Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Signs Bill Making Year-Round Outdoor Dining A Permanent Part Of New York City
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon to Christopher Leon Johnson, the New York City press corps and everyone that has joined us today. Now, nearly eight months ago to the day, on an afternoon so cold that I and many others lost feeling in our toes, I stood before the people of the city, and I took a solemn oath. I promised that the government would do something it has failed to do for too long. We would be outside, even if it meant being outside with Christopher. My friends, we are together today to celebrate the fulfillment of that promise as we sign into law legislation making outdoor dining year-round. Rain or shine, sun or snow, New York City, if you want to, you will be able to eat outside and be together outside. I want to acknowledge a number of leaders, both inside and outside of City government that are here with us today. We have our Deputy Mayor Julie Su. We have our Council Member Lincoln Restler. We have our DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. We have our SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya. And we also have advocates, business owners and Christopher Leon Johnson gathered here today. Now, our city has come roaring back from the pandemic over these last few years. We are at a near all-time high for total jobs in our city. Subway and bus ridership are growing. Commercial office vacancies are way down. And murders and shootings have reached record lows. In nearly every conceivable metric, we are recovering from the darkness and isolation that defined that time period. And yet, as our city has rebounded, we have left one of the few positive changes behind from the pandemic: outdoor dining that transformed our streets into vibrant hubs of community, that kept small businesses alive, that connected New Yorkers to one another. Outdoor dining is more than a table and chairs in the street. It's much more than spaghetti being eaten while being serenaded by our city's symphony of car horns and New Yorkers speaking to one another, or, as a tourist would describe it, shouting at one another. It is what allowed so many small businesses to survive a time of desolation and another opportunity for our city's entrepreneurs to show off their unparalleled creativity. It is what brought New Yorkers out of their homes and back into the five boroughs. It is what filled our streets, whether during Sunday brunch or at dusk, as the sun began to set and dinner was served with laughter and conversation. And it is what made it possible for those of us who are not particularly proficient at Resy to hold out hope that we, too, could one day secure a reservation at Semma. None of these things are accidental. They are policy choices. Today's bill signing is reflective of a different policy choice, one that will make New York City feel even more alive than it currently does. As the law currently stands, seasonal restrictions prohibit roadway cafe operation from Nov. 30 through March 31. That means that small businesses who receive permits have to build structures that can cost tens of thousands of dollars and then have to tear them down just a few months later. Most restaurants or cafes do not have tens of thousands of dollars just lying around. This legislation will make it possible for small businesses to keep those structures up year-round, as well as allow the use of weatherproofing and weather-winterizing materials needed to operate outdoor dining through the slush and chill of winter. And this November, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to vote on ballot Proposition 1, making it even easier and more affordable for small businesses to open outdoor dining. Prop 1 would cut the eight-month application process down to two months and save small businesses up to $1,800. I want to thank City Council Member Lincoln Restler for introducing this legislation and for shepherding it through the City Council. Today is only possible because of his leadership. Lincoln, I know you pride yourself on being accessible and open to your constituents; I just hope that you are now ready to answer questions about trash containerization and affordable housing mid-bite. And I want to thank Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn for how tirelessly he has worked to help us arrive at this moment. Thank you, commissioner. In just a moment, I will proudly sign this bill into law. I cannot help but think of all that it will deliver, the joy that it will spread across our city [and] the memories that will be made. Neighborhood favorites will stay in business for years longer. Families will be able to dine al fresco. New Yorkers will go on first dates beneath the stars. And friends will finally be able to ask one another, "What's your Venmo?" under the light of the moon. Outdoor dining transformed our city once before. I'm so excited for it to do so once again. Thank you. And now let's get to signing Lincoln Restler's Introduction 0655 into law. Thank you so much. With that being said, I'm going to pass it over to Commissioner Mike Flynn.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYes, those will be lapsing into law. One of the key reasons to sign this legislation into law was not only the scale of the impact that this legislation will have on thousands of small businesses and restaurants across New York City, but also the fact that if it was to lapse into law, then it would create a lapse in service that was actually being delivered.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWhat I can say is that what we've found, we heard this from the Council member earlier, is that the prior administration's policy and rulemaking had led to a significant majority of previously participating businesses opting out just because it was too expensive to be a part of. I don't have additional details as to the specific number we expect, but it will be an increase from what we're seeing today. I don't know, Council member, if you want to add. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I haven't seen what that heckling was. What I would say is that I was proud to endorse Brad in his run for Congress, and I think that he will be an incredible champion for this city, and I think that he has put forward policy proposals that are reflective of our city's commitment to human rights. And then to your other part of that question, what do you mean by what was said there?
