democrats in 2016?

Senator Charles Schumer: First, fortunately we got all the Sandy money up front because we knew that we might have difficulty. And even before the 2014 elections, the House, of course, was Republican controlled and very difficult. Certainly, the issue of climate change will be an issue in 2016 in terms of getting funding, in terms of making things resilient, in terms of Build It Back. Even the most fundamental things were called into question by many of our colleagues, such as FEMA being funded at all, as Nydia mentioned. Even the idea that the federal government would continue to fund disaster – these are the same people who don’t believe the federal government should build highways, or fund education, or NIH, or NSF, or things like that that have always had bipartisan support. So yeah, it’ll be a fight but, you know, I think we’ll ultimately prevail. 

Question: Could you clarify, is this money going to [inaudible] or can you also apply it to long-standing problems with NYCHA? And also [inaudible]?  

Chairwoman Olatoye: To answer your question, these resources will be – are only focused on the 33 developments that were affected. We are able to go replace the major systems in those buildings, as well as the associated challenges in those – in those properties. So, electrical issues – you know, half of our buildings are 50 years old, right – so, infrastructure, also lobbies that were flooded. So we will be replacing – redesigning and replacing those as well, including things like comprehensive security systems – so, lights, cameras, layered access – really certain essential – essential security enhancements for our buildings. In terms of overall oversight, these resources are subject to the same process that all of our recourses are subject to, which is HUD and now actual FEMA oversight. We will be reporting out on a monthly basis as part of our NYCHA metrics. And in addition to providing regular updates to the mayor, and certainly to our board, as well as our regular construction schedule, which will also become public as soon as work begins. 

Senator Schumer: It benefits people who have not been struck by Sandy, because let’s say the first three floors in the boiler are wiped out – you’re not going to put one boiler system in for the people of the first three floors and leave the old system for people on the other floors. So they’re going to get better heating – same with electricity, same with the lobby. So you can’t use this money for the 16th floor, if it wasn’t flooded and the apartment wasn’t damaged, to redo that apartment or hallways. But there’s going to be lots of benefits for people, even those who weren’t flooded.

Question: When will the work be completed – when will the work be completed and what will the first development be to see the grant?

Mayor: You can speak towards our goals.

Chairwoman Olatoye: So our goal is to begin work later this summer, and construction can take anywhere between 18 and 36 months. We will ensure that, you know, we are working closely with of all our colleagues in government – Build It Back – across the city to ensure that that work is completed. And you second part of the question?

Question: Which development –

Chairwoman Olatoye: Coney Island. That’s where we were.

Question: That’s the $150 million?

Chairwoman Olatoye: $108 million, actually – that’s right.

Question: Is that part of the $3 billion or is that in addition?

Chairwoman Olatoye: That is a part of the $3 billion, yes.

Mayor: That would be [inaudible] that was the model that we were using directly. And that’s important – it was a prototype in effect, which convinced FEMA of the ability to implement this on a much bigger scale. So that’s really a credit to everyone who was part of putting together that design because that opened up the potential for this unprecedented funding. On topic – on topic – media – I just want to make sure it’s media questions at this point. On topic – yes, Michael?

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: I was going to say – extremely creative version of on topic. Given that Senator Schumer lives in the United States of America – on another topic related to the United States of America.

[Laughter]

I think Senator Schumer’s done an exemplary job of delivering for New York City and New York State. This is true regardless of whether he is in the majority or the minority. It has been true from the beginning from his time in the Senate, straight through to today. So I think this is the mark of who he is, and the kind of work ethic he brings, the strategic focus he brings. I can only imagine how much good he could do for the country as Senate majority leader, and I look forward to that day, and I daresay I’m certain that he will continue – no matter what new title he acquires – to be very, very effective at addressing the needs of New York City.

Question: [Inaudible] 

Mayor: Yeah, I’ll start – feel free to join. Look, we’re – we’re very aware of the reality of extreme weather. Now, the one thing we know is every year is different. After – the year after Sandy, we didn’t have another Sandy. You’ll remember my second day in office, I had my first blizzard. I thought year two was going to be just like year one. Year two was much less, thank God, in terms of snow. Every year is different. Sandy, by the record – by the numbers, was an extraordinary event. But we’ve always said, you cannot rule out another one. But I think the fact is, we have a very aggressive plan to get this implemented. What happened here, again, this prototype in Coney Island – opening up the opportunity to reach 32 other developments and get the highest FEMA award in history – you can’t ask for more than that. That’s as good as it gets. We will use every tool we have to get this built out as quickly as humanly possible. I think what the chair is saying is that’s a realistic timeline to achieve this much work – $3 billion dollars’ worth of work. We’re going to get it done as quickly as possible. And of course, we always hope and pray that extreme weather holds off while we do the work of resiliency. 

