My Thoughts on New York City as One City

First Lady Chirlane McCray and Mayor Bill de Blasio

On December 15, Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chrilane McCray hosted a holiday reception at Gracie Mansion. They had very warm words for all those who are now celebrating Christmas and Chanukah while wishing all of their guests a very happy and healthy New Year. They thanked everyone for their support during this first year of Mayor de Blasio’s administration.

NYC Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito joined in the celebration of the holiday season. In addition to Speaker Mark-Viverito other Bronx electeds who attended were Congressman Eliot Engel, Assemblymen Luis Sepulveda and Michael Blake, and Councilman Andy Cohen.

Other distinguished Bronx residents who attended were Commissioner of the Community Assistance Unit Marco Carrion, Elvin Garcia and Paula Caquias of the Mayor’s Office.

I was impressed by the diversity of those attending, who came from many different faiths and ranged from very religious to secular to non-believers. The crowd consisted of people of many nationalities, all races, and with various ideologies.

In just one year there has been much progress towards ONE CITY. It is my hope that there will be increased work and effort to better the lives for those who are currently homeless, below the poverty line, the working poor, those in need of affordable housing, and even those in the middle class or in the upper economic classes.

I hope the small businesses, as well as large businesses, will continue to be helped by the city in guaranteeing that they have success. Our businesses are what make New York City an innovative city. If we help our businesses, we help the workers and each other.

It is also my hope that the animals of this city are continued to be taken care of. While we are not perfect when it comes to animal welfare laws, we are more advanced than other states. Just today, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito made comments on a puppy mill ban in regards to the sale to and from pet shops. There is continued progress on dealing with the horse carriages and, hopefully, the Bronx will see it’s own full service animal shelter in the near future.

That night there were protestors demanding a change of our juridical system and police standards, which I spoke in-depth about in my previous column, creating a juxtaposition between the event inside of Gracie Mansion and what was happening beyond its fences.

But this is what New York City is about, our similarities and contrasts come together in order to collaborate while opening conversations between those of different cultures, races, genders, and religious orientations.

We are all part of this city and we must continue to work towards making it ONE CITY.