Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly. (Screengrab: NYC.gov)

This afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly gave a press briefing to update the public on the city's security efforts in the wake of yesterday's deadly explosions at the Boston Marathon. And, while stating there are no specific threats connected to the Boston incident, Mr. Bloomberg ominously warned about "special interests" shaping the city's security policies in a way "that the terrorists are waiting for."

"The N.Y.P.D ... has helped deter and thwart numerous terrorist attacks on our city in the past," Mr. Bloomberg explained. "But we must remain vigilant for the future. And we are vigilant. The fact is there remain people who want to attack us. The moment we let our guard down, the moment we get complacent, the moment we allow special interests to shape our security strategies is the moment that the terrorists are waiting for."

Although Mr. Bloomberg didn't explain what those special interests were, he did acknowledge Manhattan's public security camera network as the sort of program that needs additional investment. Left unmentioned were the N.Y.P.D.'s controversial stop-and-frisk tactic and Muslim surveillance efforts, both of which Mr. Bloomberg has staunchly defended in the past.

"The Boston bombing is a terrible reminder of why we've made these investments, including camera technology, that could help us deter an attack," the mayor said. "Of course, no system is perfect and no system can eliminate the threat of an attack. That's why it's so important that we continually improve the system, especially as technology improves and allows us to expand our capabilities."

Additionally, Mr. Bloomberg said the city's stepped-up police presence--very noticeable to commuters at public transit hubs--will continue until the still-unclear facts from Boston emerge.

"Since yesterday afternoon, we have fully mobilized our resources to protect New Yorkers from any related threats that might emerge," he said. "The N.Y.P.D. quickly stepped up security at strategic locations and critical infrastructure, including our subways, ... as soon as we heard about the attacks. And we'll leave those measures in place until we learn more about what actually happened in Boston."

(Photo: Getty)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg would really prefer if reporters would cease inquiring about which candidate he'll ultimately endorse in the race to replace him this year. And he conveyed that message again and again at an unrelated press conference earlier this morning.

"I know who I'm going to vote for and I may change my mind between now and then," Mr. Bloomberg declared at one point. “If I do, you're not going to know about it."

"Uh, let me--" Mr. Bloomberg paused.

"Wrap up," Marc La Vorgna, Mr. Bloomberg's press secretary, jumped in. The mayor, however, wasn't about to wrap up.

"These questions aren't substantive and don't inform the public and the reasons that we're trying to help the press is to give the public the information," he stated.

The journalists present were also not about to wrap up on the topic. While Mr. Bloomberg is close to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, he has also reportedly been dissatisfied with the current crop of mayoral candidates and he recently slammed Ms. Quinn's support of an inspector general for the city's police department. Asked about these sorts of potential misgivings, Mr. Bloomberg continued his adamant refusal to weigh in on the race.

"If I have something to say, I'll say it directly to the public," he said. "And who I'm going to vote for I may never choose to say. No, I don't think it's as important as talking about smoking and saving lives and things like that. Keep in mind the election you're talking about is how many months away? Why on Earth would you think it's a subject that's informative to the public today? I don't get it."

After yet another question pertaining to his endorsement, Mr. Bloomberg accused the reporters of not only wasting their own time, but their organization's time as well.

"That's one of the frustrating things, you say it and you say it until you want a different answer," he said. "You know, you have a right to ask it but I don't know why we're going to keep having press conferences and wasting our time. We're not going to spend the whole time between now and the election talking about who I'm going to vote for. If I ever want to endorse somebody, I will tell you. If I want to tell you who I vote for, I will tell you, but it won't come because you asked. So, you're just wasting your employers's time. There's got to be other things that would generate stories that would sell your television program and advertising, your radio advertising, your newspaper advertising."

(Photo: Wikipedia)

Republican mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis believes "a robot" could soon end the debate over the police department's controversial stop-and-frisk tactic, he said last night.

"The stop-and-frisk law is going to go away by itself," Mr. Catsimatidis, a billionaire business executive, said at the New York Observer-sponsored event. "There's new technology for the 21st century. It's going to be a robot or a handgun that identifies if somebody is carrying a concealed weapon. And that's going to happen, so the stop-and-frisk law over the next year or two will go away by itself."

Mr. Catsimatidis may be referring to a machine the N.Y.P.D. acquired in January that reads terahertz—the natural energy emitted by people and inanimate objects—potentially revealing concealed weapons from a distance. It's not clear when such a device might be actually implemented, however.

Nevertheless, even before the robots or terahertz handguns become commonplace, Mr. Catsimatidis said the stop-and-frisk policy should generally continue in the name of public safety.

"The stop-and-frisk law needs some modification, but we can't let it go away," he argued. "New York City's the safest city in the world, Commissioner Kelly has made it one of the safest cities in the word and we cannot give the streets back."

(photo: nyc.gov)

In his final State of the City address this afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a number of new policies he'll implement in the last of his twelve years in office. In addition to banning Styrofoam in restaurants and an expansion of electric car parking space, among other initiatives, Mr. Bloomberg notably announced the city will simply ticket and release New Yorkers caught with misdemeanor amounts of marijuana, rather than holding them in custody.

“There’s more we can do to keep New Yorkers, particularly young men, from ending up with a criminal record," Mr. Bloomberg declared. "Commissioner Kelly and I support Governor Cuomo’s proposal to make possession of small amounts of marijuana a violation, rather than a misdemeanor. And we’ll work to help him pass it this year. But I'll tell you, we won’t wait for that to happen."

Instead, Mr. Bloomberg said, starting next month, anyone with valid identification will be released from the precinct and told to come back for court later after being found with marijuana.

“Right now, those arrested for possessing small amounts of marijuana are often held in custody overnight. We’re changing that," he continued. "Effective next month, anyone presenting an I.D. and clearing a warrant check will be released directly from the precinct with a desk appearance ticket to return to court. It’s consistent with the law, it’s the right thing to do and it will allow us to target police resources where they’re needed most."

View Mr. Bloomberg's full speech, as prepared for delivery, below:

“Thank you, Marty – and happy 36th birthday to you, too. Speaker Quinn and members of the City Council, Public Advocate de Blasio, Comptroller Liu, Borough Presidents, District Attorneys, Mayor Dinkins and distinguished guests, let me begin by acknowledging someone who is here with us in spirit: the mayor who redefined the job and restored the arc of our city’s history: my friend and yours, Ed Koch.

“The state of our city would certainly not be the same without him. Let me also thank everyone here on staff at the Barclays Center. Of the 2,000 people employed here, our Workforce One Centers helped 1,100 of them find their jobs. Nearly 75 percent of them are Brooklyn residents and because of the outreach we did, about one-third are NYCHA residents. That’s only right – because after all, one of the owners here grew up in Marcy Houses. His name is Shawn Carter, and if you don’t recognize that name, you may know him by what he’s been called since the Super Bowl: Beyoncé’s husband.

“Now, the Barclays Center is the latest sign of just how hot Brooklyn has become. Of course, not long ago, this arena was nothing more than a glimmer in Marty Markowitz’s eye. NBA basketball and NHL hockey? In Brooklyn? According to Marty, everyone told him ‘Fuhgeddaboudit!’

“But not us. And here we are. Against all the odds, despite all the legal challenges, despite all the naysayers and NIMBYers, here we are. And as we speak, the first residential tower at Atlantic Yards is rising, and it will have nearly 200 affordable apartments. Marty – Mr. Brooklyn – and Bruce Ratner, who made it all happen, stand up for a well-deserved round of applause.