On topic – going once – going twice. Okay, so I’m about to transition to off topic. If anyone wants to stay, stay. If anyone wants to go, go. And now, we’re on off topic. 

Question: Mr. Mayor, some of your fellow mayors have commented on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana and have [inaudible] ban travel to that state [inaudible]. Do you have any thoughts about that law? [inaudible]?

Mayor: Absolutely. It’s a deeply disturbing reality right now in Indiana. And I hope, before it’s too late, they turn back. The lesson we saw on a different front in Arizona two years ago – not only were the efforts in Arizona – that were obviously discriminatory towards immigrants – extraordinarily immoral and un-American, but they backfired on the state of Arizona economically. And you’ve seen, since then, a great retreat from many of those policies. I hope that the state of Indiana and the state of Arkansas don’t make the same mistake right now. But before the senator jumps in, just to say – absolutely, I will instruct all New York City agencies to prohibit any non-essential travel to the state of Indiana if this bill is, in fact, passed.

Senator Schumer: I’d like to say something about [inaudible] the people in Indiana. The governor invoked my name and Senator Kennedy’s name because we passed the original Religious Freedom Restoration Act in ’93. Any comparison between the two is false and disingenuous for two reasons. First, in our bill, we want to maximize the religious freedom of individuals, provided there’s no compelling government interest against it. If there was ever a compelling government interest preventing discrimination, it’s that. So it has no application. Second, our bill was aimed at individuals – giving individuals more religious freedom. What Indiana does is give corporations and companies more freedom to reject. That’s different. Your religion is your choice and we protect it and revere it in America. When you go into the corporate world, when you go into the economic world, you’re doing it by choice. And there are far more restrictions on what you can and cannot do, including the ability not – or the restriction that you can’t discriminate. So there’s no – there’s no comparison at all. It’s a false comparison. I gave a little brief on my Facebook page on that. And I just want to answer the other question about New York, which I didn’t get a chance to do – about you know, my new position, which won’t occur for 22 months, or 19 months actually. Who’s counting? But New York is in my bones. And my activity in New York, being around this city, being around the state, visiting all the counties, will not diminish one bit. In fact, I find it easier – is that you do your job better in Washington when you’re constantly in touch with your constituency, because you learn what people care about, what people want. You learn their needs much better. So, my activities in New York will not diminish.

Mayor: One other point, just on the previous – you know, this proposed law in Indiana really undercuts decades and decades of progress on human rights and civil rights in this country. The notion that a government would allow, overtly discrimination, undercuts so much of what we fought for in the effort to be a truly inclusive and fair society. So I just think it’s wrong on every level but I also know it’s doomed to failure – that any effort to exclude and discriminate ultimately proves to be against the will of the people. That’s what we found time and time again. And this country has come a long way. And there’s such a deeper belief in exclusion than we’ve ever had before. So I think narrow interests in Indiana are taking us down the wrong road and they will ultimately have to reverse themselves.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: If there was something, for example, this contract we’re talking about here – if there was a company we had to work with to achieve this resiliency effort and it was necessary to go there to achieve something to make sure our buildings were resilient – that’s essential travel. But anything that is not about mission critical work, will not happen. Thank you very much, senator – very much. Let’s give him a round of applause.

[Applause]

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: It’s not tomorrow yet, is it?

Question: [Inaudible]           

Mayor: It’s not tomorrow until it’s tomorrow. We will have – as in all things, we will make our announcements when ready. We are very aware of the deadline. We will certainly be making an announcement.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: That’s a disingenuous question, respectfully. We will make our announcement when we’re ready to make our announcement. We’re aware of the deadline. I think after all the time we’ve spent together, guys, you know that we’re very deliberative. When we’re ready to say something, we say it. And you will certainly be hearing an announcement shortly. Yes?

