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American Morning
Interview with NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Aired September 11, 2003 - 07:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: With me now, the mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.
Good morning, Mr. Mayor.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: Good morning.
HEMMER: I don't know if this is the appropriate question or not, but how are you today on a day like today?
BLOOMBERG: Well, you're sad, because 2,800 people were lost. I mainly think about the three that I knew. The others are names. But I think one of the things we forget is, we talk about the big numbers, but they were individuals. And each one had a family, each one had hopes that will never be fulfilled for themselves, but hopefully we can fulfill their hopes and dreams for their children, and that's our responsibility.
HEMMER: But a lot of people here in Manhattan say, if you walk down to the site, if you come to it not on a day like today, but just a normal day during the week or a typical weekend here in New York, they say the site is entirely too sterile, almost to the point where you do not grasp again the enormity of that day two years ago.
BLOOMBERG: I think only family members can really grasp the enormity. They're the ones that lost their parents, their children, their siblings, their spouses. For the rest of us, it is -- we're removed. And what we've got to focus on is making sure that the terrorists don't think they've won. That the terrorists know that the more they strike us, the more we're going to strike back. That if you knock us down, we're going to get up and come out stronger than ever.
And that's what you see behind you, a rebuilding process for the future. And that's why we have the children reading the names today. The children are the bridge. It's their relatives that we lost, but that's their future that we have to take care of.
HEMMER: There has been some criticism based on the amount of money that's been doled out down here in lower Manhattan, trying to re-instill that sense of excitement, invigorate the business community down here. The criticism says a third of that money has been given to investment firms and law firms as opposed to small businesses.
BLOOMBERG: Well, the money...
HEMMER: You're a businessman. How do you defend that? BLOOMBERG: The money was given out. It's a state agency giving out federal money, and I think on balance they've probably done a pretty good job. You want to encourage employers who have the jobs that our people need to stay here. And I know of virtually no company that has left New York City. Only one or two have moved uptown. Real estate prices, which are a measure of how much people want to live here, are at record highs in downtown Manhattan. We have record low vacancy rates. There are the new art galleries that have moved here and opened.
The future for New York City, I think, is very bright. It's going to require a lot of hard work, need the help from everybody. The federal government and the whole country has been there when we needed them. The state, the governor of New York State, George Pataki, has been very helpful to us and provided. But mainly, it's the people of New York who have gotten together.
HEMMER: I think one thing that is staggering that people outside of this city may not realize, the occupancy rate down here is well over 95 percent.
BLOOMBERG: Ninety-seven percent.
HEMMER: And Battery Park City it's 97 percent. That is pretty impressive right now.
BLOOMBERG: Because it's a great place to live, and I think that the fact that the country helped us gives Americans a good sense of what we're all about. We are in a fight together, and it's not just New York and the rest of the country. It's really New York and the rest of the world.
I was in Israel a few weeks ago, and I went to the site of where a bomb killed 20 or 30 people. At that site with me was a doctor, David Applebaum (ph)I think was his name. Two days ago, he was killed by another bomb blast...
HEMMER: So was his daughter.
BLOOMBERG: ... and his daughter...
HEMMER: She was ready to be married.
BLOOMBERG: ... the night before her wedding.
HEMMER: That's right.
BLOOMBERG: Terrorism hasn't stopped, but we have young men and women around this world who are fighting and tragically dying to go after the terrorists. The president is right on this one. We have to strike back. Israel is right. You cannot sit there and let terrorists constantly assassinate people. We're not going to stand for that.
HEMMER: You were promised an awful lot of money in the days after the attacks of 9/11 two years ago. Just about a third of that money has come through thus far. Are you happy with that?
BLOOMBERG: Yes. You've got to remember that a lot of it only comes through when you have the programs in place. It shouldn't have come through by now. When we have bills that the federal government is supposed to pay, they've been there right away. The grants and loans are in the process of being made. If they give you some money to back liberty bonds that are going to go build a building, it takes years to design that building.
So, the fact that the money hasn't come through yet is no indication the federal government has walked away; quite the contrary. I think if you really look at the numbers, the federal government, which is really the 280 million people of this country -- its not a government, it's people -- they've been there when New York needed them, and we all owe them a great debt of gratitude.
HEMMER: There is another issue down here that continues to circulate -- in fact, it's gained a lot of steam in the past month -- as to whether or not the air quality in the days after the attacks of 9/11, whether or not the public was truly informed in an accurate way. Now, there are questions about whether or not the warnings that went out should not have gone out or perhaps they should have been stronger than what they were. Right now, what are you telling people here in New York City who may start to come across these health conditions today that may linger now for years?
BLOOMBERG: The first thing is all reputable science says the air quality today here is as good as it's been and is as good as it is in any major city, maybe better. No. 2, the numbers that I've seen from reputable scientists in the past say that the air quality was acceptable back then, and that the public was not misled. I don't -- I wasn't privy to any conversations, and I'm not a scientist, but it would appear that the public was well-served.
If you don't feel well, go to see a doctor. That's what common sense says you should do. If you do that, I think most people will find that they have the normal aches and pains of getting older. We all do that.
But you've got to remember, we live in a big city. We live in an industrial world where the air isn't as pure as it used to be. I might also point out that life expectancy today is an awful lot better and higher than it used to be back then.
HEMMER: Good luck today, and thank you for your time today.
BLOOMBERG: Thanks very much. It's a sad day, but we're going to get through this.