“Over the past eleven years, we have beaten the odds, and the obstructionists, over and over again, not just here in Brooklyn, but in neighborhoods all across the city. For instance, back in 2002, we were told that you couldn’t bring crime down any further without locking up more people. But today, murders and shootings are at new record lows – and, so are incarceration rates.

“Back then, we were told businesses would flee the city after 9/11. Today, there are a record number of jobs in our city – and Lower Manhattan is more full of life than ever.

“Back then, we were told the school system could never be fixed. Today, graduation rates are up by 41 percent – compared to just nine percent in the rest of the state.

“Back then, we were told that Manhattan would always be the prime driver of job growth. But today, job growth is happening fastest outside of Manhattan, and it exceeds the national average in all five boroughs.

“Again and again, we have defied the conventional wisdom. We’ve gone from having the sixth highest poverty rate among the 20 largest cities to having the eighth lowest – and we’ve reduced the welfare rolls by 22 percent. We went into the recent national recession later than the rest of the country, and we came out sooner and stronger. We’ve added more than 750 acres to our parks and turned New York City into an international leader on green growth and climate change.

“We’ve raised life expectancy to record highs – far outpacing the national average – and we’ve cut teen pregnancy to record lows. We’ve reduced fire fatalities and traffic fatalities and emergency response times to record lows. And we’ve built the largest and most sophisticated counter-terrorism operation of any police department in the country.

“As a result of all this work, even though we’re still recovering from the most devastating natural disaster in our entire history, each of the five boroughs is better off today than ever before and the state of our city has never been stronger!

“But as far as we’ve come, our work is not done. We have unfinished business – and only 320 days to complete it. As the countdown clock in City Hall says: we’re going to Make Every Day Count.

“Our goal is not to spend the year cutting ribbons. It’s much bigger than that: Our goal is to advance projects – and start new ones – that will keep our city on the right course for decades to come. And to do that, we’ll take on the toughest jobs – and the most politically difficult jobs.

“The special interests and campaign donors have never had less power than they’ve had over the past 11 years. And this year, we’re going to show just how true that is.

“That’s why 2013 will be our busiest – and most important – year yet.

“Today, I’d like to share our plans for how we’ll keep New York City on course for a brighter future. And this is the perfect place to do it, here at Atlantic Yards – the largest development project in Brooklyn’s history.

“Remember: after the courts stopped the Westway highway project in the early 1980s, you’d often hear people say that big projects like this were no longer possible in New York City. And for a long time, that certainly seemed to be largely true. But not anymore. Over the past 11 years, working with our partners in the City Council and in Albany, we have overcome the defeatists and shown that this big city of big dreams can still get big things done.

“In fact, this year we’ll complete the second stage of the single largest construction project in the City’s entire history: the Third Water Tunnel. When we open it, it will be a dramatic reflection of our commitment to funding vital infrastructure projects in good times and bad and an incredible testament to all the sandhogs who built it and deserve our thanks for the dangerous work that they do every day.

“The Third Water Tunnel is just one of many big projects that are supporting our economy, growing our tax base, and making our communities better places to live. On Staten Island, thanks to support from Borough President Molinaro and Minority Leader Oddo, we’re building the largest new park since the 1930s at Fresh Kills.

“At Ocean Breeze on Staten Island, we’ll finish construction of one of the largest track and field complexes on the East Coast – and our largest PlaNYC recreational center.

“Across the bay in Lower Manhattan, next to the National September 11th Memorial and Museum, the Port Authority is completing 1 World Trade Center, the tallest building in the
Western Hemisphere.

“In midtown, we’re helping the New York Public Library build the largest circulating and research library in the world.

“At Hudson Yards, the MTA will finish construction on the Number 7 train extension, the first new subway track to be funded by the City in 50 years – and the catalyst to the most ambitious development ever undertaken in our City.

“Next door, the High Line – once slated for demolition – will complete its third leg next year.

“All of these projects will strengthen our economy and our communities. All over the city, we’re renewing our landscape in ways that create good jobs for New Yorkers today, and position us to lead the innovation economy of tomorrow.

“On Roosevelt Island, we’ve set the stage for Cornell University to build an entirely new applied science and engineering campus, maybe the most exciting economic development project
our city has ever undertaken.

“In West Harlem, we’ve set the stage for Columbia University to build an entirely new campus, which will increase the size of its engineering faculty by 50 percent. And we’ve helped New York University, Fordham University, and the City University of New York all embark on major expansions of their campuses.

“Never before in our city’s history has there been so much university expansion and never before has there been so much scientific investment. This year, we’ll finish construction on the next phase of the BioBat Center at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. We’ll open a $50 million Genome Research Center in Lower Manhattan. At the East River Science Park, not only will we complete the next major phase of construction, a major pharmaceutical company, Roche, will move 200 research jobs from New Jersey there. And we’ll move forward with our plans for a state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility and a new health science center for CUNY’s Hunter College. All of this university and scientific investment is generating jobs – not only for those who will work in the labs, but for all those who will build and operate them and for all of the small businesses that will surround them.

“As you know, many of the biggest economic and community renewal projects we’ve undertaken have been along our waterfront. Just look at the East River. From Long Island City and Hunters Point South – where Borough President Helen Marshall has helped us create new housing and jobs to Greenpoint and Williamsburg and DUMBO we have re-zoned old industrial areas and brought them back to life.

“The old piers below Brooklyn Bridge – largely abandoned for decades – are now a spectacular park. This year, we’ll open two new sections of the park and we’ll transform two 19th century warehouses within the park into modern spaces for culture and commerce.

“Governors Island – closed to the public for two centuries – has become one of the most popular getaways in the city. And now we’ll open a beautiful new 30-acre park on the island. We’ve also invited businesses and nonprofits to establish a year-round presence there and help restore and adapt the island’s historic buildings.

“At the Homeport on Staten Island – mostly unused since 1994 – we’ll finally break ground this year on a new community that will create housing and jobs for local residents. Not far away at Saint George, we’ll move forward with our plan to build the world’s largest Ferris wheel, and a major shopping complex, bringing more visitors – and jobs – to Staten Island.

“We’ll bring more people and jobs to another great island – Coney Island. Neglected for decades, Coney has undergone a dramatic comeback – thanks our partnership with Marty and Councilman Dominic Recchia. This summer will be the best one yet, as we open the new Steeplechase Plaza.

“Now, let me ask you: is there anyone who still believes that New York City can’t get big things done? Since we’re here in Brooklyn, I’ll say it again: Fuhgeddaboudit.

“For the first time since La Guardia was mayor and FDR created the WPA, we’re not only conceiving big plans that fundamentally change the landscape of our city, we’re achieving them. We’re taking a city built mostly before World War II and renewing it for the needs of New Yorkers today and tomorrow. But we still have plenty of unfinished business in all five boroughs.

“In the Bronx, we’ll work with Borough President Diaz to bring new life – and good jobs – back to the Kingsbridge Armory. In Queens, we’ll work with Major League Soccer to bring soccer back to our city for the first time since the Cosmos left in 1977.

“At Willets Point – ignored by the City since Robert Moses failed to turn it into parkland – we’ll work with Borough President Marshall to begin the process of cleaning it up and bringing jobs and open space to the community – and down the road, hopefully even a convention center.

“In Manhattan, we’ll bring to life two projects that have been on the drawing boards for decades: redeveloping the South Street Seaport and developing the sites around Seward Park on the Lower East Side, and I want to thank the community board and the local elected officials for their great work on that project.

