Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Baselines $31.7 Million for New York City’s Public Libraries
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good morning, everyone. It is an honor to be in Flatbush alongside librarians, advocates and families who support New York City's Public Library system. And I want to acknowledge, alongside me, we have Linda Johnson, the BPL president; we have Iris Weinshall, the New York Public Library COO; [and] we have the head of the People's Plan, Zara Nasir. And we have, to my right, partners in government: our City Council Member Nantasha Williams, who is here with us; Crystal Hudson, our Council member; and then our Council Member Shahana Hanif. It is a pleasure to be here alongside partners, whether it be the deputy speaker [or] whether it'd be the heads of public library systems, because we are all here with an understanding of the value of these kinds of institutions. No matter how much money you make, what language you speak or where you live in the five boroughs, New York City's 220 library branches are for you. Thanks to the New York Public Library, we have the work of Jamaica Kincaid, Maya Angelou and authors whose names we don't yet know. But who are scribbling in notebooks and typing on laptops at many branches right now. Brooklyn author Jacqueline Woodson said, “From the time I could sign my name, we had library carts. I'm sure there were independent bookstores somewhere, but they weren't in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn in the 70s and 80s.” So, the library became her second home. Every day after school, while she waited for her mother to get off work, she lost herself in books, from Hans Christian Andersen to Langston Hughes. She reveled in the portal to other worlds that books opened up. It was in a public library where she first thought: “I can do this.” Unfortunately for me, the Bryant Park Public Library branch where I went to write my first ill-conceived screenplay is where I came to the conclusion: “Actually, I can't do this.” Career pivot aside, my love for libraries has never changed. As mayor, I have often looked to libraries for proof of what's possible. Those who doubt [the] government's ability to deliver services like city-run grocery stores and universal childcare need look no further than our public libraries — 220 monuments to public excellence scattered across our city. And yet over recent decades, City government has paid lip service to the importance of public libraries and then refused to guarantee the funding they deserve. For too long, our libraries, along with our parks, cultural institutions, CUNY systems and transit programs have had to engage in what is known as a “budget dance.” It's a dysfunctional process that every year forces these kinds of libraries to fight for every single dollar in their share of the budget. This process keeps our libraries on the perpetual back foot, desperately trying to keep the same floor year after year instead of being able to advocate for more. It is time we stop asking our libraries to justify their existence. It is for us to expand what New Yorkers can expect from core government services. Earlier this week, we released our executive budget. In doing so, we spoke of how a budget is a reflection of the vision we have for this city, of what we choose to materially support, [and of] what we chose to let wither. And our executive budget reflects a clear set of choices. City Hall believes in our public library system. We are funding our public library system. And instead of fighting to maintain the same floor year after year, we will see how high we can raise that ceiling. Our executive budget baselines $31.7 million in new permanent funding across all three of New York City's Public Library systems. Instead of pouring their energy into funding fights, libraries can now use this time and funding to actually hire staff, expand hours and grow programming. They can start to plan on more than simply an annual basis — but beyond that they can use it to stock in-demand titles like Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy or the new Ben Lerner, if you're more of that type of guy, because our libraries and the New Yorkers they serve deserve better than politics as usual. And I want to acknowledge the partners that I have alongside me, who have been a critical part of us getting to this point, who have been advocating for this kind of funding, and who, alongside [us], we make this commitment. Because no longer will we abide a budgeting process that degrades and demeans the institutions that make New York City what it is. When we speak of the work of building a more affordable, more dignified New York City, we often focus on the basics like the cost of rent [and] the cost for groceries, yet our libraries nourish us in ways that are hard to quantify yet no less essential. Let us no longer expend valuable energy debating whether a resume-building class or the weekend hours parents rely on to get through rainy days are worthy of our support. There is nothing like the shared solitude found in our New York Public libraries. Let us continue to support these spaces that bring us together, that build a city we can all enjoy, and that foster our solidarity as New Yorkers. Thank you all very much, and now I'll pass it over to our BPL president, Linda Johnson. Linda E. Johnson, President, Brooklyn Public Library: Mr. Mayor, did you hear a collective sigh of relief the other day when the budget was announced? Library workers all over the city and here in Brooklyn definitely felt relieved. Good morning, everyone. I'm Linda Johnson. I'm president and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library and I'm delighted to welcome everyone here to Cortelyou Library in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Today, we offer our sincere thanks to the mayor for restoring $31.7 million in operating funds to the city's three library systems in his Fiscal Year 2027 executive budget. And just as praiseworthy for baselining those dollars, [the] Brooklyn Public Library relies on city support, and it has been far too long since we've had this level of stability. Knowing our operating funding will be there next year is a really big deal. Thank you, deputy speaker and library chair, Dr. Williams, for your advocacy and Council Members Hanif and Hudson and the office of Council Member Rita Joseph for your longstanding support of our Brooklyn branches and for joining us here. While our collective work is not yet done, today we breathe a sigh of relief. This step in the executive budget, makes it very clear that public libraries are central to the city's affordability agenda. So, to the mayor and to all of the city leaders, one more thank you on behalf of our dedicated library workers and the millions of people who rely on us every day for prioritizing libraries like this beloved one that we're standing in today. Thank you all. And now it is my pleasure to introduce our deputy speaker of the City Council, as well as the library's chair, Nantasha Williams
