New York City’s mayor-elect is wasting no time. Ahead of his official swearing-in, Mamdani has revealed his first team appointments live, triggering sharp reactions across City Hall and beyond.
The early lineup includes surprise picks and unexpected power players, offering the first real glimpse into how Mamdani plans to govern the nation’s largest city. These appointments could shape everything from policing and housing to economic policy and city governance in the months ahead.
#MamdaniNYC #ZohranMamdani #NYCMayorElect #MamdaniTeam #MamdaniTransitionTeam #NYCTransition #NYCPolitics #NewYorkCity #MamdaniEra #NYCAdministration #MamdaniUpdates #MamdaniVision #NYCMayorPlans #MamdaniSpeech #CityHallNYC #NYCLeadership #NextNYCMayor #NYCNews
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The early lineup includes surprise picks and unexpected power players, offering the first real glimpse into how Mamdani plans to govern the nation’s largest city. These appointments could shape everything from policing and housing to economic policy and city governance in the months ahead.
#MamdaniNYC #ZohranMamdani #NYCMayorElect #MamdaniTeam #MamdaniTransitionTeam #NYCTransition #NYCPolitics #NewYorkCity #MamdaniEra #NYCAdministration #MamdaniUpdates #MamdaniVision #NYCMayorPlans #MamdaniSpeech #CityHallNYC #NYCLeadership #NextNYCMayor #NYCNews
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon, everyone.
00:05The great W.E.B. Du Bois once said,
00:09we should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires,
00:13but by the absence of poverty and the prevalence of health.
00:16By that measurement, our city is anything but prosperous.
00:21Too many of our fellow New Yorkers live lives of poverty and suffering,
00:25and too many others live lives where health is nothing more than a rumor
00:28of something they cannot afford.
00:31When I take office in two days,
00:34I seek to change not only the measure of the well-being of those who live in our city,
00:38but those also tasked with the work of measuring.
00:42We are here today at Elmhurst Hospital,
00:45which serves over one million patients annually,
00:47and so often feels the pain of poverty and ill health
00:50more acutely than anywhere else in our city.
00:54If anyone should hold the public's trust
00:56in the work of transforming a health care system full of disparities
01:00and fighting for New Yorkers who most need the services our city can provide,
01:05it is the leader who has guided this institution through moments of adversity and success.
01:10I am proud to announce that Helen Ortega
01:14will serve as my deputy mayor of health and human services.
01:33Helen has served as CEO of New York City Health and Hospitals Elmhurst
01:37since February of 2021,
01:39the same hospital that saved her
01:41and so many other New Yorkers' lives during COVID.
01:45Her tenure has been transformative,
01:47with the hospital delivering consistent improvements
01:50in care to its patients
01:51and making historic strides
01:53to support its frontline health care workers.
01:56It's the kind of leadership that Elmhurst residents
01:58came to expect from a daughter of the community,
02:02someone who grew up like them,
02:04cared about people like them,
02:05and understood that New Yorkers with less
02:07are often treated with less.
02:10That leadership,
02:11driven by empathy
02:12and guided by an unshakable belief
02:15that every New Yorker deserves a life of dignity,
02:18is no less than what the people of this city
02:20will expect from their new deputy mayor.
02:23As deputy mayor for Health and Human Services,
02:26Helen will have incredible power
02:27to make our city healthier
02:29and more prosperous.
02:31This is work
02:32which will demand all of government coming together,
02:35which is why I'm thrilled to also announce
02:37my corporation council today,
02:40Steve Banks,
02:41a name that many of you will be familiar with.
02:44Steve's legacy of service is second to none.
02:46As the former attorney-in-chief of Legal Aid,
02:49Steve helped some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers
02:51get back on their feet.
02:53And as the commissioner
02:54of the Department of Social Services for seven years
02:56under Mayor de Blasio,
02:58Steve overhauled our shelter system,
03:00helped over 175,000 New Yorkers
03:03find permanent housing
03:04and fought for low-income tenants.