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Look, I am very troubled that on the eve of an election, he reversed his previous position, and now he has reversed it again. So it does not give me a lot of confidence. I’m saying, as someone who cares deeply about peace in that region, that the two-state solution is the only way forward and we have to be fully committed to it. So, that’s all I can say. I hope from this point on, the Israeli government will express clear commitment to a two-state solution. I also believe, in terms of the ongoing negotiations with Iran, that the president and the secretary of state are doing the right thing. They’re attempting a solution to an extraordinary crisis that would best be solved through an agreement. If any agreement can’t be reached, then of course we’ll continue – we should, as a nation, continue to aggressively exercise sanctions. But the goal should be to come up with an approach that’s actually livable for the long-term, and that’s what they’re trying to achieve. Obviously, you know, those talks are touch and go right now. And I’m not going to be shocked if they reach a resolution, I’m not going to be shocked if they fall apart. Jen?

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: No – absolutely planning to go – absolutely.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: We haven’t – no, we haven’t locked that down.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: There – the full history is being examined so we can give you absolute facts. What I can say is, to the best of my understanding, there was no current involvement between ACS and this family. This is a horrible, horrible tragedy. And this one – as a human being and as a parent – this one grabs at me as just profoundly troubling. And look, if from what we know so far, this appears again to be an instance where a mental health problem was the underlying cause of the tragedy, and this administration and, obviously, my wife – we are profoundly focused on addressing the mental health issues of this city, and we have to do it in a very different manner because here is yet another manifestation. What a painful week we’ve had where there’s a child killed because of a mental health challenge, and you know, just days ago, a plane-load of passengers killed by what appears to have been a mental health challenge. We’ve got to get to the root of this in many, many ways. But it’s also a moment to remember – many times – and I say this as someone who’s spent eight years as the chairman of the oversight committee for ACS in the City Council – many times when we look at these cases, we find that one or more family members or neighbors had some indication that something was wrong, or danger was imminent, and didn’t call the proper authorities. So, I really would like your help affirming to all New Yorkers – if they believe a child is in immediate danger, they need to call 9-1-1. If there’s a sense a child might be susceptible to abuse, and physical violence, and is in immediate dangers – even if you’re not sure, call 9-1-1 and report it immediately. If you want information about other ways you can help families, you can call 3-1-1. But in any instance where immediate danger to a child is suspected, it’s imperative to call 9-1-1.

Question: Mr. Mayor, I was wondering if you can address the audit from the city comptroller that’s harshly critical to Build It Back program. And also, I was wondering if you could [inaudible] possibility that Hillary Clinton might her campaign headquarters to your home borough.

Mayor: On the second question, I think it would be a great choice. I think Brooklyn is an extraordinary place in every way, and it would be an amazing setting for her team. And I think it would send a great message to the nation because Brooklyn is, you know, the borough of immigrants, and of hard-working people, and people who work their way up from humble origins. The message of Brooklyn is so powerful, and I think Brooklyn really epitomizes a lot of the future of America. So, I don’t know what they’re going to decide, but if they choose Brooklyn they won’t go wrong. I can say that for sure. On the question of the comptroller’s report – and, again, Amy and Dan are here – my essential message would be that the comptroller has made a series of recommendations, the vast majority of which are already being acted in the work of the Build It Back program. So I would way we’re on the same page about the things that were right to do. In this instance, we’ve already been doing them.

Question: Quick follow up here – what’s the [inaudible] another thing is, what are the recommendations [inaudible] the contractor [inaudible] are you planning to dump the contractor or re-up the contractor?

Mayor: I’m going to let the experts come up.

Amy Peterson, Director of Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery: The recommendation was for the city to take control of the contracts that were in place, and that’s exactly what we did a year ago. We replaced the main vendor and worked directly with the other vendors. They’ve been working for us, we’ve improved performance, we’ve added performance requirements, and we’ve lowered the cost the prior administration had negotiated. So, we’ve implemented the recommendations that were in the report.

Question: The mayor mentioned that you’re not on the same page in some areas?

Mayor: [inaudible] we’ve been doing them. I don’t know if there’s a particular one.

Director Peterson: Yeah – no, what they highlighted was all the problems with the launch of the program in 2013 that we’ve all been working for last year to fix. If you read every recommendation, we have either implemented or are implementing now.

Question: Just to be clear, there’s no area of conflict between [inaudible]?

Director Peterson: Correct.

