Mayor Bloomberg's 7/12 Press Conference (Part One)

Yesterday, Tuesday July 12th, Mayor Michael Bloomberg conducted a press conference inside one of the New York City Sanitation Department's parking garages. He was accompanied by Deputy Mayor for Operations Stephen Goldsmith, Director of the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability David Bragdon, and Edna Wells Handy, Commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, along with various members of the press. I think my invitation got lost in the mail.

The mayor did briefly touch on a few other topics such as the budget deficit, about which he said the following: "New York City's economy is on the mend of 2008, but defaulting on our debt, I think, would be a huge setback. Now, I understand that both parties in Washington had different plans on how to reduce our debt, and I hope that they can come to an agreement soon, but that debate should not be tied to the debt ceiling. America's good name and credit are just too important to be held hostage to Washington's gridlock, and I hope that in the end cooler heads will prevail and agreements will be reached quickly."

The other important (much more temporary and localized) issue that the Mayor wanted to make sure he addressed was the current heat wave going on here in New York City. The National Weather Service declared a Heat Advisory effective through 9p.m. yesterday. Yesterday got up to almost 100 degrees in parts of the city and with the humidity levels so high, it certainly felt as hot, if not hotter. The mayor went on to mention the 450 "cooling centers" that officially opened Tuesday in Senior Centers, Libraries, Public Housing Developments, Salvation Army Communities Centers, and other various public locations throughout the five boroughs that were not specifically mentioned in his address. A lot of people take this kind of service for granted, but for those that can not afford air-conditioning and/or fans for their home, or for those who unfortunately do not have a place to call home, these cooling centers could mean the difference between life and death (when you consider the risk of heatstrokes, dehydration, etc.) For outdoor options, the public beaches and swimming pools are open to the public from 10am to 6pm. For more information you can call 311 or visit NYC.gov.