Outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday he’ll be waking up Wednesday morning with a smile on his face knowing he did the best he could have done, over his 12 year tenure as Mayor of the City of New York. In his 601st and final weekly radio address, Mayor Michael Bloomberg thanked New Yorkers for granting him the honor and the privilege of serving as mayor, electing him three times.

“Thank you for giving me the honor and privilege of serving you for 12 years,” he said Sunday morning on 1010WINS. “You took a chance on me in the dark days after 9/11, when the city’s future was so uncertain and our hearts were so heavy. I was a political outsider, a relative unknown, an entrepreneur with no government experience who asked for your trust.”

Mr. Bloomberg touted his record in City Hall.

“When I first took the oath of office, few people would have believed that murder could be cut in half; that high school graduation rates could increase by 42 percent; that 22 of the state’s top 25 elementary and middle schools could be located in New York City, versus zero in 2001; that the number of people living in Lower Manhattan could more than double; that the number of jobs could hit a record high; that our life expectancy could grow by three years; that we could be the only large city in the country to experience no increase in poverty; that we could create the largest affordable housing program any city has ever undertaken; that we could add more than 850 new acres of parkland and revitalize much of our waterfront; that one million trees could be planted; that our air could be cleaner than it’s been in more than 50 years and our harbor cleaner than it’s been in 100 years; that public art installations – like the Gates – could become global sensations… and that we could go 12 years without terrorists carrying out another attack.”

“But thanks to the work of so many extraordinary people we did all that, and more. Today, New York City is stronger than it’s ever been. Of course, we continue to face serious challenges; we always will. But we’ve shown that even the toughest challenges can be tackled successfully,” he said.

“Every day, over the past 12 years, I awaken thinking about how to make our city stronger and safer, healthier and greener, freer and fairer, more just and compassionate, more innovative and forward looking, with more opportunity for all,” Mr. Bloomberg said in conclusion. “On Wednesday morning, I’ll wake up and smile, knowing that we did everything we could to achieve those goals.”

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)