NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — In his final State of the City address, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city is stronger than ever but there is still plenty of unfinished business he wants to get done in his last year of office.
“Each of the five boroughs, I think it’s fair to say, is better off today than ever before and our state and the state of our city has never been stronger,” Bloomberg said during his speech Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
READ MORE: Teenage Girl In Critical Condition After Exiting MTA Bus, Getting Hit By Truck In BrooklynThe mayor said murders, shootings and incarcerations are at a record low, graduation rates are up by 41 percent – compared to nine percent in the rest of the state, and there is a record number of jobs in the city.
Banners Proclaiming City Achievements At Mayor Bloomberg’s Final State Of The City Address At Barclays Center (credit: Rich Lamb/WCBS 880)
Bloomberg even had banners proclaiming those milestones hanging from the rafters of the Barclays Center.
“Again and again, we have defied the conventional wisdom,” Bloomberg said.
WATCH: The Mayor’s Full Address
The mayor still has a big agenda and is not giving up on one of the most controversial programs of his administration — stop and frisk.
“Make no mistake, we have a responsibility to conduct them, and as long as I am mayor, we will not shirk from that responsibility,” Bloomberg said. “Is there anyone here who would sacrifice his or her life and the lives of their families and friends to end stops? I don’t think so.”
And in rare interruption, Councilman Jumaane Williams screamed out at the mayor when he was talking about stop and frisk.
“Basically I said ‘It’s not true, that’s wrong and it doesn’t work — it’s a failed policy,'” Williams told CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.
Williams wasn’t the only one one upset by the mayor’s statements.
“I don’t agree with his perspective that the way it’s being implemented is the centerpiece, if you will, of our criminal justice safety,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg said one of the most important pieces of unfinished business is rebuilding communities hardest-hit by Superstorm Sandy and building a more resilient and sustainable city.
“This year, we’ll develop a long-term plan so that when extreme weather hits – we’ll be able to get the lights back on quickly and ensure that the heat keeps working, the gas stations stay open, the hospitals maintain power and the transportation system keeps operating,” the mayor said.
Aides are expected to deliver a key report by the end of May on how to better protect the city from extreme weather.
READ MORE: Remembering Officer Rivera: Wake Today For 22-Year-Old Killed In Line Of Duty In Harlem“We will build back stronger. We will build back safer. We will build back more sustainably,” Bloomberg said.
The city will also focus on expanding education by opening new high schools focused on health care and the energy industry, as well as 26 new charter schools.
During his address, Bloomberg laid out a new “green” plan for the city that would increase the number of parking spaces for electric cars and begin recycling more plastics and food waste.
He proposed changing building codes requiring 20 percent of the 10,000 new parking spaces created this year to be equipped with electric car charging stations.
