Alexandria DeNunzio

PAF 9199

Professor Hoffman

3 August 2015

Notes On Bill de Blasio’s State of the City Speech 2015

Bill de Blasio’s State of the City Speech was given on February 3, 2015. The speech itself was geared towards a reflection of where New York City stood after the 2014 year. Mayor de Blasio’s speech was geared towards first discussing his successes in office such as full day pre-kindergarten, reforming stop and frisk, doubling enrollment in after school programs, creating a living wage as well as the creation of the IDNYC program. He then transitions into where New York City needs work, which becomes the focus of the rest of the speech. His main goals are to reform the inequality gap through the means of the cost of housing as well as raising the minimum wage. Mayor deBlasio relays an urban plan to rezone many areas, focus on landlord tenant issues to combat the inequality crisis within New York City. Throughout, the speech de Blasio’s tone was casual, not unprofessional, but as though he was speaking to family and colleagues. His inflection is efficient and emboldened when discussing what “WE” as a city, as New Yorkers and as the Mayor will accomplish.The style was epidictic in order to increase the audience’s ethos of de Blasio. Some of the most interesting aspects were that the structure of the speech was organized into three categories, what NYC has accomplished successfully in the first year, where there is room for improvement, and how the administration intends to accomplish this through policy. However, he does not mention certain details such as the fiscal aspects of these newfound plans. The organizational structure of deBlasio’s speech provides some credibility to the government’s accomplishments and that there is a possibility that his newfound goals will succeed especially when alluding to past successes from other mayors. A unique quality that also is unusual was that deBlasio breaks into a few lines in Spanish to discuss the issue of affordability in New York City. In addition, in light of the previous events in 2014, de Blasio mentioned little to nothing in regards to police relations with the city.

2014 was a rough year for New York City. New York City experienced some of the most racially tense years it has seen in a long time. Majority of this was reaction to the case in Ferguson, Missouri where officer Darrell Wilson was acquitted for the murder of Michael Brown, a young African American male. The reactions of the riots in Ferguson combined with the police murder of Eric Garner caused significant tension between African Americans, New Yorkers and the New York Police Department. In addition, the murder of the two NYPD police officers in Brooklyn caused a As a result, New York has reformed its Stop and Frisk policy. During Bloomberg’s era New Yorkers approval rate of the NYPD was at 70% after the murder of Eric Garner but before the non-indictment the approval dropped to 54% (Hartmann,1). Many felt that the Stop and Frisk policy was disproportionately discriminant towards African American males. De Blasio took it a step further and claimed that his biracial son, Dante, has to be extremely careful and act a certain way around police officers. He claims they, “literally had to train their son how to handle police encounters, also saying, that it is different for white children in this country”(Jamieson,1). These comments caused tensions between the NYPD and deBlasio was even booed at the Police Academy graduation and called a traitor (Sutherland). However, deBlasio succeeded in reforms for Stop and Frisk, police officers are starting to wear body cameras and are being retrained in “de-escalation” techniques” (Hartman).

One other issue that is plaguing New York City is the homeless population. Homelessness is now at a record high and increased by 60% during Bloomberg’s administration, with the amount of people sleeping in a shelter up to 58,469 (Hartman). As a result deBlasio vamped up the efforts for shelters, public housing and rent subsidies for the homeless. The homeless population contributes to the inequity in New York City so this is one of the prime focuses of de Blasio’s state of the city speech.

Mayor deBlasio chose to give his state of the city speech at Baruch College. The President of Baruch College, Mitchel Wallerstein, was introduced and welcomed the Mayor and city officials in the office including former Mayor, Mayor Dinkins. He also welcomes all the District attorneys in the audience, state senate and state representatives. Wallerstein goes into the history of Baruch College and discusses the free tuition to train the immigrant population in a new upcoming workforce. Finally, a woman named Sheryl Morse, a woman from Fort Greene who tells her story of living in a low-income co-op and introduced the Mayor. She discloses her neighbors pricing out, and how deBlasio and his administration provided a $3 million dollar subsidy to renovate the building and keep the housing affordable. Baruch College as a location reinforces the idea of deBlasio supporting the young workforce through progressive means and low tuition. Sheryl Morse sets the tone for the ceremony and its affordable housing theme and the positive change it has brought for the city.

The media’s reaction to de Blasio’s speech was that it was full of promise and passion. The New York Time’s claimed it was “full of ambition but light on details” (Grynbaum,1). De Blasio’s speech was characterized as ambitious and passionate with bigger picture ideas instead of focusing on trivial politics. However, it seemed to be framed as a disappointment to other city officials especially when discussing how these new housing goals would be paid for and executed (Grynbaum). In addition, one of the major topics that were not fully discussed was his plan for police and community relations. In light of all the violence, revolts and animosity towards the NYPD, de Blasio seemed to shy away from any mention of police issues.

It was not possible to locate the speechwriter for the 2015 State of the City Speech by Bill de Blasio. However, some things that were interesting were the composition and style of the speech. Instead of focusing on partisan issues deBlasio stayed on par with his policy goals, which is refreshing. He used anecdotal evidence from his grandmother’s history and how she came to the United States as an Italian immigrant. He discusses her newfound opportunities and the changes as an immigrant. He uses this to introduce and connect back to the motif from his inaugural address of New Yorkers as an identity. He then uses this to successfully weave into his motif combatting of social inequity and the Tale of Two Cities. In addition, he uses many historical allusions to previous figures such as Henry Ford and former Mayor Koch. Both were characterized as left wing progressives who had innovative policies, one with the Ford Model-T and a livable wage and the other with affordable housing. This also connects back to deBlasio’s progressive motif present in his inaugural speeches. He uses this as credibility and proof that these kinds of policies have a place in New York and can be effective.

