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State of the City

State of the City

  • Max Politics Podcast: Analyzing Mayor Adams' 2023 State of the City, with Errol Louis

    Mayor Adams delivers his State of the City (photo: Caroline Willis/Mayor's Office)


    January 26, 2023 - Max Politics Podcast: Analyzing Mayor Adams' 2023 State of the City, with Errol Louis

    Spectrum News political anchor Errol Louis, host of NY1's Inside City Hall and the You Decide podcast, joined the show to analyze Mayor Eric Adams' 2023 State of the City speech and discuss how the mayor is doing a little over one year into his tenure.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax.

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  • Offering a 'Working People's Agenda,' Mayor Adams Delivers 2023 State of the City

    Mayor Adams at his 2023 State of the City (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Mayor Eric Adams, a first-term Democrat, delivered his second State of the City speech on Thursday, outlining a “Working People’s Agenda” focused on jobs, housing, public safety, and healthcare for those who need them most.

    “These are the things that our administration is working for every day,” Adams said in his speech at the Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which was attended by fellow Democratic elected officials including Governor Kathy Hochul, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, City

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  • Mayor Adams Yet to Launch 'MyCity' Portal Promised in First State of the City Speech

    Mayor Adams makes an announcement (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)


    As he gets ready to deliver his second State of the City speech this week, Mayor Eric Adams has yet to launch the ‘MyCity’ universal online portal for city services that he ran on and announced his intention to implement at his first address in April of last year. 

    Adams campaigned for City Hall on a plan that included ‘MyCity’ as a centerpiece: a centralized resource for New Yorkers to access services and benefits such as food stamps,

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  • 'A Recovery For All Of Us,' De Blasio Pledges in His Final State of the City

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    (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)


    When Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered his State of the City speech last year with a plan to “save our city,” he couldn’t have imagined how prescient his choice of words would be. With less than a year left in office, the mayor now faces his most daunting challenge yet in attempting to usher in New York City’s revival from the devastation wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, in his final State of the City address, he sought to address that task, releasing a broad recovery plan to jumpstart the economy,

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  • Despite Assurances, De Blasio Yet to Release Recovery Plan for City's Devastated Economy

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    Mayor de Blasio at his September announcement (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    New York City went into partial lockdown in March as the coronavirus ravaged the population, bringing a once booming economy to its knees and leaving the city teetering on the edge. The immense flock of tourists ground to a halt; the flow of suburban commuters reduced to a trickle; an untold number of residents fled the five boroughs; “non-essential” businesses were forced to shutter at least temporarily; and people were told to stay inside but for essentials. Many thousands fell

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: De Blasio's 2020 'Save Our City' Agenda

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    February 12, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: De Blasio's 2020 Agenda

    PodcastMax & Murphy discussed Mayor de Blasio's "Save Our City" State of the City theme and the outline of his agenda as it relates to his time in office so far.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter @TweetBenMaxand

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  • In State of the City, De Blasio Outlines Agenda to 'Save Our City' from Unaffordability, Underperforming Schools, Unsafe Streets, Unlivable Climate

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio, now in his seventh year in office, unveiled his “blueprint to save our city” at his annual State of the City speech on Thursday.

    Echoing a similar message from his State of the City speech last year, the mayor sought to highlight the anxiety and uncertainty among New Yorkers who feel the unending pressures of living here, whether it be the cost of doing business, providing a good life for children, worrying about the effects of climate change, or just simply paying the

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  • In State of the City, De Blasio Promises More from Government to Improve New Yorkers' 'Quality of Life'

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    Mayor de Blasio gives his 2019 State of the City (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Delivered his sixth State of the City address on Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio loftily touted his accomplishments of the last five years and pledged ambitious efforts to make New York City “the fairest big city in the country.” Speaking at the Symphony Space on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the mayor unveiled new ideas aimed at improving the lives of working New Yorkers and reiterated sweeping proposals that he announced earlier this week on everything from health care

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  • De Blasio Gives Little Mention to Several Major Challenges in State of the City Speech

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    As Mayor Bill de Blasio touted significant accomplishments of his five years in office and laid out a new agenda for expanding his fight against inequality during his Thursday State of the City speech, he made little or no mention of a number of important challenges facing the city and his mayoralty.