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceAnd now please join me in welcoming Council Member Shahana Hanif.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYes, I absolutely think that there will be a point at which we get there, because it's a goal that I continue to believe in, and it's one that I've said that we will accomplish by the time that I'm done being the mayor of the city. And the reason that I believe that is, as you've heard from so many of our partners across both the public library systems as well as the City Council, is these are spaces that are at the heart of so much of what makes our city special. And we heard from Council Member Hanif, what this means is that next year there can be advocacy for more. And that's the point of this, that we want to have a conversation about how to go beyond what the status quo is. This is an incredibly difficult year where we have faced what was at its beginning a $12 billion fiscal deficit. And even in that year, we wanted to make sure that we found a way to raise that floor. And now, for the years to come, the conversation will not be: “Should we keep the resume building class? Should we have seventh-day service”? Instead, it will be: “How can we invest in these libraries”? So yes, that 0.5 percent goal continues to be a goal, and we will achieve that goal by the time I'm done being mayor. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, in the preliminary budget, we were at the time facing a $5.4 billion fiscal deficit. And we made the decision to increase funding in our preliminary, compared to what the prior mayoral administration had done in their preliminary or their executive [budget]. We also ensured that we put money forward for seventh-day library service. The executive budget, the last budget that we present before we begin our negotiations with the Council on the adopted budget, was one where we were able to not only steward our city into a balanced budget and firm financial footing, but also one where will make this investment and make it very clear that this is not a one-time investment. This is an annual investment. And that is something that for many New Yorkers, they have had to advocate every year for the retention of this. We're making it clear that that's coming to an end. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I think what we've seen for far too many years is that public institutions have been systemically undervalued and under-invested in. They have oftentimes only been discussed in terms of their potential value if we were to convert them into a private institution. And we know that parks, libraries, cultural institutions — these are the lifeblood of the city. These are like the subway. They are the thing that makes the city different from so many others in that you are not priced out of them. I think about growing up in the city, it was these kinds of institutions that you heard every single Council member has a story like this, because we're all New Yorkers. I think about the public library, it wasn’t just where I went to the reading room to write that screenplay. It was also when I was studying with a friend of mine for the SAT — it was in another room at the Bryant Park Public Library. I think that the amount of time I spent in parks you know as a kid growing up, it wasn't just where I would play soccer or cricket or go for a run, very slowly. It's also where I would just wander. And I think in a world like the one we live in there is always such pressure on productivity at every single point. And here are these institutions that allow you to just think, they allow you to just explore. And I will not stand here and say that the fight is over — the fight has to continue. What we are doing, however, is ensuring that the fight is now about the future, as opposed to the retention of the past. And so, in baselining this $31.7 million, we also made a decision to baseline additional funding for parks, to baseline addition funding for cultural institutions. And the Council, they have been champions of a lot of these points of investment and now we look forward to having that conversation with them about more than just of what they've had to fight prior administrations on, but how we can go beyond that to build on these experiences—
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThat's how you know it just, it was that bad. Even with all the advantages, we couldn't get it off the ground. And it will not shock you like most initial aspirations of screenplay writers, [that] it was in many ways a mirror of some parts of my own life. And I think that's what made it so uninteresting. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I — a member of our team reached out to his to set up a conversation, that continues to be an open invitation. And it's part of invitations that I've made to a number of business leaders across the city. And I've appreciated those conversations. And I think what's critical is that in those conversations, I both share that which you've already quoted, but also I'm there to listen, and there to have a conversation that goes beyond places of agreement, but perhaps places of disagreement, hear honest reflection, critique and not put any precondition on the nature of that conversation. So, that continues to be an open invitation.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceNo, we reached out to set up a meeting. Still waiting to hear.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWe've put forward this proposal. It is a proposal that would ensure that our annual payments to the liability would be consistent each and every year as we extended that time period out by an additional five years. And it is one that we have made very clear will have no effect on pensions, whether for retirees today, or whether for active city workers who are worried about the future. And we look forward to continuing those conversations with our partners in organized labor. And we've appreciated their consideration of this proposal and how we are all looking to ensure that we can put our city back on firm financial footing. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI think that, as you said, the conversations are ongoing with the exact language. However, I would say that we have been very appreciative of the partnership that we've built with the governor, as well as with Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins [and] Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and an extension of mayoral control is a critical part of that partnership and also our stewardship of the city's public school system. We heard, I think, from Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams about Dennis Walcott, who was one of the many New Yorkers who added their voice in support of that extension. We appreciate that as well. And when it comes to the pied-� -terre, the most important aspect of this proposal is one that it would raise half a billion dollars. And that's something we continue to be confident about, and we continue see this as a critical part of bridging the fiscal deficit. ###
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Baselines $31.7 Million for New York City’s Public Libraries.