“In Brooklyn, we’ll begin creating a new community called Greenpoint Landing – with more than 5,000 new homes, parks and open space, a marina, a public school and shops. Just a little south of there, we’ll move forward with a plan to turn the old Domino Sugar Plant into new housing and we’ll create the commercial space that Brooklyn’s growing tech community needs.

“At the Brooklyn Navy Yard, we’ll work with the State to help Steiner Studios begin creating a 50-acre new media campus. The campus will eventually provide 2,500 good jobs in film, television and tech – two of the fastest-growing industries in our city.

“We’ve already turned the Navy Yard into the most successful urban industrial park in the country, but it still has dozens of unused acres with crumbling historic buildings. This media campus will preserve many of those buildings – while also creating the jobs we need for our future.

“We’ll take the same approach – historic preservation balanced with new development – in East Midtown. Right now, zoning regulations around Grand Central effectively prohibit development of even a few iconic new buildings – even though the area has the best mass transit links in the entire country. If we do nothing, the area will cease to be a world-class business district, and we’ll lose out on good jobs and tax revenues.

“So this year, we’ll work with Borough President Stringer and Council Member Garodnick to rezone the area to allow for a select number of new buildings to rise in the decades ahead, while preserving its historic character. And the new buildings will pay into a mass transit fund so we can relieve some of the pedestrian bottlenecks and congestion in and around Grand Central.

“Two weeks ago, we celebrated Grand Central’s 100th birthday – thanks to Jackie Kennedy Onassis and so many others who stepped forward and saved it in the 1970s. Now it’s up to us to ensure that the area around it remains a vital part of our city’s growth for the next 100 years.

“We won’t rush the re-zoning – but we won’t allow obstructionists to run out the clock, either. This is too important for our future. And given all the politics and special interests, if we don't do it this year, it may never get done. We can't let that happen.

“Our economic development strategy for the year ahead also includes one of our most important industries: arts and culture. We know from experience that the arts revitalize communities and spur investment.

“That’s why this year, we’ll complete a new gallery and auditorium at the Staten Island Museum, and a new homes for three organizations in the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District: The Theater for a New Audience, BRIC and Urban Glass.

“We’ll also undertake what may be our most exciting project yet – called Culture Shed. It will be built as part of Related’s development at Hudson Yards, and it will be an arts and cultural center like no other in the world.

“Designed by Diller, Scofidio and Renfro, with Rockwell Group, it will be a magnet for artists and audiences both from the local neighborhood and from around the world and, as you can see, it’s pretty spectacular.

“All the projects I just mentioned will create thousands of jobs – both construction jobs and permanent jobs, entry level jobs and middle class jobs – jobs that will keep our city strong and growing. Even though these projects will take years, and even decades, to be fully realized, there is no time like the present to act – and we will move full steam ahead.

“We’ll take the same approach to the single most important piece of unfinished business that lies ahead of us in 2013: rebuilding the communities hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy – and creating a more resilient and sustainable city.

“Forty-three New Yorkers lost their lives in that storm, and it’s up to us to do all we can to prevent that from happening again.

“After the storm passed, it was clear that the houses and businesses most damaged by Hurricane Sandy were built decades ago, while those that were built in the last few years, or are now being built, held up pretty well.

“That was no accident. Our administration has fundamentally changed the way we conduct waterfront development. But Sandy raised the bar – and now we must rise to the occasion.

“This year, we’ll develop a long-term plan so that when extreme weather hits – we’ll be able to get the lights back on quickly and ensure that the heat keeps working, the gas stations stay open, the hospitals maintain power and the transportation system keeps operating.

“By the end of May, Seth Pinsky, who is leading this effort, will deliver a report on how we can better protect our city from extreme weather events. But as I’ve said: we’re a coastal city, so we cannot – and will not – abandon the waterfront.

“We will not cut our city off from the natural asset that has made us great. That was the mistake Robert Moses made – and one that we have been working so hard to undo.

“We will build back stronger. We will build back safer. We will build back more sustainably. But we'll build back here.

“For instance, we’re working with the State on an innovative program that will preserve and protect vital wetlands, while also enabling more efficient economic development along our city’s waterfront.

“Working with the National Parks Service and the Rockefeller Foundation, we’ll develop plans for a world-class science and resilience center on Jamaica Bay that will be the premier institute for the study of coastal environments and climate change.

“To help improve the resiliency of our parks and beaches, we’ll launch a Conservation Corps, financed privately through the Mayor’s Fund, to train the next generation of Park stewards and leaders.

“And to show that Sandy can’t stop us from enjoying our coastline, I will pledge to you now: we’ll open all of our beaches on Memorial Day weekend this year, just as we always do.

“We’re doing everything possible to help the hardest-hit communities – and I can’t say enough good things about how our workforce responded to Sandy: Sanitation and Transportation; Fire and Police; Buildings and Small Business Services; Health and Homeless Services; Parks and NYC Service.

“I could go on and on, because employees in every agency, and so many volunteers, gallantly rose to the occasion. We have a few members with us today representing their departments, and I think they deserve a big round of applause.

“I also want to thank the private contractors who stepped up and helped us create Rapid Repairs – a program no city had ever created. Since the day we finished our first repair in the Rockaways on November 24, we have restored heat or power to more than 17,000 homes.

“FEMA tells us it’s the fastest home recovery program they have ever seen. And I’d like to thank our Rapid Repairs team and construction manager, Kathryn Mallon, and our Director of Housing Recovery, Brad Gair, for their outstanding work on it.

“We’ll continue to stand with all the residents affected by the storm, and that goes for public housing residents, as well. Hurricane Sandy made painfully clear just how much NYCHA’s aging housing stock is suffering from decades of federal disinvestment.

“Two weeks ago, NYCHA announced a new action plan to virtually eliminate their backlog of work orders. But the fact is: there’s just not enough federal money to maintain the buildings.

“We can either allow them to crumble, or knock them down, or find new revenue for repairs and capital investments. I know which is right for New York: our Administration will not walk away from public housing.

“To raise the revenue NYCHA residents deserve, we’ll begin the process of developing new housing at underdeveloped NYCHA sites. You know, some people in elected office and in the press have taken cheap shots at NYCHA in recent months. But none of them have offered a plan to fix the revenue problem.

“Well, we have a plan – and we will move forward on it this year.

“Many small businesses are also suffering as a result of Sandy. Today, I’m happy to announce that for all businesses in the hardest-hit areas, I will sign an executive order waiving all city fees for Sandy-related repair work and we’ll work with Speaker Quinn and the City council to waive all fees that require legislation.

“We need our businesses to recover as quickly as possible, and we’ll make sure government doesn’t stand in their way.

“Instead, we’ll spend our time helping more people in the hardest-hit areas who are out of work find jobs. In Red Hook and other communities, our Workforce One centers helped more than 1,200 residents find jobs cleaning up storm damage in parks and public housing.

“But that’s just the beginning. Today, I’m announcing that our Center for Economic Opportunity will spend $1 million to support non-profit groups that will put 1,000 more unemployed New Yorkers immediately to work on hurricane relief and recovery projects.

“As part of our Young Men’s Initiative, which is funded with public and private money we’ll also hire up to 70 teenaged probation clients to do hurricane recovery work this spring – making a positive difference for our city and for themselves. We’ll also encourage construction companies that are repairing and rebuilding storm-struck areas to hire the unemployed from those communities.

