Transcript: Mayor Adams Hosts Rally Celebrating Initiatives in the FY25 Executive Budget With Advocates for Working-Class New Yorkers

April 24, 2024

Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar, Strategic Initiatives: Good morning. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. It is great to be here, and thank you all for joining us today. Let's give a round of applause to our mayor, Eric Adams. 

I love it. It's a great day to be on the steps of City Hall. I am Ana J. Almanzar, deputy mayor for Strategic Initiatives, and today I am joined by my sisters in City Hall. Let's give a round of applause to our chief advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, our chief of staff, Camille Joseph-Varlack, my fellow deputy mayors, DM Anne Williams-Isom for Health and Human Services, my sister, DM Meera Joshi for Operations, I think Maria Torres-Springer, our DM for Housing and Workforce Development is here as well. 

Thank you very much, my colleague and very hardworking woman in Albany all the time, give it up for Tiffany Raspberry. We are also joined by Bhav Tibrewal, the Political Director of Hotel Trades Council, Atiba Edwards, president and CEO of Brooklyn Children's Museum. Woo-woo, yes, we can clap. Shams DaBaron, Housing and Homeless Advocate, and Andrew Rasiej, Founder and CEO of Civic Hall. I think I did it right.

We often say that our budget is a reflection of our values, and I am proud to be part of an administration that is investing in working families across New York City. It is my honor to introduce to you the 110th mayor of the greatest city on earth, Mayor Eric Adams. 

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Really excited. You know, whenever you do a rally, you must always have Commissioner Cumbo there because she's like the heart and soul. And our real, our partners in labor, we were together yesterday with the governor, who's here. I know that 32BJ is always in the house, and the ever-presence of Who Are We, HTC, and all of our other partners that are here, clear directions of, I continually say over and over again, go back to January 1st, 2022, and see what the city that we inherited, this amazing team of those who are committed to this great city of New York, crime resurgent 40 percent high, no one wanted to be on our subway system, jobs were not in the city, tourism was not here, our Times Square was almost a ghost town you could walk through without any opportunities, shootings, illegal dirt bikes, illegal motorcycles, paper plates. 

There was a real concern. Now, children were finding it a difficult time to get back in the classroom. We had a clear mission, public safety, revitalize our economy, and make the city livable for working-class people, those who are behind us. 

Two years and four months later, as we go through the second budget cycle, hats off to the council. We don't do this alone. We're very clear on this, as I stated to the speaker and as I stated to the councilmember. 

The programs that we were able to put in place, one specifically, Project ReConnect, countless number of college students left college, were not willing to come back in. Speaker Adrienne Adams came up with this great idea, let's go find them and reconnect them. Now they're reconnecting back to college. We're seeing the results of our program. 

This city is not coming back, folks. The city is back. Decrease in homicide[s], decrease in shooting[s], more private sector jobs in the history of the city. DM Maria Torres-Springer, her team built more affordable housing in one year in the history of the city. More people using vouchers to get housing in the history of the program. More people transitioned, like my brother Shams DaBaron, out of homelessness into permanent housing in the history of the city. 

More private sector jobs in the history of the city. 52,000 illegal car, paper plates, motorcycles, scooters off our streets to deal with quality of life. 4.1 million people on our subway system, reinvesting back into cultural institutions, reinvesting back into NYCHA. 62 million tourists, Times Square is empty no more. 

Back into our city, fourth largest in the city history. One thing I hear over and over again when we start talking about our Ws, people say, wait a minute, I didn't know that. Because we're moving from what people felt to how they're feeling. This is the greatest city on the globe, and resiliency is the cornerstone and the foundation who we are. We know how we [are] resilient. Know what else we are? We're opinionated. Thank you, brother. 

8.3 million people, 35 million opinions, and New York is going to let about it. They're going to let about it. I don't care if you're on a plane, they're going to stop you and let about how they feel. That's what it is with New York. If you've got a city with people with attitude, then you're going to have a mayor with attitude. 