Mayor: Hold on – coming around. Go ahead.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: She has not declared a candidacy, so I’m not going to talk about – I don’t talk about any candidate until they declare a candidacy. What I say about all leaders and candidates at all levels is they must address the crises of income inequality. And it cannot be overstated what a danger this is to the strength of this nation, and to our economic stability, and to our national security. This is a nation that is becoming increasingly divided along economic lines. There are some things you can do about it. In this city, we have consistently applied every measure we know how to raising wages and benefits; to reducing the cost of housing; to improving access to education, including the things that cost families a lot of money like early childhood education and afterschool. So, those are some of the tools. We have to be aggressive about getting the revenue we need to achieve those tools. Which is why, for example, when I ran for office, I suggested a tax on those who made a half-million or more to fund pre-k. We were able to fund it a different way, but we needed that revenue one way or another. So, I think all candidates need to look at the examples here, and from around the country, of real and sharp ways of addressing income inequality and they need to speak to that. Okay, who’s in the back? Yes?

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: Okay, let’s do the first one. So, I know there was an incident. I have not seen the video. I understand it’s disturbing. I know NYPD Internal Affairs is investigating the situation in terms of the officers. Look, there’s just no place for any public servant to use discriminatory or negative language. Again, I'm saying that, not having seen the nuances and not having seen the exact language, but I’ll state the obvious principle. All of us are meant to treat people respectfully. Obviously, our police play a particularly sensitive role and need to show respect for all people. And that case will be followed up on. What’s the second?

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: I can’t say that because I don’t have the details yet. So, we’ll get the details and we’ll get back to you.

Question: It was reported in the Brooklyn [inaudible] that when you work out, your cars are idling. Can you comment on that?

Mayor: Sure, our public vehicles shouldn’t be idling unless there are really extenuating circumstances. It’s the same – you know, the same standard for public sector and for individual citizens. Now, when it comes to security personnel, sometimes there is a legitimate reason why they have to idle. But the broad standard is, of course public vehicles should not be idling unless they have a very specific and exceptional reason why they need to.

Question: I’m just wondering how much travel the city does to Indiana?

Mayor: Who knows? This is an issue that’s come up in the last day or so and we can find out. I think the typical type of travel would be, for example, working with companies based there that we do business with, maybe professional conferences. You know, there are specific types of things you find in almost every state, but I can’t give you a top line on how much.

Question: Mr. Mayor, can you give us any updates on the East Village explosion [inaudible]?

Mayor: As you know, the district attorney now is making that determination, working with NYPD and working with the FDNY fire marshals. I – like everyone else in the city administration, I’m not going to speculate from this point on, now that it’s in the hands of the district attorney. You know – other updates – the buildings on the other side of Second Avenue are now reoccupied. We have bus lane now open on Second Avenue. We obviously, very sadly, have a second body in the process of being identified. Once that is formalized and the family is notified, we’ll announce the identity. No other missing person, thank God, but again, you can speak to the DA to get a sense of how that’s being handled.

Question: Are you considering at all tightening laws against, you know, potential landlord [inaudible]

Mayor: Well, I had a question like that yesterday too. Look, first we don’t have an investigation yet telling us what happened. There are all sorts of suspicions and, again, the only appropriate path is to allow the professional investigators to do their work, and then the district attorney to determine a course of action. But when we have all the facts, we’ll determine if there’s any policy changes that are needed or if there are in fact any new laws, or stronger laws, that we’ll need. Certainly that consideration will occur, meaning we’ll look at if there’s anything to learn from this incident and any changes we have to make. But we can’t say for sure until we know what happened.

Question: [Inaudible] skit with you and the first lady with celery. Can you tell us what that was about?

Mayor: Well, it was about celery. I don’t understand why there’s some confusion here. It was a parody of the ongoing media interest on the topic of marijuana. I have said – in fact, it’s quite embarrassing to say how straight and arrow I am because I did use marijuana a few times at NYU and never since. And so in the preparing for the skit, one of the folks involved suggested the line – no seeds, in terms of the celery – is this good celery? It had no seeds. And I literally said, well, what do you mean no needs? Why is that pertinent? And everyone in the room laughed at me because I didn’t know. So that’s how square I am. But no, it was just making fun of you guys, basically. Any last questions? Going once – going twice – what’s that? You – you and your whole team and your harmonica, we commend you. Thank you.