“Of course, the best way to reduce unemployment – and keep young people out of trouble is to continue improving our schools. Since 2005, as I mentioned earlier, we’ve raised high school graduation rates by 40 percent while they’ve gone up only 9 percent in the rest of the state.

“At the same time, our college readiness rate has doubled even as our dropout rate has been cut in half. But we know how much unfinished business we have – because our goal is empower all of our children to achieve their dreams.

“Success in college and careers requires good writing and critical thinking skills as well as good math and science skills. Unfortunately, the State has never tested for them. I’ve supported basing standards on those skills for many years and I’m glad to say that the State has now done that, by adopting what’s known as the Common Core standards. Starting this spring, State exams for grades 3-8 will test for these critical skills.

“They’ll give teachers and parents the information they need to keep students on track for success. Make no mistake: the tests will be different and harder and they will establish an entirely new baseline for measuring student performance. They won't be compared to past years’ test results.

“But no matter where the definition of proficiency is arbitrarily set on the new tests I expect that our students’ progress will continue outpacing the rest of the State’s the only meaningful measurement of progress we have.

“Time and time again over the last decade, we have raised the bar and our students and teachers have cleared it and our black and Hispanic students have helped lead the way. Now, we’ll accelerate their progress by selecting 12-15 leaders to design eight new high schools based on the most promising college readiness strategies. It will be a year-long fellowship sponsored by our Young Men’s Initiative. And afterwards, the fellows will become leaders at the schools they designed.

“Fellows can come from any field from education experts to entrepreneurs and their new schools will enroll students primarily from five neighborhoods with high rates of poverty and low rates of college readiness: Harlem, East New York, Brownsville, Jamaica and the South Bronx.

“Children in every neighborhood deserve great schools, and no matter who stands in their way, we will fight to deliver for them. We will not give up on any child. One of the reasons we’ve been able to increase graduation and college readiness rates is that we’ve created many more high quality school options.

“We’ve opened 576 new schools over the past 11 years, and we’re on track to have added 100,000 new classroom seats by the end of this year. 149 of those new schools have been charters and yet there are still more than 50,000 children who are still on charter school waiting lists. Those children and their parents have waited long enough.

“This September, we’ll open 26 new charters and we’ll work to approve many more for 2014. Some of them will be located within existing public school buildings even though there are special interests who want to prohibit that from happening.

“But as we all know, charter schools are public schools and their students deserve access to public school facilities. How dare the special interests try to lock out our children. We are one city and one public school system and we will not tolerate those who try to deny resources to some public school children.

“That’s why we've also put our bus contracts out to bid. For more than 30 years, the unions and the bus companies have had a virtual monopoly on the contracts. This week, we received the opening bids for the new contracts and there's the potential for hundreds of millions of dollars in savings. We will plow that money back into our schools where it belongs.

“I’m glad to report that every day more and more buses are on the road transporting our students to school. I urge all bus drivers to return to work and I urge Local 1181 leaders to recognize their strike is a lost cause, and to stop hurting our children and their members.

“If you notice, we haven’t had a lot of political support in taking this issue on. But that's exactly why we’re doing it: because it's the right thing to do and if we don’t do it now it may never get done. And our children will be worse off for another three decades. We won’t let that happen.

“To prepare our students for success, we’ll also create new schools that connect students directly to college and work. In his State of the Union address, President Obama highlighted our partnership with IBM and CUNY to create a high school that includes two years of college which we call grades 13 and 14. When students graduate, they receive an associate’s degree – and an interview at IBM. The President wants to see more of these types of schools across the country. And we’ll deliver.

“We’ll create a high school with grades 9 through 14 in the South Bronx, focused on the health care industry; and we’ll create one in Long Island City focused on the energy industry. Both industries are growing in our city.

“And since no industry is growing more rapidly than our tech sector we’ll open our second Academy for Software Engineering high school. With private support, we’ll also bring computer science classes to 20 more schools next September. And we’ll begin giving more adults the chance to learn computer science skills, as well.

“Today, I’ve directed Deputy Mayor Bob Steel and Small Business Services Commissioner Rob Walsh to work with the tech industry, universities, and the nonprofit sector to develop an intensive computer science training program for our adults who want to learn IT skills. And why not do it right here in Downtown Brooklyn? There are now 500 tech companies just between here and the NAVY Yard. We’ll work to connect more New Yorkers to the jobs they’re creating.

“And to further expand New York’s role as a global tech hub, we’ll launch a competition to install Wi-Fi in more of our Business Improvement Districts. Our work to create a tech-friendly city is a big reason we’ve been leading the nation in job growth and the majority of jobs we’ve been creating are middle-class jobs that pay good salaries.

“As I mentioned earlier, most of the jobs we’ve been creating are outside of Manhattan. In fact, over the past decade, the job growth rate in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx has been nearly double that of Manhattan and for every five businesses that existed outside of Manhattan a decade ago, there’s now a sixth. The hotel industry is a good example. Over the past six years, 72 new hotels have been built outside of Manhattan alone. The reason is simple: all of our boroughs have great attractions to offer, and we’ve dramatically increased the number of visitors who want to visit them. Last year, a record 52 million people visited and we’re working to make sure all parts of our city benefit from these guests.

“Even though we’ve become the number one tourism destination in the country we still have unfinished business. Right now, we’re missing out on an important piece of the market: the young people who have an itch to get out and see the world on modest budgets. Hotels in our city can be out of their price range.

“So working with Speaker Quinn and the City Council, we’ll pass legislation to make New York a more youth-friendly tourism destination by legalizing the for-profit youth hostels that are so common in much of Europe. Our goal is to attract 175,000 more young tourists to our city each year which will create more than 1,000 new jobs for New Yorkers.

“New York City has always been a magnet for visitors and for immigrants. We welcome all immigrants from all countries and from every age group. Whatever you may think of the immigration debate, the children of immigrants who come here or stay here illegally have done nothing wrong. And yet right now, when these children graduate from high school even if they’ve earned straight as even if they’re tops in their classes they’re not eligible to receive any State financial aid to go to college. The state is effectively saying to these students: we’re not deporting you. But we’re not letting you succeed here, either even though our economy wants you and needs you. That’s about as dumb a policy as I can think of and we must change it this year.

“Therefore, our top priority in Albany will be passing the DREAM Act which will make college affordable for thousands more young people who deserve the chance to go and who will help build the future of our city and country. New York City has always been the face of immigration to the rest of the country and now we must be the face of immigration reform by passing the DREAM Act in this session.

“We have unfinished business not only in Albany but in Washington. And not only on immigration, but on another issue critical to our survival: illegal guns.

“In recent years, we’ve built bi-partisan coalitions of mayors and business leaders to support common sense reforms to our immigration and gun laws. We’ve made some real progress and I’m hopeful that this year we’ll see real change. But it won’t happen unless all of us make our voices heard. Tell your members of Congress and tell your friends across the country to tell their members: we have had enough.

“Our immigration laws are destroying our economy and our future. Our guns laws are destroying our families and our communities. Tell Congress to stop scapegoating immigrants and coddling criminals. America is better than that. Tell them to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. Tell them to pass common sense gun reforms this year.

“No more excuses no more gridlock. We’ve waited long enough. Let’s get it done.

“Attacking illegal guns here in New York City has helped us drive crime down to record lows. And we haven’t done it by locking more people up just the opposite. While the incarceration rate across America has increased by 6 percent over the past decade here in New York City, we’ve reduced it by 32 percent. We’ve done it through pro-active, targeted policing that prevents crime and that includes stopping and questioning people who are acting suspiciously or who fit the description of a suspect.

