New York City Council | Today, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams delivered her fourth State of the City address at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, outlining her vision for effective leadership of city government. Speaker Adams highlighted major issues facing the city and the Council’s work to tackle them under her leadership. She also unveiled several new proposals that advance increased resources for New Yorkers and solutions to significant challenges across the five boroughs.

Over the last three years, Speaker Adams and the Council have prioritized critical issues of health, housing, safety, and opportunity for all New Yorkers. Speaker Adams has introduced several major new initiatives through her past State of the City addresses, and the Council has incubated these innovative programs with its own funding and through partnership. These programs can make an even greater impact with the increased funding support of the mayor’s office.

“Last year, in the face of expiring federal stimulus funds supporting a slew of education programs, Speaker Adams and the City Council championed the needs of students and fought to ensure that many important programs would continue,” said Kim Sweet, Executive Director, Advocates for Children of New York. “Hundreds of thousands of students are benefitting today from programs that had been at risk of being rolled back or eliminated – from 3-K and preschool special education programs to school social workers and psychologists to community schools and shelter-based coordinators to immigrant family outreach and more. Beyond fighting for funding, the Speaker has engaged in the hard work of improving access to early childhood education with a focus not only on working families but on groups of children who too often get left behind. We are grateful for Speaker Adams’ leadership and look forward to continuing to partner with the Council to strengthen public education in New York City.”