Some of the passages mentioned that need further explanation are as follows:

  1. “If we do not act — and act boldly — New York risks taking on the qualities of a gated community … A place defined by exclusivity, rather than opportunity.” This reinforces de Blasio’s idea of New York City becoming a luxury city one where its residents would be pushed out because of the rising costs and gentrification. His use of gated community characterizes New York as what it could be, a city that is exclusive to the upper echelons of society and not the working class.
  1. “And today, I want to make perfectly clear that every reimbursement check will be in the hands of those who need them by the end of this year. From Staten Island to Canarsie to the Rockaways, families hit by the storm have been through so much. This Administration will finish the job of helping them rebuild.” This is in reference to the issues after Hurricane Sandy where people affected had problems gaining reimbursed by FEMA.
  1. “With the help of the City Council, we created IDNYC – for both citizens and undocumented New Yorkers. Let’s be clear: Relegating any New Yorker to life in the shadows is not who we are as a city. And I’m happy to report that — less than a month after this program’s inception — more than 180,000 New Yorkers have already made an appointment to get their ID.” This is in response to the fear that many undocumented immigrants had in the city. His use of the archetypal metaphor “in the shadows” claims that the immigrants being documented will have a promise of a brighter future with their new identification card. This is important because of the amount of undocumented immigrants in New York City has established not only some form of ID but also did it in a non-threatening way. The IDNYC program was also important for the urban New Yorkers who lived without driver’s licenses.
  1. “The city has for decades let the developers write their own rules.”This is a personal dig at the real estate industry for allowing the housing policy and those rents get to where they are today.
  1. “But New York is no stranger to facing big challenges — and the many doubting Thomases — and knows how to overcome them. In fact, we revel in proving them wrong.” This is a Biblical reference to the Apostle Thomas who doubted the reappearance of Jesus. This is in reference to people doubting his policies and New Yorkers as a group. In turn, he claims New Yorkers and he will prove them wrong with progressive policies.

Some of the major references DeBlasio uses are other New York City officials who he thanks in the beginning of the speech. He also mentions various places such as Starrett City, Co-op city, Stuy town and the Big 6 Towers. These are all places that represent areas where affordable housing reform was successful.

DeBlasio also mentions Albany and the state government multiple times. He claims Albany is slow on the uptake for rent laws and New York City needs them to act now. This also alludes to the issues the administration has been having with the state government through multiple facets, the main one, being rent laws.

Ed Koch, Henry Ford and John F. Kennedy are also all mentioned. De Blasio discusses Koch’s housing policy, Henry Ford’s livable wage business model and Kennedy’s quote on inaction. All of these figures represent progressive ideals, which were considered radical. Koch’s housing plan, Ford’s livable wage, and Kennedy’s Civil Rights Acts all faced severe opposition but were put forward anyway and succeeded. De Blasio hopes to emulate these men and in the midst of opposition and doubt persevere for a better New York.

Some memorable quotes are as follows:

“Over the past two years, I’ve spoken about the need to take dead aim at the Tale of Two Cities, and about our vision for creating One New York, rising together ... a city where everyone has a shot at the middle class.”

This is the major thematic point of de Blasio’s administration. His goals are to be able to reform New York into an affordable, better city through the New Yorker identity. New Yorkers, he claimed, are like a family and it will take the diverse communal effort to create that vision. The main goal is to take inequality in New York City head on and make sure it is still a place where all New Yorkers can live comfortably.

There are a few terms de Blasio repeats that are essential to the speech:

“Rising up, UP”: De Blasio repeats this phrase multiple times when discussing the New York identity. He characterizes New Yorkers as ones who are able to rise from adversity and persevere to greater things. This archetypal metaphor of rising up is supposed to signify perseverance and de Blasio frames it nicely when discussing new housing policy, social inequity and the minimum wage.

“We”- This is repeated multiple times when discussing the achievements de Blasio’s administration has put forth. By repeating we, it establishes a unity and familial feel between the mayoral administration and the electorate of New York City.

Further Readings on Mayor Bill de Blasio

  1. De Blasio’s New York by Joshua Freeman (Dissent Journal)
  2. De Blasio’s Opportunity by Rebecca T. Miller (Library Journal)

Works Cited

A. Grynbaum, Michael. "State of City Address: Full of Ambition, but Light on Details." The New York Times. The New York Times, 3 Feb. 2015. Web. 3 Aug. 2015.

B. Hartmann, Margaret. "43 Ways New York Has Changed Under Mayor De Blasio." Daily Intelligencer. New York Magazine, 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 3 Aug. 2015.

C. Jamieson, Dave. "Bill De Blasio Explains Why His Son Needs To Be Careful Around Cops." The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 7 Dec. 2014. Web. 3 Aug. 2015.

D. Sutherland, Amber, YoavGonen, and Bruce Golding. "'Traitor' De Blasio Booed at Police Academy Graduation." New York Post. New York Post, 29 Dec. 2014. Web. 3 Aug. 2015.