03:06There is a reason
03:07that after leaving office,
03:09he was described
03:10as the most effective social services director
03:13in New York City history.
03:15His reputation
03:16as a champion of those otherwise forgotten
03:19is recognized across the city.
03:21I am grateful to him
03:22for returning to public service.
03:25As New York's corporations council,
03:27he will be our city's lawyer,
03:28managing hundreds of attorneys,
03:30and representing our city in court.
03:33It is an incredibly important role
03:35with wide-reaching
03:36and far-reaching implications.
03:39And there is no one
03:39I would rather turn to than Steve.
03:49Finally,
03:50as today is the day of announcements,
03:52and we are speaking of council,
03:53I am delighted to announce
03:55that I am naming Ramzi Qasim
03:57as chief counsel.
04:03Ramzi will be joining the administration
04:05from CUNY,
04:06where he serves as a professor of law.
04:08Government service
04:09is no novel concept for Ramzi,
04:11who served as a senior policy advisor
04:13for President Biden
04:14from 2022 to 2024,
04:16and has deep experience
04:17arguing in court,
04:19including before the Supreme Court.
04:20I will turn to Ramzi
04:22for his remarkable experience
04:23and his commitment
04:25to defending those
04:25too often abandoned
04:26by our legal system.
04:28City Hall will be stronger
04:29with him in it,
04:30and our work of building
04:31a more prosperous city for all
04:33will have a powerful advocate.
04:35My sincere hope
04:36is that New Yorkers
04:37who have long felt
04:38on the margins of this city,
04:40the homeless veterans
04:41straining to survive,
04:42the patient searching
04:43for the care that they need,
04:45an immigrant trying to get by,
04:47will feel that they now
04:48have leaders in their corner
04:50who understand their struggles
04:52and care to fight for them.
04:54That is the city
04:55I want to build,
04:57the prosperity I intend to deliver,
04:59and the leadership
05:00that has too long been lacking.
05:02Thank you,
05:03and please join me
05:04in first introducing
05:05Ramzi Qasim,
05:06my new chief counsel.
05:07Good afternoon, everyone.
05:16I'd like to begin
05:16by thanking the mayor-elect
05:18for what feels both like
05:21a privilege and a calling, frankly,
05:24an honor and a call of duty
05:27to serve the city
05:28that I've called home,
05:29the city that embraced me.
05:30I grew up in war-torn countries
05:33in the Middle East,
05:33authoritarian regimes,
05:35and New York City
05:36was really my first stable
05:39and permanent home,
05:40and this is an opportunity
05:41for me to repay that debt.
05:43I've been trying to repay that debt
05:45ever since I came to this country,
05:46ever since I immigrated.
05:48Service has been the lodestar
05:50of my career,
05:51of my professional life,
05:53whether it's service,
05:54as the mayor-elect mentioned,
05:56at the White House
05:57or at CUNY,
05:58one of the oldest
05:59and largest public institutions
06:01in our country,
06:02and specifically at a law school
06:03whose motto is law
06:05and the service of human needs
06:06to give back
06:07to working-class New Yorkers
06:08and serve their social mobility,
06:11or whether it's through
06:12the clinic and nonprofit
06:13that I found it clear
06:14in service of clients,
06:15communities,
06:16and movements nationwide.
06:17Service is what I look to do
06:19and what I hope to do
06:21alongside the mayor-elect
06:23and his team at City Hall
06:24to defend the rights
06:25of all New Yorkers
06:27without exception
06:28and to create space
06:29for the mayor-elect
06:30and his team,
06:31and this administration
06:32to deliver on the promises
06:33and the agenda
06:34that was so enthusiastically embraced
06:36by our fellow New Yorkers.
06:38So again,
06:38I thank the mayor-elect
06:39for this honor
06:40and I look forward
06:41to speaking with all of you.
06:48Now I would like
06:49to call forward a friend
06:51and soon to be a partner
06:52in our administration,
06:53Steve Banks.
