April 23 :
Already halfway through the first semester, we should take stock of our progress and rejoice in what we have achieved as a group.
Here we are, four years after COVID-19 paralysed our metropolis, and New York is back to normal. Having one of our finest years ever, with crime down, jobs up, a record boom in tourism, and an economy firing on all cylinders—it doesn't get much better than this.
No city, no matter how strong its character, was able to easily recover from the pandemic. Still, we paved the way for economic growth and personal prosperity for New Yorkers via strategic planning and enabling initiatives.
By the end of the second year, we had not only restored every private sector job that had been lost during the pandemic, but we had also broken the previous record for the greatest number of jobs ever recorded in our city. Workers' wages have been increased. This includes our municipal workers, delivery persons, for-hire drivers, and non-profit employees. For the benefit of our city's public servants, we have bargained for contracts with 95% of the unionised workforce, including 100% of the uniformed workforce. The "Jobs NYC" programme is taking it a step further by holding hiring halls all around the five boroughs to link qualified New Yorkers with high-paying positions in the private and public sectors.
Along with the strong economic growth, we are also assisting more New Yorkers in finding affordable housing. With the help of our allies in Albany, this year's state budget actually implements all of our housing agenda priorities, allowing us to finally construct the affordable homes that New Yorkers have been demanding. Our "moonshot" objective is to construct half a million additional housing units in the next decade, and these new initiatives will help us reach that end.
Our substantial legacy projects include Willets Point, Queens' largest affordable housing complex, among others. Construction of the city's first football stadium and 2,500 housing units will completely revamp an entire neighbourhood, allowing for an estimated 25,000 spectators to go absolutely bonkers whenever the New York City Football Club wins another championship.
Additionally, a new 62-story office tower in Midtown was proudly unveiled last week, adding yet another impressive structure to our city's skyline. Our top financial firm, Citadel and Citadel Securities, will have its headquarters in this building in New York City, and it will employ six thousand people.
We have a lot planned for Midtown Manhattan, including a $10 billion expansion of the Midtown Bus Terminal and additional public spaces and safer streets between Madison and Herald Squares as part of our "Broadway Vision" plan.
We are also planning to build a boulevard that is pedestrian-focused in the hopes of attracting more New Yorkers and tourists to Fifth Avenue, our city's most renowned retail centre, after a long period of inaction—more than a century. The proposal will increase the amount of green space in our city while also elevating the Midtown area to the status of the most glitzy shopping centre in the world.
The future of our city will be shaped by these massive, forward-thinking public works projects. Together, we are investing in the future of our city and in the countless dedicated New Yorkers who call this place home.
Achieving all of this was possible because we never lost sight of the basics, particularly in the area of public safety. Every one of the five boroughs has seen a decline in crime this year, with quarterly drops. Murders and shootings have fallen by double digits in the recent year, following significant drops in 2022 and 2023.
Transit crime decreased by 15% in February and by nearly 24% in March, bringing the total decrease for the first quarter of this year to a record low.
The figures are important, but they are not the only consideration. Maintaining the trust and safety of New Yorkers and giving them faith that we are making progress are other important considerations. As a result, our government plans to pour more money into upstream solutions, making things better for everyone in New York, particularly the youth of our state.
We are investing in our Fair Futures programme to help foster youth, which has increased college enrollment by 50% since we became office, and in the ACS College Choice programme to ensure that these youth can afford college once they register.
In addition, we have expanded our dyslexia screening programmes to ensure that all students are tested for the condition and that those who are found to have dyslexia receive the necessary reading assistance. We are pleased with our progress over the past two years, but we are ready to take on whatever the future brings. Across the five boroughs, we will keep working to make New York metropolis the safest major metropolis in the country, increase economic opportunities, and protect the lives of all residents. Looking back on our two years of accomplishment, we are determined to continue our success story for years to come.