HEMMER: Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired September 11, 2003 - 07:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: With me now, the mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.
Good morning, Mr. Mayor.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: Good morning.
HEMMER: I don't know if this is the appropriate question or not, but how are you today on a day like today?
BLOOMBERG: Well, you're sad, because 2,800 people were lost. I mainly think about the three that I knew. The others are names. But I think one of the things we forget is, we talk about the big numbers, but they were individuals. And each one had a family, each one had hopes that will never be fulfilled for themselves, but hopefully we can fulfill their hopes and dreams for their children, and that's our responsibility.
HEMMER: But a lot of people here in Manhattan say, if you walk down to the site, if you come to it not on a day like today, but just a normal day during the week or a typical weekend here in New York, they say the site is entirely too sterile, almost to the point where you do not grasp again the enormity of that day two years ago.
BLOOMBERG: I think only family members can really grasp the enormity. They're the ones that lost their parents, their children, their siblings, their spouses. For the rest of us, it is -- we're removed. And what we've got to focus on is making sure that the terrorists don't think they've won. That the terrorists know that the more they strike us, the more we're going to strike back. That if you knock us down, we're going to get up and come out stronger than ever.
And that's what you see behind you, a rebuilding process for the future. And that's why we have the children reading the names today. The children are the bridge. It's their relatives that we lost, but that's their future that we have to take care of.
HEMMER: There has been some criticism based on the amount of money that's been doled out down here in lower Manhattan, trying to re-instill that sense of excitement, invigorate the business community down here. The criticism says a third of that money has been given to investment firms and law firms as opposed to small businesses.
BLOOMBERG: Well, the money...
HEMMER: You're a businessman. How do you defend that? BLOOMBERG: The money was given out. It's a state agency giving out federal money, and I think on balance they've probably done a pretty good job. You want to encourage employers who have the jobs that our people need to stay here. And I know of virtually no company that has left New York City. Only one or two have moved uptown. Real estate prices, which are a measure of how much people want to live here, are at record highs in downtown Manhattan. We have record low vacancy rates. There are the new art galleries that have moved here and opened.
The future for New York City, I think, is very bright. It's going to require a lot of hard work, need the help from everybody. The federal government and the whole country has been there when we needed them. The state, the governor of New York State, George Pataki, has been very helpful to us and provided. But mainly, it's the people of New York who have gotten together.
HEMMER: I think one thing that is staggering that people outside of this city may not realize, the occupancy rate down here is well over 95 percent.
BLOOMBERG: Ninety-seven percent.
HEMMER: And Battery Park City it's 97 percent. That is pretty impressive right now.
BLOOMBERG: Because it's a great place to live, and I think that the fact that the country helped us gives Americans a good sense of what we're all about. We are in a fight together, and it's not just New York and the rest of the country. It's really New York and the rest of the world.
I was in Israel a few weeks ago, and I went to the site of where a bomb killed 20 or 30 people. At that site with me was a doctor, David Applebaum (ph)I think was his name. Two days ago, he was killed by another bomb blast...
HEMMER: So was his daughter.
BLOOMBERG: ... and his daughter...
HEMMER: She was ready to be married.
BLOOMBERG: ... the night before her wedding.
HEMMER: That's right.
BLOOMBERG: Terrorism hasn't stopped, but we have young men and women around this world who are fighting and tragically dying to go after the terrorists. The president is right on this one. We have to strike back. Israel is right. You cannot sit there and let terrorists constantly assassinate people. We're not going to stand for that.
HEMMER: You were promised an awful lot of money in the days after the attacks of 9/11 two years ago. Just about a third of that money has come through thus far. Are you happy with that?
BLOOMBERG: Yes. You've got to remember that a lot of it only comes through when you have the programs in place. It shouldn't have come through by now. When we have bills that the federal government is supposed to pay, they've been there right away. The grants and loans are in the process of being made. If they give you some money to back liberty bonds that are going to go build a building, it takes years to design that building.
So, the fact that the money hasn't come through yet is no indication the federal government has walked away; quite the contrary. I think if you really look at the numbers, the federal government, which is really the 280 million people of this country -- its not a government, it's people -- they've been there when New York needed them, and we all owe them a great debt of gratitude.
HEMMER: There is another issue down here that continues to circulate -- in fact, it's gained a lot of steam in the past month -- as to whether or not the air quality in the days after the attacks of 9/11, whether or not the public was truly informed in an accurate way. Now, there are questions about whether or not the warnings that went out should not have gone out or perhaps they should have been stronger than what they were. Right now, what are you telling people here in New York City who may start to come across these health conditions today that may linger now for years?
BLOOMBERG: The first thing is all reputable science says the air quality today here is as good as it's been and is as good as it is in any major city, maybe better. No. 2, the numbers that I've seen from reputable scientists in the past say that the air quality was acceptable back then, and that the public was not misled. I don't -- I wasn't privy to any conversations, and I'm not a scientist, but it would appear that the public was well-served.
If you don't feel well, go to see a doctor. That's what common sense says you should do. If you do that, I think most people will find that they have the normal aches and pains of getting older. We all do that.
But you've got to remember, we live in a big city. We live in an industrial world where the air isn't as pure as it used to be. I might also point out that life expectancy today is an awful lot better and higher than it used to be back then.
HEMMER: Good luck today, and thank you for your time today.
BLOOMBERG: Thanks very much. It's a sad day, but we're going to get through this.
HEMMER: Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