06:54Good afternoon.
07:00Thank you, Mayor-elect,
07:01for nominating me
07:02to lead the New York City Law Department
07:05and for your very kind words.
07:08If only my mother and father
07:10could hear your words.
07:12During all my years
07:13as a legal aid lawyer
07:14and then as a city commissioner,
07:16they wondered what I was actually doing
07:18with my law degree.
07:20Your words would have given them
07:22a lot of nachos.
07:23I have a unique perspective
07:25on the law department.
07:27For 33 years
07:28as a legal aid lawyer,
07:30including 10
07:31as head of the organization,
07:33I litigated against
07:34the law department.
07:35For eight years
07:36as a city commissioner,
07:38I was represented
07:39by the law department
07:40in both affirmative matters
07:43involving access
07:44to rental assistance,
07:46SNAP,
07:47food stamps,
07:48and Medicaid,
07:48as well as matters
07:50defensively protecting
07:52and addressing
07:53the right to shelter.
07:55During my time
07:56at legal aid
07:57and in the years since
07:59I left city government
08:01in 2021,
08:02I've also co-counseled
08:03with the law department
08:04in matters relating
08:06to the right to shelter.
08:07I know firsthand
08:09the key role
08:10that the staff
08:11of the law department
08:12can play
08:13in supporting
08:14the mayor-elect's
08:15vision and agenda
08:17for transformative change
08:19to help New Yorkers
08:21in every community
08:22of the city.
08:23I'm honored
08:24to be the first
08:25legal aid lawyer
08:26ever nominated
08:27to be the corporation council,
08:28and I'm ready
08:29for this leadership role.
08:31You see,
08:33the Legal Aid Society
08:34had 1,100 lawyers.
08:38That's even more
08:39than the numbers
08:40of lawyers
08:40at the law department,
08:42so I'm ready
08:42to manage
08:43a large law firm
08:44like I did
08:45at the Legal Aid Society.
08:47And in addition
08:48to the well-known
08:49major cases
08:50that I've litigated
08:51and handled
08:52for low-income
08:53and working New Yorkers,
08:55over the course
08:55of my 44 years
08:57as a lawyer,
08:58I've represented
08:58large numbers
08:59of individual clients
09:01whose lives
09:02have been harmed
09:03by city actions.
09:06This has provided me
09:07with a unique vantage point
09:09on the human impact
09:11of city policies
09:12and practices.
09:14The law department
09:15can play
09:15an essential role
09:17in addressing
09:18the human impact
09:19of such city conduct.
09:22Finally,
09:23my wife
09:24of almost 40 years,
09:26who I met
09:27on a picket line,
09:28by the way,
09:28during a legal aid strike
09:29in 1982,
09:31she and I
09:32have been blessed
09:33over the past year
09:34with two grandchildren.
09:37I'm ready
09:37to take on this role
09:39because I know
09:40that under this mayor,
09:41the corporation council
09:43and the staff
09:44of the law department
09:45can help make this city
09:47a better place
09:48for our grandchildren,
09:50for every New Yorker,
09:51and their children
09:52and their grandchildren.
09:53Thank you again,
09:54Mayor-elect,
09:55for this opportunity.
09:56And now,
10:03our new deputy mayor
10:05for health
10:06and human services,
10:07Helen Altiaz.
10:13Buenas tardes, everyone.
10:15Good afternoon
10:16and welcome to Elmer's.
10:18I want to thank
10:19the mayor,
10:20like Mondami,
10:20for this trust
10:22and faith
10:23in appointing me
10:24deputy mayor
10:25for health
10:25and human services.
10:27At this important
10:28moment in our city,
10:30it's not lost to me
10:32that the agency
10:33under this portfolio
10:34are the safety net
10:35for so many New Yorkers
10:37who are looking
10:38to survive
10:38or sometimes
10:39get a second chance.
