In his first state of the city speech, Mayor de Blasio Monday outlined his progressive vision — advocating expanding living wage laws, pushing Albany to allow the city to raise the minimum wage and providing municipal ID cards to non-citizens.
Our Jennifer Fermino reports and our Debbie Egan-Chin photographs:
In a 43-minute address at La Guardia Community College in Queens, the mayor also pledged to work towards rebuilding sections of the city devastated by Hurricane Sandy and to create a jobs plan to battle unemployment, especially among minority males.
De Blasio reiterated many of his campaign themes — calling for a more just society, where government is a tool to attack income inequality and help the poor. He was introduced by Katherine LaGuardia, the granddaughter of the late Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who led the city through the Great Depression.
“We demand a city that lifts the floor for those struggling day to day…that offers every New Yorker a fair shot…because that is the city that we all signed up for,” de Blasio said,
according to the prepared text
.
“Mayor LaGuardia called for “government with a soul.” He saw beyond the numbers in a budget…understood that those numbers represented real people who were just trying to live their lives, and asked only for a little help. And that is what we resolve to do.”
In one of his boldest plans, he said that he would call on Albany to give New York City the power to set its own minimum wage to ensure “New Yorkers aren’t relegated to the ranks of the poor when putting in a full week’s work.”
The request “will send a powerful signal to the people of New York – that we honor work…and that we are committed to making work pay,” he said.
MISS OUR LIVEBLOG COVERAGE? CHECK IT OUT HERE
The mayor showed no sign of backing off his collision course with Gov. Cuomo and Republicans in Albany over funding an expansion of pre-kindergarten. Cuomo opposes de Blasio’s plan to tax the wealthiest New Yorkers to pay for the initiative. Cuomo wants to use existing state revenues instead.
De Blasio said Monday the tax was necessary, since Albany was an unreliable partner.
“Here in New York City, we have a detailed plan, and it’s on the table – one that’s real; that’s fair; that’s reasonable. So let’s dedicate the funding we need to do what New York City must – and let’s tap the wealthiest New Yorkers to do so. This is about the children of New York, and just how strong of a commitment we are willing to make to their futures…and our own,” he said.
Yet, just before the mayor spoke, state Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos of Nassau County said he
would not allow legislation containing such a tax hike
to advance to the Senate floor.
Skelos also shot down arguments made by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and others that the matter should be treated like any home rule request from a locality.
A tax hike on wealthy residents in the city, Skelos said, would impact the entire state and could reduce overall tax revenues.
“The last thing we need is to see high earners leave New York state because then we lose their tax dollars,” said Skelos.
The crowd of several hundred that attended de Blasio’s speech included City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Controller Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Letitia James, all liberal Democratic allies who have pledged to help the mayor achieve his ambitious agenda. First Lady Chirlane McCray, was also in the crowd. De Blasio called her his “guiding light.”
De Blasio campaigned on the slogan “A Tale of Two Cities,” highlighting the gap between the wealthy and the poor. But in his speech – delivered under a sign that read “One New York, Rising Together” – he referred more to what people had in common.
“New Yorkers’ personal commitment to tackling inequality knows no boundaries of geography or income,” he said.
“Many wealthy New Yorkers are committed to healing those divisions – not out of mere altruism…not due to feelings of guilt, or pity. They know that a Gilded City isn’t the New York they signed up for – even if they currently find themselves doing quite well.”
He also addressed the more than 150 open labor contracts, which he said create an “unprecedented challenge” to the budget. He did not say how he plans to address that challenge but promised a “future that is progressive and fiscally responsible.” He might provide new details on Wednesday, when he delivers his budget address.
And he gave a nod to what has so far been one of the biggest hassles for his new administration – the onslaught of snow that’s hit the city since Jan. 1. De Blasio said that no new mayor has had to contend with as much snow in their first few weeks in office since Ed Koch in 1978.
“The first few weeks of 2014 have been quite busy,” he said.