Mayor Michael Bloomberg insisted in his fourth State of the City address on Jan.12 that the city is in good hands. “The state of our city is strong, and we are going to make it even stronger for the future,” he declared in his hour-long speech at Hostos Community College in the Bronx.

The mayor, who is seeking a second term this November, said that things have changed under his “innovative, honest and responsible leadership.”

“I can stand before you and tell you…we are safer today than we have ever been in modern memory. We have taken our city from fiscal crisis to fiscal stability, [we are] building ‘A City of Opportunity,’” he declared.

Even with many expired union contracts still on the table, Bloomberg outlined an ambitious plan in a speech that made little reference to the city’s current labor unrest. Instead he painted a rosy picture of a city flush with money for “building new buildings,” developing and “reopening our waterfront,” “making our schools the best in the nation,” and ready to take on innovative new projects. “There is a spirit, a confidence, an expectation for the future that is new and exciting” in New York City, Bloomberg asserted.

The mayor highlighted his accomplishments, citing, among other things, a 14 percent overall reduction in crime from three years ago, a healthier economy after the crippling recession following Sept. 11, successes in reducing and preventing homelessness, and “the progress we’re making in reforming our schools.”

Bloomberg, who is a Republican, sounded very much like a Democrat when he appeared to challenge fellow Republicans in Washington for the city’s fair share of Homeland Security funds. “We won’t stop until all the money is distributed based on risk and risk alone,” the mayor said. “New York is protecting the nation, not just itself, and Washington has to do its part, too. New York can’t be shortchanged anymore…enough!”

Bloomberg said that over the next few years his administration will target quality-of-life crimes, such as jumping turnstiles, aggressive panhandling, graffiti problems and the like; create “supportive housing” for homeless people with substance abuse problems and mental illness in the South Bronx and other high-need communities; implement inspection and licensing reform for day care centers; reduce the number of children who languish in foster care by promoting adoption and providing support services to troubled families.

In addition, the city will provide one-stop services for victims of domestic violence at a new facility — the Family Justice Center — to be located in Brooklyn, where women and children fleeing domestic violence can meet with a prosecutor and receive help in obtaining public assistance, new housing and counseling services in their own language.

Eligible New Yorkers can also look forward to reductions in their taxes in the form of the Earned Income Tax Credit similar to the one offered by the IRS, which the city will offer for the first time, as well as a repeat of the $400 tax rebate for homeowners.


Dawn of a "New Era"

“New York is at the dawn of a major new era of construction and development,” the mayor said. His plans include funding for the creation and preservation of affordable housing for 200,000 low- and middle-income families by the end of 2008; a four-year investment of nearly $2 billion for the Housing Authority to modernize and preserve public housing; and a $13.1 billion five-year school construction project.

Although Bloomberg’s plans target every borough and appear to include a little bit of something for everyone, the one group that can claim to have been left out in the cold is Labor.

“It’s hard to talk about union contracts when you are trying to assure the public that you are building a ‘city of opportunity’ for them,” said Local 237 President Carl Haynes. The question union members should be asking is: does Bloomberg’s “city of opportunity” include me and my family?