    It’s no coincidence, of course, that the mayor barely

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  • Can the De Blasio Administration Really Register 1.5 Million More Voters?

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    Mayor de Blasio voting (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a DemocracyNYC plan. One big goal: “to register 1.5 million New Yorkers to vote over the next four years.”
    To make this work the mayor will create a new city leadership post: Chief Democracy Officer. How hard will it be for this new chief to meet the mayor’s goal?

    Let’s do some rough math, based upon recent enrollment, census, and vital statistics data:

    According to estimates in the most recent American

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Analyzing De Blasio's State of the City Address

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    February 14, 2018 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Analyzing De Blasio's State of the City Address

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    John Mollenkopf has been studying and writing about New York City politics and government for decades. Mollenkopf, who is a distinguished professor and director of urban research at the CUNY Graduate

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  • De Blasio Promises Fairness, Democracy in State of the City Address

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    Mayor de Blasio delivers his 2018 State of the City (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered his first State of the City speech of his second and final term at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn on Tuesday evening, mostly retreading old ground on policy while exploring new ways to improve the city’s “battered” democratic and electoral processes.

    De Blasio, a Democrat, made few new policy announcements as he enumerated a 12-point “gameplan” to make the city fairer and safer while improving the lot of the

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, February 12

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    New York City Hall


    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    Mayor Bill de Blasio will give his 2018 State of the City address this week, on Tuesday evening. The first of his second term, de Blasio is expected to talk more about his newly branded quest to make New York City “the fairest big city in America.”

    Budget hearings continue in Albany this week, and the Legislature will also hold session days to introduce and pass legislation on Monday and Tuesday, before taking

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  • Trump’s Victory, De Blasio’s State of the City

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    Mayor de Blasio at Trump Tower (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    Perhaps so as not to pour salt in the wound, Mayor Bill de Blasio took a few days to give his assessment of what went wrong for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. But, since he started to explain his take on how the Democrats blew it and the country wound up with Donald Trump as President, de Blasio has laid out in sharp terms what he believes should have been done differently.

    “I think the campaign became about the wrong thing,” de Blasio said during a February 10 taping of Pod Save

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  • Jobs of the Future Come From The Right Education

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    Mayor Bill de Blasio (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    In his State of the City speech last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke of the need to create 100,000 good jobs for New Yorkers in the coming decade. He defined “good jobs” as those which pay more than $50,000 a year and talked about encouraging various sectors of the economy, like technology, that have average salaries that pay even more. To his credit, the mayor talked about creating good jobs that don’t necessarily require a college degree, like construction, but he also recognized the

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  • In Final State of the City Speech, Mark-Viverito Vows Resistance

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    Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (photo: @BenKallos)


    City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito vowed defiance against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and promised to uplift and empower New York City’s immigrant population in her final State of the City speech at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn on Thursday.

    Mark-Viverito, the first Latina speaker of the body, has 10 months left on the job before she is term-limited out of the Council. On Thursday, she sought to cement her legacy and inspire with her speech, titled “Who We Are,” that recognized the

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  • Comptroller Criticizes Mayor for 'Out Of Control' Homelessness Spending, Limited Agency Savings

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    Comptroller Scott Stringer presents his budget analysis (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    Comptroller Scott Stringer blasted aspects of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s preliminary budget for fiscal year 2018 on Wednesday, taking issue with the mayor’s homelessness strategy and what Stringer described as a dearth of savings for city agencies.

