Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears Live on Pix 11's Morning News

July 2, 2019

Dan Mannarino: Mayor Bill de Blasio pulling off a tough balancing act running for president while, of course, running New York City, and Mayor de Blasio joining us in the studio this morning to talk about his plan to make New York City streets safer following, really, a series of cyclists deaths. So, good morning to you, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning.

Mannarino:  You certainly have a lot at task ahead of you – fifteen deaths this year alone. Obviously, it's been enough for you. You’ve been a huge supporter of Vision Zero. This is your trademark.

Mayor: Yeah.

Mannarino: What are you doing moving forward to make these streets safer?

Mayor: We have to do something different now. Look, this is a crisis. For five years Vision Zero has been working consistently driving down fatalities. We had 100 fewer fatalities last year than we had five years earlier. But this – these last weeks, and few months really, have been horrible and my heart goes out to everyone, to the families but also, I think, people who use bicycles all over the city are feeling this right now. We are going do something different. So, first of all, I’ve directed the NYPD to aggressively clear out bike lanes. We’ve got to do more on that front and we will. To also enforce – we've done a lot of enforcement on speeding by vehicles and failure to yield. We’re going to do more of that, because I find every time we do more it has a positive impact and thank God as more serious and violent crime is going down the NYPD can put more attention into Vision Zero. And then I’ve instructed the Department of Transportation over the next two weeks to come back with a plan to deepen our commitment to bike lanes. We need more of them. We need them to be better protected.

Mannarino: Protected.

Mayor: And I’m looking for a plan to speed up and intensify everything we're doing. Again, five years we thought things were moving in the right direction, this crisis proves we've got to do more quickly.

Mannarino: And some of that involves the redesign of streets. You know, Kirsten Cole, one of our reporters, she was out on Sixth Avenue last week when one of the cyclists was killed and she actually saw some video, if we could throw it up on the screen right now, of a bike lane that was actually blocked by what looked like a street project from the New York City Department of Transportation. So what is your word to them as they are working on these redesigns to actually clear out the bike lanes from their equipment?

Mayor: Right, this is something, this is – look, there's so much construction happening in this city right now, most of it in the private sector some of it in the public sector. And we've got to approach it with a safety first attitude. A lot of construction means something is working in our city, obviously, but that cannot mean that we don't focus first on safety. So what we're going to make very clear to all public agencies is to keep those bike lanes clear. Sometimes there’s unavoidable situation or emergency situation, but keep those bike lanes clear. I’ve also gotten a lot of complaints from New Yorkers about private construction companies taking up bike lanes, taking up parking spaces that they don't need too. I’m going to ask our departments to crack down on that as well, because, you know, we have so little space in this city, 8.6 million people. We had I think 67 million tourists last year. We need to protect those bike lanes and the ability of everyone to get around. So we're going to do a lot more and look, I hope people take heart from this. When we started Vision Zero it was just an idea. No one had ever applied it in a city this big. It’s been working consistently, which says when we hit a crisis when we hit a problem and we go into higher gear we get more intense, I have confidence it's going to work but it's going to take time. We're going to throw everything we got at it.

Mannarino: I want to switch gears here and talk about New York City losing a true hero. Detective Luis Alvarez lost his battle to cancer. We had John Feal and the FealGood Foundation here yesterday. You’re talking about presenting his family with a key to this city but really that comes down to what is happening in the Senate with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. If he was sitting here with you today what would you say to him about this legislation that they obviously want passed in August?

Mayor: First I’d say, Luis Alvarez, a true New York hero and I’ll be honored to give the key to the city to his family. And John Feal, amazing, Jon Stewart – I mean all of these great leaders who are saying to Mitch McConnell just do your job. You say you're a patriot, you say you care. These first responders put their lives on the line. They were told it was safe, it wasn't safe. They were told by the federal government it was safe, it wasn't safe. They’re suffering – thousands of people – just give them the help they need. You know I don’t understand how someone can claim that they're so pro first responder, pro our men and women in uniform, and then when it comes down to those folks needing help to save their lives to protect their health, suddenly there's no money. I think that's ridiculous. Mitch McConnell is doing something immoral here and I hope that Luis Alvarez did not die in vain. That Mitch McConnell fields enough guilt; because he had to see what Luis Alvarez had done his whole life what he committed to and how he died, that finally this will be the break through moment.