“I understand that innocent people don’t like to be stopped. But innocent people don’t like to be shot and killed, either. Stops take hundreds of guns off the street each year.

“Today, we are collecting fewer guns, but that is not an excuse to stop it – it is a reason to continue it. Because the possibility of a stop is what scares would-be bad guys into not carrying guns. And if we never find a gun again in a stop, wouldn’t that be wonderful?

“Commissioner Kelly has adopted training and accountability policies to ensure that police officers conduct stops legally, appropriately, and respectfully but make no mistake: We have a responsibility to conduct them and as long as I am mayor, we will not shirk from it.

“Think about it: if New York City had Detroit’s murder rate last year, 4,092 more New Yorkers would have been murdered last year. That’s every person in this room and enough to fill up a few thousands seats in the arena behind me. We know stops save lives. Is there anyone here who would sacrifice his or her life, and the lives of their family and friends, to end stops? I don’t think so.

“We can’t let politics trump public safety and for the next 320 days at least, we won’t.

“We’ll keep the pressure on criminals this year and we’ll do more than ever to help victims, including victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Today is not only Valentine’s Day – it is a day to raise awareness about violence against women. Here in the city, we’ve made tackling this terrible problem a special priority. We’ve cut rape and domestic violence significantly, but not enough.

“This year, we’ll open our fourth Family Justice Center where victims of domestic violence can get all the services and support they need in one safe place. We’ll work with DA Cy Vance on a new program that will pair police officers with mental health professionals who will work together to help those who are most at-risk.

“Domestic violence and sexual assault are crimes that thrive on secrecy. So we’ll intensify efforts to encourage more victims to come forward to give them the support they need, and to stop those heinous crimes from happening to others. Prevention is our number one goal in every area of public safety including juvenile justice.

“Two years ago, as part of our Young Men’s Initiative, we helped convince the State to stop sending many juvenile offenders to upstate facilities that were failing them in every possible way. Our Close to Home program keeps these young people connected to their families and communities. It’s been a big success so far, and we’ll expand it this year.

“But we know that there’s more we can do to keep New Yorkers, particularly young men, from ending up with a criminal record. Commissioner Kelly and I support Governor Cuomo’s proposal to make possession of small amounts of marijuana a violation, rather than a misdemeanor and we’ll work to help him pass it this year. But we won’t wait for that to happen.

“Right now, those arrested for possessing small amounts of marijuana are often held in custody overnight. We’re changing that. Effective next month, anyone presenting an ID and clearing a warrant check will be released directly from the precinct with a desk appearance ticket to return to court. It’s consistent with the law, it’s the right thing to do and it will allow us to target police resources where they’re needed most.

“We’ll also target our resources in helping those who are discharged from jail stay on the right path. For the first time, we’ll begin paying nonprofit providers based on their success in helping offenders get jobs, earn GEDs, and stay clean -- instead of just showing up for appointments.

“Performance-based contracting has helped us drive the welfare caseload down to record levels and we’re hopeful this new program can help us drive recidivism down to record lows. We’ll also attack recidivism by using data and risk-management strategies to target resources where they are needed most.

“Using data to tackle problems has helped us to improve services across city government. This year, the data analytics team we created at City Hall will launch a new platform that will improve the way all agencies share information. To lead this effort, I’ll appoint the city’s first ever Chief Analytics Officer, Michael Flowers. And he’ll make as much of this data as possible public, so that the tech community can hold us accountable.

“We’ll also ask the tech community to join us in tackling data projects that can improve public services, by creating something we call Code Corps.

“We’re already the most tech-friendly, transparent government in the country and now we’re raising the bar again. We’ll make New York City a national leader in another new technology:
electric vehicles. This year we’ll pilot curbside vehicle chargers that will allow drivers to fill up their battery in as little as 30 minutes as opposed to the normal 8 hours.

“We’ll work with the City Council to amend the Building Code so that up to 20 percent of all new public parking spaces in private developments will be wired and ready for electric vehicles, creating up to 10,000 parking spots for electric vehicles over the next seven years.

“We’ll add 50 more electric vehicles to the city’s fleet of cars, and we’ll put the first six fully electric taxis on the road – with the goal of making one-third of our taxi fleet electric by 2020. We’ll also make permanent the East River ferry service that we started in partnership with
Speaker Quinn and the Council – which has been a huge success.

“And the biggest change to our transportation network in ages is coming this summer:
the largest bike share program in the country. I know Marty can’t wait. Bike share has been successful and popular in every city it’s been tried – and here, it will offer New Yorkers more options to get around town faster.

“All of these transportation initiatives will help us achieve one of PlaNYC’s top goals: giving New York the cleanest air of any big city in the country. Remember: Clean air means you live longer. Even if you don’t care about climate change, cleaning our air is good for your health.

“Speaking of climate change, we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 16 percent in just five years. Now, we’ll challenge the city’s leading corporations to join City government in cutting their carbon footprints by 30 percent in ten years.

“We’ll also take major new steps toward another important sustainability goal that we’ve set: Doubling the city’s recycling rate to 30 percent by 2017. Under Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty’s leadership, we’ve created a comprehensive plan to achieve that goal. It starts with making recycling easier for everyone – by putting 1,000 new recycling containers on streets in all five boroughs this year. We’ll also make it possible to recycle more plastics.

“As part of our solid waste management plan, a private company – SIMS – will open the largest household recycling plant in North America on the Sunset Park waterfront. The facility is raised four feet above grade – and came through Sandy just fine. When it opens this spring, it will accept all kinds of plastics – from salad containers to CD cases. It will create up to 100 jobs and have a state of the art education center to teach children about recycling. In addition, the plant will be powered by one of the largest solar installations in our city – and the largest wind turbine to operate here since the Dutch built windmills in New Amsterdam. The CEO of the SIMS recycling center, Bob Kellman, is in the audience today, and I want to thank him for helping us build a greener future.

“As we recycle more plastics, we’ll also tackle New York City’s final recycling frontier:
food waste. We bury 1.2 million tons of food waste in landfills every year at a cost of nearly $80 per ton. That waste can be used as fertilizer or converted to energy at a much lower price. That’s good for the environment and for taxpayers. This spring, we’ll launch a pilot program to collect curbside organic waste from single family homes in Staten Island, for composting. If it succeeds, we’ll develop a plan to take it citywide.

“We’ll also take food recycling in schools citywide. There is no better way to teach the next generation about the importance of recycling than to make it a part of their school day routine. It has been phenomenally successful where we’ve tried it – and I want to thank all the parents who were so supportive. I know some of them are with us today – please stand up so we can give you a hand.

“Now, one product that is virtually impossible to recycle and never bio-degrades is Styrofoam. But it’s not just terrible for the environment. It’s terrible for taxpayers. Styrofoam increases the cost of recycling by as much as $20 per ton, because it has to be removed.

“Something that we know is environmentally destructive, that is costing taxpayers money, and that is easily replaceable, is something we can do without. So with Speaker Quinn and the City Council, we will work to adopt a law banning Styrofoam food packaging from our stores and restaurants. And don’t worry: the doggie bag and the coffee cup will survive just fine.