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source No, I think if it did, then I wouldn't be the mayor.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source Those conversations are ongoing. They are productive, and they're reflective of the fact that we are aligned in the recognition of the critical work that paraprofessionals do every single day and have been doing for quite some time. And that our issue with the legislation was more on the question of its legality as it was written. And so, I'm hopeful in those conversations, and I know that they're ongoing.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI will be there at the West Indian Day Parade, and I was proud to be there last year, and I'll be proud to be there in the years to come. When it comes to security protocols, we're going to do everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe. This is a day where so many New Yorkers come out to celebrate, and it's also a day where we have seen acts of violence in the past that we want to make sure are not a part of what it means to celebrate this parade. And when it comes to your question on Third Avenue, we have seen tragic hit-and-runs across the city over the past seven days, and they underscore the importance of Vision Zero, and they underscore our administration's commitment to ensuring that New Yorkers can get to where they're going safely, no matter if they're biking, walking, driving or riding public transit. And when it comes to Third Avenue specifically, we are going to be moving forward with the redesign of Third Avenue that had been stalled for quite some time. We will have more information soon. I do also just want to say that we, all of us here at City Hall and, frankly, across the city, are keeping the victims' family in our hearts, because these are horrific, horrific hit-and-runs that we've seen over the past week.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI haven't seen the story as yet, but if you send it to the press team, I'll be sure to read that. [Crosstalk.] And then on your first question, I just want to be very clear that the delays that we are discussing are unacceptable. And ever since these were identified, we have been working around the clock to both ensure that they are fixed for the upcoming school year and also that they are fixed in general. Because, as you said earlier, some of these are also reflective of an issue that has plagued City government, not for months, but for years. And what we are talking about is rebuilding the capacity that has been severely decreased over the last few years of staff who are charged with both setting up and maintaining our early childcare system, as well as increasing headcount and putting systems in place to ensure that we're overseeing these contracts and actually expediting the process by which they are registered. As you mentioned, that is going to be done in tandem with a $43 million investment that specifically hires 200 people to address these kinds of critical gaps, but also overhauls the entire system as it pertains to contract registration and communication with early childcare providers. Now, I also just want to take this opportunity to address that in the time since we've all last spoken about this issue, we have reached out to every single early childcare provider, and we have done so while also sending emails, as well as making over 800 calls to ensure that every organization hears from us directly. Since last week, the team has counseled over 50 providers who had expressed any kind of concern. They have all been connected with loans, as well as with additional supports. We have also tripled the number of staff who are working to process contracts. Any provider who has applied for a loan by today and has submitted a complete application will see their loan processed by the end of the week. We are also continuing to process these requests on a rolling basis with a rapid turnaround time, and also any provider who requests supplies by this Friday will receive them before the first day of school. And we will also continue to process those kinds of requests on a rolling basis.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI think we've known that when we're talking, as you had mentioned earlier, the kinds of contract delays that have been endemic in City government, that's something that we've been attuned to, and the need to overhaul that overall. When it comes to the specific concerns that some providers were facing, last week as we became aware of this, we have now put everything that we have to ensure that we are resolving all of these concerns in time for the first day of school.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceIt's not something that I'd heard about or considered until this moment, but do you have an outlet where I can read more about it?
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Signs Bill Making Year-Round Outdoor Dining A Permanent Part Of New York City.