I came from the people of this city, blue-collar mayor delivering for blue-collar people. Now we're going into Budget Wednesday. Is this Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday? Wednesday. Okay, Wednesday. You know when your mayor is dog years, it's all coming together. But we're in Budget Wednesday, and we're going to sit down and announce this budget as a process of partnering with the council and coming away with what we need to do. 

What are we doing? We took what we inherited, fiscal cliffs in 2024 that was going to happen in 2024. All of those permanent programs, we're dealing with temporary dollars. We have to continue to fund these programs in a real way. 

We have to settle our union contracts. Ninety-four percent of our union contracts are settled. One hundred percent of our uniform contracts are settled. That's why we stand with HTC and 32BJ when they do their contract negotiation in private industry, because we know when you pay the right wages, employees can stay in the city and not have to go to the neighboring county. You can't build the city and don't live in the city that you're building. Fair union contracts is the way to go, and we're going to continue to fight for that. 

Last week, I announced we're protecting $514 million worth of Department of Education programs that were funded with temporary dollars. And we're doing this with 181,000 migrants and asylum seekers that are here. We're able to accomplish this without one child or family sleeping on the streets. I'm going to continue to say that over and over again. Go look at other cities and then compare to what we're doing in this city under the leadership of Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom. We're getting it done. Mental health care, career readiness, literacy. Hey, folks, we're leading the state in reading and writing. We are leading the state. 

That is why we continue mayoral accountability. I add my voice, hats off to you, for what you're delivering for this city and state. Nobody thought we were going to do it. We got cannabis reform. We got mayoral accountability. We got our housing agenda pushed forward. We led the cap and increasing our cap so we can build more housing. We had the best team up there. We knew we had a secret weapon called Tiffany Raspberry and your team up there bringing it home. Remember people used to say, wait, why did you hire her? Now we know why. We're doing even more. Five million dollar effort. 

Let me tell you something, we've got 23,000 vacant 3K, pre-K seats. Everyone was running around saying how great a program is that we have a pre-K, 3K program. A great program is when you have an initiative and you have people in the initiative. A great program is not just merely announcing you have a program. How do you have 23,000 vacant pre-K, 3K seats and we see that as a great program? No, a great program is when we place those babies in those seats. So we're going to use $5 million to go out and sell the program. We're going to show parents what brain development happens at that early age. We're going to show them the benefits of a child not sitting inside a class, inside home watching a television program, but being inside a school environment to learn socialization skills. That's what we're going to do with the $5 million included in this budget. Every child who wants a 3K and pre-K seat will have access to one. 

We're also going to double down on our efforts to reduce shooters and homicides. We're going to get those numbers back up to 35,000. We are going to include two more classes, July and October, because we saw in January, we saw an uptick in violence in our subway system. When we saw that, we infused 1,000 more cops in our subway system, and we saw a decrease in February, a decrease in March. 

We left the quarter with a decrease in crime, because we know there's no better deterrent than having a uniformed police officer present. But we know also we have to have a preventive mechanism in place. 

That's why we're leaning into summer youth employment. We're going to pay for the summer rising program that would have sunsetted. We said we're going to put the money in on our own, and we're going to lean into preventive services to make sure our children get what they deserve. We're putting $22 million in this budget of funding back into our cultural institutions. $22 million.

These are museums, performing arts centers, historical societies, zoos, all the money that we see the need to put back into services. They serve our communities, they're anchors. They deal with the economic engines, because they attract people into the city. But that's not all. 

Shortly, you'll see we're delivering more livable for working-class New Yorkers. Our administration made the right fiscal decision. This was so important. Hats off to Budget and Jacques [inaudible], because January 2022—think about this for a moment. January 2022, when we instituted our first round of PEGs, we had to deal with Covid coming out of Covid. We had to deal with the uncertainty of the fiscal climate. 

Little did we know, in the middle of preparing for those uncertainties, we were going to have 100—did I say 81? What are we up to, 191? 191 migrants and asylum seekers. We didn't even realize that. 191,000 migrants and asylum seekers cost us $4 billion. 