“As ambitious as our agenda is this year, we’ll pursue it with the same fiscal discipline that has helped us to weather the national recession better than most other cities. We’ll balance our budget, we’ll do more with less, and we will not raise taxes. In my 2009 campaign, I pledged we would not raise taxes on New Yorkers – and we haven’t. We will continue living within our means – and we will not burden the next mayor with contracts the city cannot afford. We’ll also continue to take the long view, even with only a short amount of time left. And with that approach, we will keep our city on course for success.

“We have accomplished much – but we have much more that we can accomplish. The state of our city is stronger than ever – but it can be stronger still and together, we’ll make it such.

“In neighborhoods across every borough, we’ll create the new jobs that New Yorkers need today while also building the economy of the future.

“We’ll construct the new housing and parks that families need today, while also laying the foundation for entirely new communities. We’ll create the top-quality schools and safe streets that every child and every adult deserves today, while also keeping the next generation of young men out of jail and in college and careers. We’ll clean our air, open our waterfront, and make our city more sustainable today, while also preparing us for the new world of climate change.

“And we’ll push Congress to stand up to the extremists and special interests and to stand with every family who has been affected by gun violence and every person who comes here to pursue the American dream. We’ve never had a better chance in Washington – and together, we’ve got to do it this year.

“By working to finish all this work, we can create a new beginning for the city we love. But for now, the unfinished business awaits. Or, in the words of a poet: we have promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep.

“So let’s all get back to work. City employees: this is not a half day. We’ve only got 320 days left and we’ve got a lot to do.

“Together, let’s make our city the very best it can be. Let’s go get them. Thank you all for coming.”

View Mr. Bloomberg's full speech below:

(Photo: Twitter.com)

At a morning press conference announcing new Hurricane Sandy initiatives, Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn't just wade into the Israel-Palestine dispute, he also defended New York City's cell phone ban in public schools.

"Kids should be in the classroom listening to the teacher," he declared after a reporter asked him if Murry Bergtraum High School's lack of regular phone service might prompt him to rethink the policy. "Not playing games, not Facebooking, Twittering, emailing, texting, or anything else. We've made that decision a long time ago. Cell phones are very destructive to the education process."

Mr. Bloomberg then jokingly chastised a journalist in front of him to embellish his point.

"For example, the reporter sitting next to you didn't care enough about this conversation," he explained. "He was just on his cell phone. He missed your insightful, well-thought-out question, not to mention my brilliant answer to that."

After everyone involved enjoyed some laughter, Mr. Bloomberg was pressed about safety concerns in the event of an emergency. In response, the mayor defended the school system's record and said the educational needs of the city are simply too great to allow potential distractions.

"The kids are well taken care of in the case of emergency, as was shown, if I remember, on 9/11, where the school system performed brilliantly," he said. "We're not about to waive our cell phone policy. ... Our kids need their education. Every single day this country falls further and further behind the rest of the world. And every single day the demands of industry for better educated kids increases--and increases faster than all of the improvements we've made, and we've made some amazing improvements. We're falling behind the rest of the world and that's not good for our kids or for society."

(Photo: Getty)

In 1981, when Ed Koch was mayor, President Barack Obama moved to New York City to study at Columbia University. Today, Mr. Obama joined New Yorkers in mourning Mr. Koch's death.

"Ed Koch was an extraordinary Mayor, irrepressible character, and quintessential New Yorker," Mr. Obama said in a statement. "He took office at a time when New York was in fiscal crisis, and helped his city achieve economic renewal, expand affordable housing, and extend opportunity to more of its people."

Mr. Koch's and Mr. Obama's relationship warmed and cooled in recent years. Mr. Koch endorsed Mr. Obama in the 2008 presidential election but began to sharply criticize his administration's treatment of Israel, especially when the president called for the country's pre-1967 borders to be the starting point for a Palestinian peace deal. Mr. Koch's frustration notably culminated in 2011, when he openly considered a cross-party endorsement in the special election to replace outgoing Rep. Anthony Weiner.

"I saw him appear on New York 1 where he suggested he might support the Republican candidate in a special election--that would be me--as a protest against President Obama's Israeli policy," former Congressman Bob Turner told Politicker this afternoon. "So I called him."

The two scheduled a meeting at Mr. Koch's Manhattan office where they clicked on key elements of foreign and domestic policy. Mr. Koch determined that a high-profile election in a heavily Jewish congressional district was exactly the right route to influencing Mr. Obama.

"I think he was a little cagey but he was really charming," Mr. Turner recalled. "He told me he had supported Republicans in the past but it's not something he's crazy about. He made his points clear. ... He came out to political events, he was quite helpful. I think he was the determining factor in that special election. ... Wherever he went he was very well-received. He had a higher popularity rating than the New York Yankees! He was in the high 70's of approval."

Mr. Turner would go on to win that election in an upset, and after Mr. Obama subsequently gave a staunchly pro-Israel speech at the United Nations, Mr. Koch considered his "message" to Mr. Obama on Israel very much sent. Mr. Koch endorsed the president's reelection campaign just a few weeks after Mr. Turner's victory.

"I believe the recent vote in the 9th Congressional District in New York affected in a positive way the policy of the U.S. on the Mideast," the former mayor explained at the time

For his part, Mr. Obama referenced Mr. Koch's advocacy for Israel in his statement today.

"In public office and beyond, his energy, force of personality, and commitment to causes ranging from civic issues to the security of the state of Israel always informed and enlivened the public discourse," the president said. "Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Ed’s loved ones, and to the city that survives him."

Megyn Kelly (Photo: Getty)

According to Fox News' Megyn Kelly, Bill de Blasio has a special power, and it's not his son's afro.

Mr. de Blasio, the city's public advocate and recently-announced mayoral candidate, faced a barrage of criticism from Ms. Kelly over his position that New York City should divest its pension funds from the gun industry. Needless to say, the host viewed Mr. de Blasio's advocacy in rather authoritarian terms.

"Why not go out there and say, 'World, this is how I feel,'" she inquired. "Why go to a law-abiding company that employs thousands of American citizens and say, 'You're blacklisted. You're done, no relation should be had with you  because I don't happen to like the right you're exercising."

While expressing some incredulity that Mr. de Blasio's job position even exists, Ms. Kelly went on to argue that Mr. de Blasio's has "special power" as an elected official to "silence viewpoints" and affect public behavior. This could be inverted, she explained, to advocate for conservative preferences too.

"Bill de Blasio, public advocate--that's a thing we have in New York. He's an elected official. Public Advocate. You can say whatever you want, but once you blanket yourself in state authority, it takes on a new meaning," she explained. "It gives you more power. It gives you this special power to silence viewpoints and cause people to behave in a way that they might not  otherwise want to behave. And there's a question as to whether it's abusive. I mean, what if you had a politician who was targeting women who obtained legal abortions and tried to say to their landlords, 'You're allowed to rent to them. But they had abortions. We'd really strongly discourage you from renting to a woman who had an abortion.'"

In response, Mr. de Blasio skipped the philosophical argument and simply said there is a context surrounding the gun industry makes divestment a particularly appealing option.

"There's no parallel. I'll to you why. We're talking about an industry, a huge powerful industry, the single most powerful lobby. The single most powerful lobby in the country. It is funded by the gun industry," he countered. "The industry and the N.R.A. are inseparable. They're stopping legislation that the majority of Americans want. If I don't speak up as a public official, if I don't use my power to break that logjam, there's something wrong with me. I'm obligated to fight for the people this way."

Ms. Kelly, however, warned Mr. de Blasio again about the "slippery slope" his logic would travel down should Republicans take control of New York City.

