With less than a month left before he hands the keys of City Hall over to Bill de Blasio, Mayor Michael Bloomberg looked back at his 12-year tenure Thursday and touted the ways he enhanced the city.
Speaking at the Association for a Better New York’s breakfast at the Brooklyn Marriott, the mayor predicted New Yorkers will be living better for a long time due to his efforts on various fronts. "There are no limits to the heights that we can climb as a city. There is no cap on the progress we can make, no boundaries that can hold us in — unless we ignore the critical and constant risk facing our city," he said.
Here’s some of what he highlighted in his speech.
Brooklyn’s Boom:
Bloomberg said 40% of the jobs that have been created since 2001 have been in Brooklyn. He credited the work of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz for both helping develop safer neighborhoods and attracting new tech businesses.
"Over the past 12 years, Brooklyn has become the quintessential urban success story," Bloomberg said.
Crime reduction:
The mayor said the NYPD has helped to bring crime to record lows with murder rates dropping 49% since 2001.
Bloomberg credited the campaign to get illegal weapons off the streets as the factor for the improved safety.
"No city in the country has done more to crack down on illegal guns than we have — and one result is that murder has declined much more steeply here than anywhere else in the country," he said.
