The following is the text of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s weekly radio address as prepared for delivery on 1010 WINS News Radio for Sunday, November 10, 2013.
“Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
“In just a little over seven weeks’ time, mayor-elect Bill de Blasio will take the oath of his new office – and then take the reins of the City government that we all rely on. On the morning after last week’s Election Day, Bill and I had a great hour-long talk, one-on-one, at City Hall. It was the first of what we agreed would be periodic get-togethers over the next two months, all focused on achieving the best possible transition from our Administration to his.
“Thankfully, no new Administration ever gets handed a completely blank slate. Ours was fortunate to have the accomplishments of those who came before us to build on. And our Administration is giving the next one a lot to work with, too. In addition, we’ve been planning the transition carefully. City government has scores of departments and agencies. Some play highly recognizable roles; others do work that’s less visible but just as important. For weeks, all of them have worked to prepare clear, concise memos explaining the issues the next Administration will confront, both immediately and in the longer run. We’ve put that all together in the form of an electronic book – one that we’re now turning over to the mayor-elect and his transition team.
“Our goal in doing that, and in all our other efforts to ease the transition, is simple: We want the de Blasio Administration to be a big success. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved these past 12 years; now we want them to do even better. After all, New York City is our home; we’re going to keep living here. We want our city’s future to stay bright. And I think it’s great that Bill de Blasio is asking you for your ideas about the city’s future, too. You can go to his new web site, transition 2013.com, to find out more.
“Of course, any new job presents challenges – and believe me, running New York City government is certainly no exception. If the experience of our Administration offers any guide, some things that may look at the outset as if they’ll be easy going to the next team at City Hall could prove a lot harder once they really wade in. I’m sure they’ll make adjustments and corrections as a result, just as we did – because just as we do, they’ve also got New Yorkers’ interests at heart. We wish them the best – which is why we’re working hard to give them a smooth handoff, a fast start, and a world-class transition.
“This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Thanks for listening.”
(YWN Desk – NYC)