10:41Whether they're
10:41visiting our hospitals,
10:43entering our shelters,
10:45or going to our
10:46after-school programs,
10:47or just aging
10:48out of foster care.
10:49It is that workforce
10:50and those providers
10:52in this portfolio
10:52that work so hard
10:54to get these New Yorkers
10:55through the hardest times
10:56in their lives.
10:58To that workforce
10:58and those providers,
11:00I say,
11:01I'm ready
11:02to work alongside you
11:03to provide
11:04innovative solutions
11:05so you can take advantage
11:07of every opportunity,
11:09every interaction
11:10to adjust
11:12the affordability crisis
11:13that brings
11:14so many to our doors.
11:17To every New Yorker
11:19that trusts us enough
11:20to show up
11:21and to those
11:22that are suffering
11:23in silence
11:24wherever you are
11:25because they do not know
11:26if government
11:27will protect them
11:28or treat them
11:29with dignity,
11:30I promise you today
11:31that I will work
11:34so hard
11:35to ensure
11:36that you are seen
11:37and that we are thinking
11:39big and courageous
11:40about solutions
11:41that will allow you
11:42to thrive
11:43in the city
11:43that we love.
11:45You see,
11:45I see you
11:47because your struggles
11:48are mine.
11:49I am who I am
11:51because of them.
11:52I want to thank
11:53Mayor-Elect
11:54and the team
11:56for indulging
11:56this appointment
11:57here at Elmer's Hospital
11:59because you see,
12:01here is where
12:02my advocacy was born.
12:04It is here
12:05where my dad died
12:06without having
12:07lack of insurance.
12:08It was here
12:09that I survived COVID
12:10and it's here
12:12that I want to say
12:13Madre,
12:15tu sacrificio
12:16valio la pena.
12:17And it is here
12:28that I serve
12:29as a proud CEO
12:31for the last
12:32past five years.
12:33Like the Mayor-Elect,
12:35I'm just another
12:36immigrant kid
12:36from Queens.
12:38But the two of us
12:39are ready
12:40to take everything
12:41that we learned
12:41from our culture,
12:42our families,
12:43and our upbringing
12:44to make big changes
12:46in New York City,
12:48the city that has
12:49loved us so much.
12:50So to Dr. Katz,
12:51my H&H family,
12:53and my almost strong
12:54family of 6,057,
12:56know that I'm
12:57super grateful
12:58for these last
12:59five years.
13:00Thank you for showing up.
13:02Thank you for learning
13:03together,
13:04for growing together,
13:06for crying together,
13:07and for overall
13:08coming together
13:09for our city.
13:11When I walked
13:11through the doors
13:12of City Hall
13:13in like two days,
13:15I'll be walking in
13:17with all of you
13:19inside my soul
13:20and my spirit.
13:21But now I'm ready
13:22to work on something
13:23really cool.
13:25I'm ready to work
13:26on the Mayor-Elect
13:27vision and dream
13:28for New York City.
13:29Mil gracias.
13:42I'll take questions
13:43in one moment,
13:43but I just want to
13:44quickly just give a hug.
13:58We'll start
13:59with on-tubber
13:59justice,
14:00please.
14:00And for everybody
14:00that's a good question.
14:01For the Mayor-Elect
14:03in 50m,
14:05the Department of
14:06Community Safety,
14:07we haven't heard
14:07that much about
14:08how it's going
14:08to operate
14:09like yet.
14:09Is this going to be
14:10under 50m,
14:12or is this under
14:13some things
14:13that's just mentioned?
14:14The Department
14:15of Community Safety
14:16would fall under
14:16the first Deputy Mayor's
14:17portfolio.
14:18However,
14:19it will require
14:20a whole-of-government
14:21approach and commitment
14:23and I look forward
14:23to working with
14:25our new Deputy Mayor
14:26in ensuring that.
14:27Yeah.
14:28Go ahead.
14:29Hi, Mayor-Elect.