If we didn't take those right decisions in January 2022, we would not have been prepared. Then, Deputy Mayor Maria—Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom had to come up with a way, how [do] we decrease the population, reevaluate the cost of doing business and bring down the numbers. Because of that, we were able to find $7 billion in savings and was able to deal with the $4 billion price tag. 

Non-understanders of budgets will look at it and say, what's the big deal? But the independent budget experts look and say, we need to raise this guy's bonds, because his team knows fiscal management. That is the A-plus that we get in this classroom of fiscal management. We managed this budget, and we managed our way out of not one crisis. We didn't manage out of one crisis. 

We managed out of the crises of Covid. We managed out of the crises of the migrants and asylum seekers. And you know what? We're making the right decision. We're going to manage our way out of the crises of the future. Believe it or not, we're doing the damn thing. We're doing the damn thing. And we never compromise on the delivery of services. Go look at other cities, folks. You don't see encampments all over our streets. Go look at other cities. They are laying off teachers. They are laying off employees. We have not laid off one city worker. We have not raised taxes. We are doing what everyday New Yorkers must do that are working-class people. We're managing the money that comes in to meet the needs that go out. 

That's a success story. We don't have to wait until I am gone and read my book. Y'all need to be writing about that success story right now. We successfully navigated this city. We did it because of the people that's behind us. Let's make this budget deal happen. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Almanzar: Thank you Eric Adams and hey let's give him another round of applause. And I wanted to acknowledge in case you haven't heard it our commissioner for the arts, Laurie Cumbo, and our colleague Michael Garner, who has been able to drive small and women owned businesses to the city in great numbers. Thank you Michael! 

And the mayor mentioned the announcement we made last week, $540 million announcement with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. It's a testament to this administration's commitment to children and families in NYC. This significant investment will safeguard key education programs previously supported by temporary stimulus funds. And it's an example of how the Adams administration is stepping up to ensure that valued programs can continue. 

This funding will support signature initiatives like Career Pathways and New York City Reads, and this funding will ensure that kids in New York City Public Schools are supported in and out of the classrooms. 

It includes long term funding for nearly 500 social workers and school psychologists, over 100 community schools, 100 coordinators for students in temporary housing and critical bilingual education and translation services. This investment will also help ensure that every child in New York City has access to quality education. We are adding $25 million to expand seats in early childhood education for students with special needs and disabilities. And we are dedicating, as the mayor mentioned, $5 million for outreach to ensure that every child who needs an early childhood education seat can access one. This administration is committed to making sure funding and resources of all kinds are where they're needed to be to serve best our children and families. That was rough, let me do that again. 

Our administration is committed to making sure funding, seats, and resources to all kinds are where they need to be to best serve our children and families. Much better. Our commitment to this is clear, as are our successes. There are now 36,000 children enrolled in childcare since the Adams administration started. Yes. 36,000. We made it easier for families to access affordable childcare subsidies by launching MyCity. Since then over 37,000 families have applied online for childcare subsidies. That deserves a round of applause. 37,000. 

And by reducing the per child out of pocket costs from $55 a week to $5 a week. I am honored to be a part of this administration which prioritizes our city's youth, and that puts our money where our mouth is. Together we are building a brighter future for New York City, one where every child is up to thrive. And now, I am pleased to introduce Atiba Edwards, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Children's Museum to tell us about our investment in New York City's cultural institutions. 

Atiba Edwards, President and CEO, Brooklyn Children's Museum: Good morning. Thank you. Let's go, culture!

My name's Atiba T. Edwards. I'm the president and CEO of Brooklyn Children's Museum, a space that was near and dear to me. It's a space I grew up going to from Brownsville, Brooklyn, with my family, and also it was the first children's museum founded in the world in 1899. 