    Speaking to reporters at his offices on 1 Center Street, the comptroller said the city’s economy continues to be strong but warned of the challenges from an economic slowdown after years of sustained growth, the effects of which

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  • De Blasio Focuses on Affordability Crisis in State of the City Speech

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    Mayor de Blasio delivers State of the City speech (Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    At his fourth State of the City speech on Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared an ambitious agenda to create thousands of jobs while continuing to expand affordable housing for the city’s most vulnerable residents.

    Speaking at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, de Blasio acknowledged in blunt terms that New York City is facing an affordability crisis that has been years in the making, resulting from rising rents and relatively stagnant incomes. “This affordability

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  • Key to Vision of Closing Rikers, City Council Bail Fund Moves Through State Process

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    Mark-Viverito delivers her State of the City (photo: William Alatriste)


    Last year, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito unveiled her plan for a fund that would cover bail for poor individuals charged with low-level criminal offenses who would otherwise be forced to wait in a city jail for their court date. The Council dedicated $1.4 million of budget funds to back the project, which is nearing

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  • In State of the City, Mark-Viverito Outlines Civic Engagement, Voter Empowerment Plans

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    Mark-Viverito with young attendees of her speech (photo: William Alatriste) 


    In her second State of the City address, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito on Thursday made it clear that she is determined to make New York a more inclusive city where different voices are heard and counted. Her message of 'More Justice,' the title for the speech, resonated in the different initiatives the speaker announced to improve civic engagement and to empower New Yorkers so that city policy is more fair and responsive to constituents.

    Speaking at the Samuel Gompers

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  • Mark-Viverito 'Doubles Down' on Criminal Justice Reform in State of the City

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    Mark-Viverito delivers her State of the City (photo: William Alatriste) 


    During her second State of the City address, titled “More Justice,” City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced on Thursday a slew of new criminal justice reforms, including efforts to minimize the number of New Yorkers that end up in the city’s jail by clearing old arrest warrants for low-level, nonviolent offenses, and creating more programs to help reduce recidivism. She also said that as the number of inmates on Riker’s Island decreases, a plan

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  • The Week That Was in New York Politics, Feb. 1-5

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    photo: Stanley Kubrick via Museum of the City of New York


    Gotham Gazette's Week in Review, Friday February 5, 2016

    PHOTO OF THE WEEK:In Iowa, Mayor de Blasio makes calls on behalf of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, via @Chirlane; De Blasio delivers his State of the City

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  • De Blasio Stresses Neighborhood Health in 'One City' Vision

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    Mayor de Blasio delivers his State of the City (Mayor's Office)


    Strong neighborhoods are essential to a just city, Mayor Bill de Blasio argued from the Bronx Thursday evening, delivering his third State of the City address. De Blasio's speech was long on markers of progress and acknowledgement of the city's uniformed workforce, and included several new proposals ranging from the nitty gritty of city management to major innovations.

    The theme of the speech, according to the mayor, was "one New York: working for our neighborhoods," and de Blasio made the case that the

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  • Is Mayor De Blasio Putting Students First?

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo via The Mayor's Office)


    Mayor de Blasio's annual State of the City address is a natural time to take a step back and review his performance running the largest school system in the United States. For StudentsFirstNY, our most basic litmus test for policymakers is a simple question – are they putting the interests of students first? After two full years with Mayor de Blasio, we can definitively say that the answer is "no."

    In analyzing Mayor de Blasio's stewardship of city schools, there are several themes that

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  • Muslim Immigrant Family of NYPD Captain to Lead Pledge of Allegiance at State of the City

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    Jamiel and Sameha Altaheri


    When Mayor Bill de Blasio delivers his third State of the City address tonight at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx, he will focus on a message of unity and inclusiveness. The theme this year, "One New York: Working for Every Neighborhood," will highlight the administration's accomplishments in fighting inequality, improving quality of life and working for the future, while also outlining new initiatives.

    A large part of creating "One New York" has been the mayor's support for the

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