14:30The Comptroller
14:31released an audit
14:32this morning
14:33declaring that
14:34the health insurance
14:34stabilization fund
14:35that helps pay
14:36for supplemental
14:37benefits to city
14:37workers is insolvent,
14:40recommending that
14:41it be resolved.
14:42He found that
14:43it has outstanding
14:44liability of $3.1
14:46billion.
14:47There's obviously
14:47nothing.
14:49Would like to hear
14:50your response.
14:51And also,
14:51what do you say
14:51the city workers
14:52would have concerns
14:53about their health coverage?
14:56Well, to city workers,
14:57I will say each
14:58and every day
14:58that this will be
15:00an administration
15:00that takes your
15:01concerns seriously
15:02and looks to do
15:03more than that.
15:03It looks to actually
15:04deliver on them.
15:05And the report,
15:06as well as any other
15:07analysis,
15:07is something that
15:08we are going to
15:08take seriously
15:09as we assume
15:10office in a few days.
15:11Mayor-Elect,
15:12this constellation
15:13of advisors
15:14seems like it could
15:15really be at the
15:16intersection of
15:16potentially combating
15:17efforts from the
15:18Trump administration
15:19from beefing up
15:21the law department
15:21to prevent
15:23to deportations,
15:24as you've mentioned,
15:25to pending SNAP
15:26and other benefit cuts.
15:28Have you had
15:28kind of a conversation
15:29with this cohort
15:31about the approach
15:32to the Trump administration
15:33and what are your
15:34first few initial actions
15:36you're going to take
15:37relative to these
15:38top advisors
15:39and what you're
15:39instructing them to do
15:41relative to the Trump administration?
15:42Well, I think it all
15:43comes back to
15:44the welfare of New Yorkers.
15:46And what I am so
15:47excited by, frankly,
15:48in each and every one
15:49of these appointments
15:50are New Yorkers
15:52who are committed
15:53to not only
15:53protecting those
15:55who call this city home
15:56in terms of their rights
15:58and their freedoms,
15:58but also in terms
16:00of their ability
16:00to find care
16:02in a city
16:02where too often
16:03health care
16:03is something
16:04that is synonymous
16:04with being something
16:06that is unaffordable.
16:07And I think that
16:08even in my own conversations
16:09with the president directly,
16:11I will always
16:12and have made
16:12the case for this city.
16:14I look forward
16:14to my top staff
16:15doing the same.
16:16But is it that
16:17you would first pick up
16:18the phone
16:18and call the president
16:19if you didn't get along
16:20OK, these guys go at them?
16:22Is that kind of the approach?
16:23Look, I will look
16:24to have a conversation
16:25with anyone and everyone.
16:26And also,
16:27I think it's important
16:28that there are fights
16:30and freedoms
16:31that will be protected
16:32in conversations.
16:33There are fights
16:34and freedoms
16:34that will be protected
16:35in court.
16:35There are a number
16:36of active court cases,
16:37frankly,
16:38that I look forward
16:39to working on
16:40with my nominated
16:42corporations council
16:43to ensure
16:44that our actions
16:46as a city
16:46are furthering
16:47the protection
16:48of the rights
16:48of the people
16:48who call at home.
16:51Question for both
16:52Mayor-elect
16:52and Deputy Mayor.
16:54The first Mayor-elect,
16:55you have very limited
16:56time,
16:56left of the office,
16:58are you planning
16:58to announce
16:59your next school chancellor
17:01and transportation commissioner
17:02in the next 24 hours?
17:04Trying to engage
17:05where you're at with that
17:06and then Deputy Mayor
17:08as well.
17:09Are you still going
17:10to have a role
17:10here at the hospital
17:12or are you going
17:14to be meeting
17:14permanently?
17:15Sorry,
17:16to the first question,
17:17I will give you
17:18the answer
17:18you don't want
17:19to hear,
17:19which is wait
17:20and see.