Mannarino: And we’re going to stay on top of that every step of the way all the way through August here at PIX 11. I want to switch here [inaudible] have you here and now talk about your other job, which you’re focusing on, the presidential race. Some new poll numbers came out yesterday, Kamala Harris jumped nine points, Vice President Biden fell 10 points, you actually stayed the same. Are you worried at all about where you sit on those polls heading into another debate at the end of the month?

Mayor: Look, I feel very good about the last debate. A lot of commentary all over the country said that I got my point across and it made an impact, but Rome wasn't built in a day, it takes time. I’m really – you know, I was the last candidate to declare. People are just getting to know me. Seven full months before anyone votes, let's keep that in mind. Literally seven months before anybody votes – first time in Iowa. So what I think that poll tells you you're seeing massive swings, you've seen them all throughout the last few months but this one was particularly profound. I think you're going to see a lot more. I think you're going to see constant change and as I get a chance to introduce myself and talk about what we've achieved here in New York and that's really the difference. Other people have great ideas, I respect them, but we put these ideas into action – safest is big city in America. We’ve done so many things here that have changed people's lives, working people's lives. When I say working people first, I can prove I’ve done something about it and I think people are going to hear that.

Mannarino: And you know, also, what came out yesterday were some of the fundraising efforts that Mayor Pete Buttigieg was most notable making $24 million. Have you – you did have a bit of a breakout performance in the debate. Have you seen an increase in the donations coming into your campaign? A lot of people responded really well to that debate in every way including support. We’re going to put out our filing on July 15th, and we're going to keep moving ahead, we're going to have the resources we need to get the message out.

Mannarino: And lastly, you have really focused on kitchen table issues right here in New York City but also on your campaign talking about health care talking, about the economy and how it affects people's wallets. How moving forward as you continue to say really get –  the country get to know you – spread your message and grab some of those undecided Democrats but also pull in some of the independents?

Mayor: Well, this is a key point. If Democrats want to win in 2020, it is those kitchen table issues that make all the difference. I’m talking about how to get health insurance and health care for everyone, how to increase wages, how to give people a better life. I talk about this to audiences is all over the country, and this is what people want to hear. They want to know that their government is going to be on their side. When I say working people first, it is a very specific idea. Is the federal government right now on the side of working people? No, it's on the side of the one percent, everyone knows it. What about a federal government that actually serves working people and thought every single day, how do we improve their lives. That's what moves independents, by the way that would move some Republicans, too, and bring back a lot of the folks who stayed home in 2016 or switched to Trump, because Trump said I’m going to take care of the working man and woman. He didn't, he took care of the one percent. I can show I’ve actually done it in the nation’s largest city, I think that’s going to move people.

Mannarino:  And we have about 10 seconds left I just want to ask you a quick – do you think Joe Biden should apologize for comments about segregational Senators?

Mayor: Of course, and had he done it there would have been a lot more comfort with him that he got what time it is, that he got that this country has changed profoundly, that we want to move away from that a painful past. But to somehow miss the fact that people were hurt by that statement – and I can tell you my family was and families all over this country. James Eastland thought it should be illegal for me and my wife to be married, and he believed in violence against people of color. He literally would say it out loud publicly. Biden had a great leadership moment there to say ‘Hey, I made a mistake and I get it and I’m going to move forward.’ He didn’t do it, I think it hurt him.

Mannarino: Alright, Mayor de Blasio, thank you for coming by.

Mayor: Thank you.

Mannarino:  We’ve missed you on the show. Come back any time.

Mayor: Well, I look forward. You got a great set here, it’s a lively, lively morning dynamic.

Mannarino: You heard him say it. We dragged you early out of bed, I appreciate it.

Mayor: Thank you, man.