NYC-WTC_000230575

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

the elected officials- nobody cared. Nobody asked me about-1 wont’ tell you who was in the room, but not one asked me about the public. A couple asked about the unions and all of them asked about the bus companies. Does that tell you where their funding was coming from?

Gambling: It certainly does.

Mayor: It was fascinating to me and I will never reveal who was in the room. That’s why- that’s another reason why this was done. This was a good deal for the city. The City was paying all of the expenses and there was no control. Now at least the MT A, which I’ve always thought does a reasonably decent job, will be in charge.

Gambling: All right. Police Commissioner Kelly this morning, getting rid of the panhandlers in Penn Station, wants them out not only of the station but the surrounding areas, that’s one thing. It’s just a statement really, more than a question. What about - how do you feel about the fact that they haven’t found David Braunstein yet? The Halloween rapist, it’s been a long time.

Mayor: It’s been a long time. You know, sometimes - listen, sometimes you go decades and the police don’t forget and eventually they will get this guy. The panhandler story is a separate thing and that was - it seemed to me a story blown out of proportion. Kelly goes around, when he sees something that he doesn’t think is right, he calls his commanders. When I go down the street and I see something wrong, I would call him or call the Sanitation Commissioner or call 311 and then they respond. There’s no special thing going on right now other than as it gets colder, panhandlers tend to come inside and so the police, whether it’s the MTA police, the Port Authority police, or the world’s greatest police department, the NYPD, you know, this is the time of the year and more people...

Gambling: Some of these people are homeless too...

Mayor: I understand that and the advocates, you know, would try to make sure - Linda Gibbs, our Homeless Service Commissioner, has just done a wonderful job. The number of homeless is going down. We just closed the biggest shelter the city had, Carlton House out in Queens, because there are fewer homeless. And for the first time we’re actually counting those on the streets. We’ve got real numbers which a lot of the advocates never wanted. You know, advocates don’t...

Gambling: Exactly, because then they could make up any number they want.

Mayor: Right, but now we have some real - there’s a real science behind it and we’ll be able to track it year from year and we’ll know whether we’re doing a good job or not. But I don’t think this city has ever had as good a Homeless Commissioner as Linda Gibbs.

Gambling: All right, let me take another break right here and when we come back, I’ve got a name that will win a Caribbean cruise so hang on for that.

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