17:23I would not
17:24be leaving
17:24my home here
17:25at Elmer's hospital
17:26if it wasn't
17:27something important
17:28and working
17:28with Mayor-elect
17:29and his vision
17:30and his dream
17:31is something
17:31that I want
17:33to do
17:33because I see
17:34the impact,
17:35but more importantly,
17:36it's going
17:36to take a lot
17:37of work,
17:38so I'm going
17:38to dedicate
17:38100%
17:39to the vision.
17:40I have a question
17:43for the nominee.
17:46I was wondering
17:47could you,
17:48observing from the
17:49outside,
17:49is there anything
17:50you feel
17:51you want to do
17:51differently
17:52about how
17:53the law department
17:54has approached
17:54the litigation
17:55of the Trump
17:56administration
17:56and sort of
17:57how it handles
17:59the work
18:01of immigration
18:02that city
18:03and state
18:03has been together.
18:04Thank you
18:08for that question.
18:10Let me take
18:11a little bit
18:11of a step back.
18:12I've been involved
18:14with leading
18:14two other institutions,
18:16the Legal Aid Society
18:17and the Department
18:18of Social Services,
18:19and my first approach
18:21in leading
18:22both those organizations
18:23and making major reforms
18:25in both of them
18:26was to engage
18:26the frontline staff
18:27to understand
18:29the nature
18:30of the work
18:30that they're doing,
18:32their views
18:33of the work
18:33that they're doing,
18:34and the kinds
18:35of ways
18:36that they see
18:37that they can play
18:38a key role
18:39in the front lines
18:39of moving forward
18:40with the mayor's
18:41affordability agenda.
18:43So I come
18:45to the institution
18:46of the New York City
18:47Law Department
18:48with that same approach
18:49that in order
18:50to move an institution
18:51forward,
18:52you have to engage
18:53the people
18:53who are doing the work
18:54and move forward
18:55on that basis.
18:56At the same time,
18:57the mayor's been
18:58very clear
18:58about what his vision is,
19:00what his values are,
19:01and the law department's
19:02going to be
19:03a major part
19:05of that
19:05when legal responses
19:07are needed.
19:09One thing I know
19:10as a lawyer
19:10and I learned
19:11as a city commissioner,
19:13lawyering is involved
19:14in almost everything
19:15involved in the actions
19:16that government takes.
19:18And so we're going
19:19to be very much
19:20looking forward
19:22to helping implement
19:23the mayor's
19:24affordability agenda.
19:25And I'll just add
19:26one thing,
19:27which is that
19:27I will demand
19:30excellence
19:30from my team,
19:31from myself,
19:32and also I will ensure
19:33that we create
19:34the conditions
19:34where that excellence
19:35is possible
19:36to deliver on.
19:37And what I mean
19:38by that is that
19:39we have seen
19:40a shortage
19:41in staffing
19:42within the city's
19:43law department,
19:43and one of the
19:45commitments
19:45in making this nomination
19:47is also to ensure
19:48that we provide
19:49that same kind of focus
19:51in the intricacies
19:52of the law department
19:53in itself,
19:53the staffing
19:54of the law department
19:54so that our
19:56nominated corporations
19:56counsel can actually
19:58do the work
19:58that we are asking of them.
19:59You said in the past
20:00you want a lot of those lawyers
20:01to focus on immigration cases.
20:03Is that still the case
20:04or are they going to be doing
20:04just kind of more normal work
20:06to elsewhere in the law department?
20:08Frankly,
20:08I think that there is
20:09a clear need
20:11for a few hundred
20:13additional lawyers
20:15at the law department
20:15just from the beginning of it.
20:17And I think that the work
20:18will encompass
20:19some work in providing
20:20legal services
20:22for immigrant New Yorkers.
20:24The question of the totality
20:25of that work
20:26I will also leave
20:26to my corporations counsel.
20:30Mr. Mayor-elect,
20:31and for...
20:32How's it going, Chris?
20:33How are you?
20:35Steve's decision
20:36is obviously subject
20:37to Council of Food Law.
