BP Outlines Broad and Ambitious Agenda to Help Middle Class Families and Grow the Local Economy

Thursday, February 4, 2010 (New York, NY) - Kicking off his second term as Manhattan Borough President, Scott M. Stringer delivered his State of the Borough speech tonight in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Entitled “Magnet City,” Stringer’s address highlighted the key accomplishments of his first term and outlined an ambitious agenda focused on assisting working families and growing the local economy. Click here to read the speech. 

The Borough President was introduced by former NYPD Commission William J. Bratton, and the evening included a performance by Vy Higginsen’s Gospel for Teens Choir and welcoming remarks by Lillian Rodríguez López, President of the Hispanic Federation.

“We’ve got to do everything we can to banish those hardships that would prompt an exodus from the city, or be an obstacle to newcomers,” Stringer said. “Yes, crime tops the list. But we also must have no tolerance for public health hazards, pollution, traffic congestion, or a real estate market that makes a million-dollar co-op the price of admission for living in this borough. And just as important, we must cultivate everything that draws and keeps people here: the energy and the diversity, the passion and the culture, the intellectual richness that bounces off our city’s buildings and infuses us all with life.”

Advocating for Common Sense Educational Reforms 

To alleviate the overarching problems of school overcrowding and school closures, Borough President Stringer called on the Department of Education (DOE) to increase the number of full service, community schools in the borough from 11 to 20 in the next two years.  

“Community-based schools offer extended school days, and weekend and summer programs. They emphasize arts and culture. And to overcome obstacles that too often defeat learning, these schools provide students with medical and dental care, and counsel families on the Earned Income Tax Credit and affordable housing,” said the Borough President. “We should start with schools slated for closure and review them for their suitability for this promising but underutilized program.”

Mr. Stringer also highlighted his work in community “war rooms,” where parents from Harlem to Lower Manhattan have met and spent hours with DOE officials discussing student enrollment data. The meetings have already delivered results, with the opening in September of PS 151, a new neighborhood school on the Upper East Side that is now educating 75 kindergarteners. 

Leading the Green Revolution

Building on years of working toward a sound food policy that will improve public health, Borough President Stringer announced that in the coming weeks he will unveil a full legislative agenda based on proposals from the recent NYC Food and Climate Summit at NYU. He also renewed his call for the creation of a Department of Food and Markets, a city agency that would be responsible for targeting hunger, improving public health, and jump-starting the Green Collar Economy.

“New York must claim its fair share of Green Collar jobs; and city government must give its full backing to the grassroots innovation that is leading the way,” said Stringer. “Not long ago, the decision was made to locate the Department of Ed next to City Hall -- in order to demonstrate a commitment to public schools. In that same spirit, let’s show our commitment to sustainable food by putting a vegetable garden in City Hall Park.” 

Opening Up New Green Spaces

The Borough President also announced that his office, in conjunction with Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, Community Boards 3 and 6, and the Lower East Side Ecology Center, has secured a $650,000 State grant to re-connect residents of Midtown and Lower Manhattan to a three-mile stretch of East River waterfront.

“This project, called the East River Blueway, will start with a planning process aimed at doing away with riverfront obstructions, and creating parks, docks, pools, and education programs,” said Borough President Stinger. “I am confident the Blueway will soon take its place alongside the Highline and Hudson River Park as one of Manhattan’s great public spaces.”

Diversifying the Local Economy

Recognizing the wealth of both financial and intellectual capital in New York City, Borough President Stringer will convene a “President’s Council,” composed of the City’s great universities and chaired by Mr. Stringer. The goal of the council is to bridge the gap between the financial industry and university research, so that cutting edge research becomes a cutting edge business right here in New York City. 

“The Council’s purpose will be to develop a consensus around the best ways for government to support the city’s tech sector,” Stringer said. “We will also be setting targets for growing the number of New York City startup companies drawing on university research.”

Helping New Yorkers Weather the Recession

In an effort to help those climbing the economic ladder, Mr. Stringer announced the launch of “Bank On Manhattan,” a program that will help unbanked working families become part of the financial mainstream.

“We’ve joined together with the State Banking Department, the FDIC, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Manhattan’s major retail banks, and a terrific collection of non-profits, including the United Way, the Urban League, and ACCION USA.” said Stringer. “Our goal is to bring 10,000 households into the banking system in the 12 months after ‘Bank On’ is launched this summer. We’re doing it by developing a comprehensive program that includes: a low-cost and low-risk ‘Bank On’ account, a financial education program, and a multi-lingual marketing campaign to reach the unbanked families concentrated in Washington Heights, Harlem and Chinatown.”

Keeping NYC Safe and Treating Communities with Respect

Borough President Stringer also announced a Crime Prevention Summit to be held later this year that will capitalize on the City’s historic reductions in crime. The Summit, which will be held in collaboration with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and other key criminal justice partners, will bring together the nation’s best minds in criminal justice to consider a wide range of issues.

“We’ll be looking at every promising innovation and its likely impact on New York’s communities,” said Stringer. “Everything will be on the table, from gang activity to domestic violence. And at the end of that day, I hope we’ll have the framework for a 21st Century criminal justice system that will keep our streets safe and respect communities.” 

Empowering Our Communities

With New York City anxiously waiting for the convening of a Charter Revision Commission, Borough President Stringer put forward a proposal that would restructure City Government, so that it better serves hard-working New Yorkers. He also recognized the tremendous work of Manhattan’s community boards and called for a new mandate that would allow them to act as true Community Planning Boards by providing each with a professional urban planner. This proposal would ease tensions between residents and developers because it would level the playing field and take some of the fear out of the development process. 

“This simple act would bring on a whole new era of neighborhood activism – and I’m confident we would see more affordable housing and green space in our city as a result,” said Stringer. 

###