"What happens if we have a Republican mayor, right?" she asked. "[He] comes out and says, 'Well, I'm very pro-life and those are babies who are killed and I'm just doing what I can to protect the lives of those unborn babies.' You see the dangers? The slippery slope that you put us down by down by using the blanket of government to sort of impose your viewpoint on law-abiding citizens?"

Mr. de Blasio said he appreciated "the attempt at a parallel" and proceeded to again stress the dangers of the gun industry.

Watch a video of their interaction below:

"The harshest dictatorship I've ever seen has been under Christine Quinn," said Allen Roskoff, a notorious antagonist of Ms. Quinn's and president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. "One of the two bills that Christine Quinn has sponsored herself ... is to name the Queensboro Bridge after Ed Koch, who people here know in the gay community is considered an AIDS criminal and know what he's done as far as right-wing people he's supported for office. ... It is so unusual to name anything after someone who is alive, it's like, unheard of. And so, very good friends of the LGBT community, and members of the LGBT community and even people who said they were not going to vote for it voted to name the bridge and when I asked them why," he paused for dramatic effect, "because Quinn demanded it."

The anti-Quinn tirade was par for the course for Mr. Roskoff, a noted gay-rights activist who leads the well-connected club. Indeed, three of Ms. Quinn's Democratic opponents--Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Comptroller John Liu and former Comptroller Bill Thompson--sit on the group's board of governors.

Atop the Caledonia, a tony Chelsea apartment building where a black-clad doorman is solely employed to nudge a revolving door forward, the members of the Jim Owles club also grilled Harlem Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, a candidate to succeed the term-limited Quinn as speaker. Their questions focused on why she and her fellow progressives have not ensured a bill that would mandate paid sick leave for city workers becomes law. Critics have accused Ms. Quinn of effectively killing the Paid Sick Days legislation by keeping it from a vote on the Council floor.

"Could you address why the progressive caucus hasn't forced hearings and a vote on paid sick leave?" Mr. Roskoff asked Ms. Mark-Viverito.

"We've had conversations. We're actually having a meeting this week," Ms. Mark-Viverito replied, explaining that the legislation has "many different pieces to it" and that discussion about the bill is ongoing but incomplete. "We've been having conversations and there is some serious consideration about what next step we might want to take. We do talk about it every time, we do meet, and it's something we are concerned about, and you know, it's an election year and everything that's happening right now is being seen through that lens and that's the reality."

Ms. Mark-Viverito did not quite give the answer the anti-Quinn audience was hoping to hear: progressives are stalling because Ms. Quinn wants it that way. At one point in the meeting, Mr. Roskoff said that a council member, whom he only identified by gender, told him that she would not move to make the paid sick leave bill law because she was afraid Ms. Quinn would punish her by cutting funding for a crucial community program in her district. Ms. Quinn has argued the legislation would hurt small businesses in the current weak economic climate.

One member of the club, Scott Caplan, went on to assail Ms. Mark-Viverito's Progressive Caucus for having members "who don't even support LGBT issues." However, by the end of the meeting, Ms. Mark-Viverito was easily able to win over the crowd.

"At this point, I've already publicly stated I will not endorse Christine Quinn," she said, trying to speak through a hearty round of applause.

Mayor Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

Though he still has over 11 months left in office, term-limited Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented the final budget of his tenure today. In the process, Mr. Bloomberg drew some parting shots from the leading Democratic mayoral candidates hoping to succeed him.

The mayor's plan for the coming fiscal year features some potentially unpopular spending cuts including the possible reduction, through attrition, of 1,800 schoolteachers. Mr. Bloomberg blamed these cuts on an immediate "$250 million hit" caused by the "refusal" of the local chapter of the United Federation of Teachers union to reach an agreement on a teacher evaluation system in time for the January 17 imposed Governor Andrew Cuomo as a condition for state education aid. The city now faces a February deadline to reach an agreement on an evaluation system with the union.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn, an early leader in mayoral polls, told reporters she was particularly concerned with proposed firehouse closures.

“The Council has serious concerns about the negative consequences reflected as a result of the absence of a deal on teacher evaluations. A further failure to strike a deal would be potentially devastating to our city’s students," she said in a statement. “The Council is also concerned that the proposed budget would again result in the closure of 20 fire houses, along with cuts to after-school programs, among other areas. As we have said before, we are fully committed to protecting the essential services that New Yorkers depend on."

Ms. Quinn, though an ally of Mr. Bloomberg over the years, has clashed with him over budgetary matters before.

Comptroller John Liu, a more frequent critic of Mr. Bloomberg and another likely mayoral candidate, was even sharper in his critique of Mr. Bloomberg's preliminary budget and described the mayor's criticism of the teacher's union as scapegoating.

“In order to make up the budget shortfall resulting from City Hall’s failed negotiating strategy on teacher evaluations, the Mayor has decided to scapegoat our City’s public school teachers," Mr. Liu stated in a release. "The real fault, however, lies with his own misguided ideology, which could cost our children over $720 million this year alone. He should look to the DOE’s runaway consultant spending rather than make cuts to the classroom."

Bill Thompson, a former comptroller and the runner-up to Mr. Bloomberg in the mayoral election of 2009, was just as eager to rip the mayor. Like Mr. Liu and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Mr. Thompson will be vying for the teacher's union's influential endorsement in the primary.

“The major deficits facing New York City are a direct result of the wrong fiscal policies pursued by the administration and its allies," Mr. Thompson said. "Mayor Bloomberg’s failure to work with labor unions and drop cooperation in favor of name-calling and vitriol has been harmful to our city; one need look no further than these budget problems."

Mr. de Blasio, who formally launched his campaign on Sunday, also unsuprisingly tore into Mr. Bloomberg for the school system cuts.

"This isn’t a legacy to be proud of. Every year the notices go out to parents, informing them that the early childhood education program or after school program they’ve built their lives around has been cut," he said. "Whether the services get restored or not, lives are upended and providers are left scrambling. That’s no way to run an education system. That’s no way to build a solid foundation for thousands of children.  Our children’s futures deserve more than yet another version of the budget dance.”

However, it was former Councilman Sal Albanese, who last held office in 1997 and is hoping to overcome the perception he's a long-shot, who may have released the most fiery statement of them all.

“You can't manage a city like a kingdom or its workforce like serfs. Early in his tenure, Mayor Bloomberg made significant progress in putting the city on solid financial footing," Mr. Albanese said. "But his demonization of city workers proved to be both bad politics and bad public policy. From police to taxi drivers to teachers, he has failed to negotiate fair contracts and tossed a billion dollars in revenue in the trash. He broke his promise to taxpayers and to his successor, who will have to devote precious time to uplifting a demoralized workforce and crafting meaningful long-term fixes to our budget woes."

Photo: Emily Anne Epstein

Editor's Note: Ed Koch, former mayor of New York City, has died. The New York Observer's interview last week with the three-term mayor was among the last granted by Koch. It's accompanied by photography that captured the over-sized spirit of a mayor who is credited with delivering New York from some of its darkest days.

Edward Koch, the outspoken 88-year-old ex-mayor, is in the hospital for the third time in the past five months, but he’s also in the place where he’s happiest—back in the spotlight. A new documentary, Koch, which tells the tale of his three terms in City Hall and his life after politics, arrives in theaters on Feb. 1.