20:38Have you received
20:39any assurances
20:39from the council
20:40that they will
20:41confirm this nomination?
20:43Let's follow up
20:43on Joel's question.
20:44Let me do that one first.
20:45Thank you, brother.
20:46I have been in touch
20:48with incoming Speaker Menon
20:50about the nomination
20:51of Steve Banks
20:53as our corporations counsel,
20:54and I look forward
20:55to that process.
20:56Got it.
20:56On Joel's question,
20:58you proposed on a campaign trail
20:59to hire specifically
21:00200 new law department lawyers.
21:03When you announced that,
21:04you said that was part
21:05of an effort
21:05to kind of Trump-proof the city
21:07to be able to fight back
21:08against Trump administration
21:09in this year.
21:10Is that pledge still holding?
21:12Are you going to hire
21:12those 200 attorneys?
21:14Are we going to see that
21:14that pledge is still continuing
21:23of hiring 200 additional lawyers?
21:25And it's also a pledge
21:26of thinking about
21:28what the legacy
21:28of the law department
21:29has been for decades.
21:30The law department
21:31had been on the front lines
21:32of many of the fights
21:33for equal rights
21:33across this country,
21:34but today it has been hollowed out.
21:37And this is incredibly important
21:39for us in the work
21:41that we are seeking to do
21:42in this administration,
21:43that we have a corporations council
21:45and a law department
21:46that is not only staffed,
21:48but is also back
21:49on the front lines
21:50as opposed to the defensive
21:51that we have seen
21:52over the last few years.
21:53Yeah.
21:53Okay.
21:54Mayor O'Reilly,
21:55do you support a ban
21:56controversial in the city,
21:58but do you support a ban
21:59on horse carriages
22:00here in your city?
22:01Do you support it?
22:02I've said that I support
22:04removing horse carriages
22:05from Central Park,
22:07and I've also said
22:07that I look forward
22:08to working with union partners
22:10and community leaders
22:11to actually deliver on that.
22:12All right.
22:13I think we have time
22:13for just one quick one.
22:15Hey.
22:16How's it going, Dave?
22:17Good.
22:18Just following up on Morgan,
22:19I know you said
22:20we can see,
22:21but buses were so central
22:23to your campaign.
22:24Yes.
22:25It's so central
22:25to the transit.
22:26It's been so central
22:27to a lot of work
22:28to talk about in office.
22:29So what are we looking for
22:31in terms of DOT leadership
22:33coming generally first?
22:34Is there going to be
22:34an interim commissioner,
22:35or are we going to have
22:36a new person
22:37who I get to bother with?
22:40No matter who's there,
22:41I know that you'll be
22:41bothering them.
22:42And I appreciate it
22:43because, frankly,
22:44what this is,
22:46is about looking for
22:47a fealty to a commitment
22:51to New Yorkers
22:52that are often overlooked.
22:53Today we have spoken
22:54about it in the context
22:55of health,
22:56but when we speak
22:57about bus riders,
22:58we're speaking about
22:58more than a million New Yorkers
22:59who are riding the slowest buses
23:00in the country.
23:01This will continue to be
23:02a focus of my administration
23:03and a recognition
23:05that it is
23:06New York City government
23:07that runs the streets
23:09of this city
23:09and therefore there is
23:10an opportunity
23:11in the way in which
23:12we approach that,
23:13not only to honor
23:15the commitments
23:16and proposals
23:17that have been put forward
23:18in prior years,
23:19which Streets Blog
23:20also broke the news of
23:21at a press conference
23:22not too long ago,
23:23but also, frankly,
23:23to think about
23:24how do we make this city
23:26an example for the world
23:29in the ways
23:31to get around
23:31efficiently and reliably.
23:33Thank you guys
23:33so much.
23:34Thank you so much.
23:36I'm sorry.
23:36Yeah, okay.
23:37I'm sorry, everyone.
23:38But we'll see you soon.
23:39I do promise.
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