From its earliest days, the museum has focused on fostering curiosity, creativity, and exploration in young minds, and the city's investment that we're celebrating here today allows us to further expand our diverse programming, really ensuring that every child has an access to active learning, hands-on play, and the ability to discover both themselves and the world that they are part of. 

The city's support today allows BCM to further continue investing back into our local economy, further allowing for artists, cultural organizations, and curators to come in and do arts programming for us, also expanding the access for the youngest learners. We know very clearly that access to arts and education has a very tied and proportional directional impact on academic achievement. Then also, this funding allows us to reinvest back into the local business economy of New York City. So just as the mayor highlighted, arts and culture is an economic engine. 

New York City's museums, theaters, stages, historical societies, zoos, and botanical gardens are not just places of entertainment. They are the beating heart of our city, the soul of our neighborhoods, and the convener of communities, and it's the driving force behind New York City's economic resurgence. As we celebrate the city's investments today, let's also highlight the importance of ongoing advocacy. 

For perspective, the arts and culture sector generates $110 billion of economic activity. $110 billion of economic activity. The arts and culture sector is funded 0.2 percent of the city's budget. So for some of you out there in math and some of you in portfolio, that is a fantastic return on economic investment. Also more importantly, it highlights an opportunity to do even more. 

So I join many of the leaders here with us today to champion adequate funding that ensures every artist, every organization, and every community has the resources needed to flourish. 

We need to advocate for funding that reflects the valuable benefit that this sector brings to New York City. In closing, I want to thank Mayor Eric Adams, Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, also one of the best high people ever, Speaker Adrienne Adams, Chair of the Council's Committee on Culture Carlina Rivera, Chair on the Council's Committee of Finance Justin Brannan, and the many others who fought today to bring back this $22 million this fiscal year through fiscal year '26. 

We have an opportunity to continue ensuring that our lives benefit from arts and culture. We have an opportunity to highlight that the youngest stewards have access, students have access, families have access, so that every single person who works for us has an opportunity to really enjoy the arts and culture of that space. Today is just the beginning. We have a much larger fight ahead of us, but we do want to celebrate this moment today. Thank you all.

Deputy Mayor Almanzar: Thank you, Atiba. And Atiba put in practice today what the mayor tells us every day, stay focused, no distractions, and grind. Let me repeat that, stay focused, no distractions, and grind, as we hear the helicopter flying above us. Now we hear from Andrew Rasiej, founder and CEO of Civic Hall. Hi, Andrew. Thank you.

Andrew Rasiej, Founder and CEO, Civic Hall: Good morning, everybody. Good morning. It's so great to be here and actually see the city working. Actually, that's my point, because as a longtime New Yorker, I can tell you that I know the mark of a good mayor is one that makes the city work every day. The mark of a great mayor is one who does investments in the future of New York and the future of its people. That's the difference between this administration's and many administrations that I've seen in my lifetime. 

I'd like to… I need to congratulate this mayor and his team for making the decisions that will set this city up for success for the future. As you heard today, they are ready to invest $500 million in education that was previously funded by the federal government. No city in America is making that size investment in education. This one is. 

These education programs will fund very important things, like critical pathway programs for high school apprenticeships, career readiness, and access to college credits. As a founder of Civic Hall, I know how important these investments are. With this administration's support, with this mayor's support, we just finished building Civic Hall, the largest digital skills training center in the country, focused on... This center is focused on providing training to underestimated populations that never had a seat at the table. 

Let me tell you why that's so important. Because they need to get jobs, and we need to change the faces of the people who are designing the future. If we change the faces of the people designing the future in our critical tech industry through digital jobs, the future will not look like the present. It will provide opportunities for every New Yorker that they never had before. Once again, I congratulate this mayor and this administration for recognizing that not only do you need to make the city run every day, but you need to invest in its future to make sure that it's the most diverse and equitable city in the world. Thank you very much.

Deputy Mayor Almanzar: Thank you, Andrew. Now, let's welcome Shams DaBaron, our fearless advocate for the homeless and for housing. Hey, Shams.