Late last week, before swelling flared up in his ankles and fluid was found in his lungs again, Mr. Koch could be found in his Midtown office, surrounded by pictures from his days in city government, photos of his sister’s grandchildren—the closest thing the longtime bachelor has to a brood of his own—and other memorabilia. Though he has spent the past decade staying engaged in the political conversation by penning the occasional editorial, offering up endorsements and making regular appearances on NY1, Mr. Koch seemed well aware that health might soon force him to step back from the main stage. But on this day, he was as voluble as ever.

On hizzoner’s desk is a pile of “get well soon” letters, including one on official stationery from Congressman Charlie Rangel. In the event one of his next trips to the hospital ends up being a final journey, Mr. Koch has already purchased a headstone in Washington Heights. Though the epitaph, which he wrote for himself, notes he “was fiercely proud of his Jewish faith,” Mr. Koch will be buried at the Protestant Trinity Church. He says he did this to be sure he was on his beloved isle of Manhattan and, as he puts it in the documentary, to be in the center of a “bustling” cemetery.

(Emily Anne Epstein)

Like the grave site, the film is also something of a capstone for Mr. Koch. He knows the movie may help define him for future generations, and he said he hopes it manages to capture what he sees as the key elements of his legacy, mainly that he played a crucial role in New York’s transformation from the crime-ridden, gritty ’70s and ’80s to the Disneyfication and gentrification of the past 20-odd years.

“I’m proud of what I did,” Mr. Koch explained. “I also believe that Giuliani, and particularly Mike Bloomberg, have made tremendous contributions to the city. I look upon what I did as laying the groundwork and the foundation on which they could build, and without what I did, they couldn’t have done what they did.”

Mr. Koch is also proud of bringing a more meritocratic approach to City Hall after years of patronage and favor-trading.

“If you can love the city that you live in and want to make it, as I did, once again the international capital of the world after it had fallen off the shelf, you can make people respect politicians,” he said. “It’s a good word; it’s not a dirty word.

“Regrettably,” he added, “there are too many people in office who have no conscience and who don’t serve the people and who have sold out. I think that one of my legacies is that I served for 12 years and I never sold out.”

While the documentary makes a convincing case for Mr. Koch’s role as a key player in the revitalization of New York, it also captures some of the controversial elements of his time in office and is clear-eyed about the financially troubled, racially divided city he governed.

(Emily Anne Epstein)

“It’s my first film, but I know that great films are about great stories and great characters,” Koch director Neil Barsky explained. “The story of New York City in the ’80s; arson, grafitti, crack, AIDS. It’s a world that’s gone and ... how did we move beyond that? That’s a great story, and Ed Koch is a great character.”

Despite Mr. Koch’s long love affair with the media, he has always drawn a clear line between his public and private lives. The former mayor has never been married and has long refused to discuss his personal life, despite persistent rumors that he is gay. This chatter reached a crescendo during the AIDS crisis, when activists accused Mr. Koch of avoiding dealing with the disease because of the stigma of homosexuality.

Mr. Barsky wasn’t able to break through the wall Mr. Koch has built around his private world, but he did manage to film the ex-mayor during a variety of intimate moments.

Mr. Koch, a prodigious film critic himself, who sends his reviews to readers via email blasts, cites one of the final scenes of the movie—a shot of him walking down a long hallway and into his house by himself—as proof that he participated in the film without holding back.

“I knew, when they were at the end of the film following me back to my apartment, that it was intended to show loneliness,” he said. “I’m 88, and I’m struggling to walk. It’s one of those pathetic scenes, and I could have said no, but it wouldn’t have been fair. [Mr. Barsky] thought it was important, and I was not going to prevent him.”

Mr. Koch also addressed criticisms of his time in office in the film. Though he admits the anger directed at him—including accusations of racial bias—was “painful,” Mr. Koch clearly relished even his encounters with enemies. A number of archival clips offer a reminder of his gleefully pugilistic political style.

“Who’s better?” Mr. Barsky asked. “Who was better in ’77 and who was better in 2007? That’s sort of a lost art, street politics.”

Mr. Koch said this scrappy approach helped him cope with the tense, tribal and divisive climate of 1980s New York. “I realized that 75 percent of all the attacks are simply theatrics, drama—fun in a way,” he said. “And it reduced the pain.”

Mr. Koch commends Mayor Bloomberg especially for easing the sharply divided political climate that has long persisted in the city. “I believe that Bloomberg deserves the credit for having reduced the tensions,” he said. “There are no racial tensions in town any more. It’s marvelous.”

As for the rumors surrounding his sex life, the film does not gloss over them, but Mr. Koch maintained his refusal to discuss personal issues.

“How you discuss your private life is your private affair,” he told The Observer. “I’ve made clear my position. I think asking anyone running for political office a whole host of questions on the environment, so forth, that’s legitimate. Adding the question, ‘Are you straight or gay?’ is illegitimate. When you respond saying. ‘No, I’m not gay,’ or ‘I’m straight,’ or whatever ... you give license to people to add that question to their questionnaire.”

This issue has new relevance this year, what with openly gay Council Speaker Christine Quinn becoming one of the leading contenders in the mayor’s race. Asked whether Ms. Quinn’s prominence is evidence that times have changed, he said there was still a long way to go.

“There are only 20 states out of 50 that have laws that say you can’t discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation,” Mr. Koch pointed out. “So, you can’t say, and I don’t think that she would say, that there’s no problem for people.”

(Emily Anne Epstein)

Still, Ms. Quinn has his endorsement. He thinks she’s the best-qualified candidate to continue the city’s renaissance.

“I’m extremely nervous,” he said. “I was delighted to see that she was so way ahead in the most recent poll compared with the others. But those are early polls—they mean very little. Anything can happen.”

Though he declined to delve into the specifics of his disagreements with Ms. Quinn’s opponents, Mr. Koch noted that he was especially concerned about how the various hopefuls would handle local unions.

“I worry whether any of the candidates, including mine, will be strong enough to stand up to the municipal unions that are so strong, so murderously strong,” Mr. Koch said. “Basically, the reason I am for Christine is I believe she is the one who has the desire, the philosophical bent to stand up to the unions to a far greater extent than the others.”

And Mr. Koch’s endorsements still carry weight with a specific segment of the public, especially when unexpected (see, for example, George W Bush, 2004, and Bob Turner, 2011).

Mr. Koch has also weighed in on elections outside the five boroughs, and he wants to make his opinion on the next presidential election clear as well. Mr. Barsky’s documentary captures Mr. Koch’s evolving relationship with New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s widely seen as a potential 2016 presidential contender. Although Mr. Koch had a heated political rivalry with Mr. Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, he gave the younger Mr. Cuomo his endorsement in 2006 and 2010.

(Emily Anne Epstein)

Near the end of Mr. Barsky’s documentary, we see Mr. Koch dub Mr. Cuomo a “schmuck” upon his ascent to the governor’s mansion, because he didn’t make time to see the former mayor at his election-night party. The sting seems to have worn off: Mr. Koch said Mr. Cuomo has done a “marvelous job” in Albany and would certainly have his support if he runs for re-election.

However, if Mr. Cuomo makes a White House bid, Mr. Koch’s backing is not a sure thing. He’s already promoting a Hillary Clinton administration.

“If she would run, I would support her without question,” Mr. Koch said, grinning and pointing to an autographed photo of him standing next to Ms. Clinton on the night she was elected to the Senate in 2000. “That picture appeared in Time magazine,” he recalled. “As she goes up the stairs and I’m right behind her, she says, ‘Stick close to me, I want you in the picture.’ And I’m in the picture.”

Thanks to Mr. Barsky, hizzoner is in the picture yet again. Let’s hope he remains there for years to come.