Shams DaBaron: I said, let me switch it up today. So... So... Real quick... You got a shout out. They want to come in. 

So... A year ago, somebody had asked me, they said, why are you always at City Hall? Why are you always in the pictures with the mayor? I was saying to them, well, if you look at every time I'm with the mayor or the administration, we are either proposing something or we're celebrating. What was it, two years and four months, you said? Since then, we've been doing a lot of celebrating, haven't we? 

Mayor Adams is making New York City work better for working people and the most vulnerable New Yorkers. that in the historic, meaning that it hasn't been done before, creation of affordable and supportive housing, delivering the NYCHA Trust wins in Albany on housing and investments in CityFHEPS vouchers. I want the public to pay attention because it's all online. You can check it out. The media, we hope that you report it. Historic investments. When the mayor first came in, without anybody telling him, he immediately raised the voucher rate. Correct?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

He put more vouchers into the public's hands than ever before. With NYCHA, for decades, NYCHA residents have been promised repair after repair that never materialized. With the Public Housing Preservation Trust, the administration will finally deliver on those promises and offer NYCHA residents the dignity and safe, high-quality, affordable homes they deserve. Y'all can clap to that. 

Mayor Adams, he fought tirelessly alongside residents and our partners in Albany to pass this bill that will unlock critical resources with legal protections to keep residents at the center of the process of improving their homes. NYCHA residents deserve a menu of options to choose the approach and the tools that they think will best deliver the quality of life they deserve. It's taking the power and giving it to the people. Y'all can clap for that. Power to the people. Power to the people. I love it. Now, let's talk about—when we talk about wins, we're celebrating the day, right? Albany wins. Across the city, our vacancy rate is at 1.4 percent, the lowest it has been in more than half a century. More than half of the renters are rent-burdened. 

Everywhere you go, you hear the stories of people who have been priced out and left behind. The administration has played its part, building a record number of affordable homes last year. Record number, record number. Thanks to Governor Hochul and our partners in Albany, we can now go even further. This is, with the administration's help, the time that we can celebrate that Albany has listened and they have done something for housing. We had one simple message for our partners in Albany—let us build, and they listened. With this new set of proposals slated to become law, we can do just that and begin to build. We can build ourselves out of this housing crisis. Combined with our City of Yes Housing Opportunity Zoning proposal, we can finally build a little more housing in every neighborhood. Now, as I close, I want to say something else about CityFHEPS. 

Look at the wins there. For low-income folks and folks experiencing homelessness and in need of housing and benefits, this team has made it easier for the most vulnerable to get the help they need. With rents continuing to rise across the city and put pressure on working-class New Yorkers, this administration has made historic progress connecting New Yorkers to permanent, affordable homes. They have.

And I've got to correct the press, because sometimes you get it wrong. It's the administration that has lifted the 90-day rule. Who signed that into law? I don't know how they get it wrong all the time. they were there. The mayor lifted the 90-day rule, an initiative that came from one of our advocates that come to City Hall to talk about these things, Sarah Wilson. May she rest in peace. We've expanded CityFHEPS eligibility. 

We've allowed—and this is amazing—New Yorkers to use a CityFHEPS voucher anywhere in the state of New York. That makes housing more available to people that are in shelters who may want to go somewhere else and are able to find a home somewhere throughout the state. We've increased permanent housing emplacements from shelter by 17 percent. 

Now, I don't know—I don't know if any of you understand the magnitude of that. But as someone who lived on the streets, on the subways, in these shelters, the fact—to see people are going in and coming out, and they ain't going back to the streets, they ain't going back to a shelter, they are going into their homes. I'm thanking all of you, all of you, for the work that you do. Thank you. Thank you, everybody.

Mayor Adams: We got a budget. We got a budget to settle, and I know y'all are going to be asking us questions later. We will see you after we announce our budget. Look forward to seeing all of you to answer your questions, especially you, Jeff and Jeff, the two Jeff guys. Okay. Let's make it happen. Let's seal our deal. Thank you.

###