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Michael Blake: “You have a scenario of a system that is not working…”

Featuring: Michael Blake, Democratic | Former Candidate, U.S. House New York, District 15

Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union

Published June 3, 2025 | Video Starts at 05:32

How do you have much more thoughtfulness around what is happening around the reimbursement or lack thereof that's been Happening around nonprofits, You have a scenario of a system that is not working effectively. And fundamentally, I do think it's because there have been people who don't want to see things changed. One of the reasons when I ran for the assembly and was elected in 2014 was to break that culture. (05:32–05:39)

CLAIM

Asserts that the current system is ineffective.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Michael Blake

“Brownsville Safety Alliance did a collaboration where for a week 911 calls were going to the Violence Interrupters.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 11:45-11:54
“Last year you had $1.4 billion around NYPD overtime, which to their acknowledgment was not around increased public safety.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 13:28-13:37
“Rikers is the second largest mental health facility in America right now. Only the LA County Jail is larger.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 15:01-15:10
“It's unconstitutional for ICE to be at places of worship, at schools and community centers.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 25:26-25:31
“Property tax reform in particular, such as the Madison Square Garden, which I love our Knicks, but MSG is not paying on that.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 27:05-27:11
“Mayor Adams largest proportional victory was not in Brooklyn. It was not in Manhattan. It was out of the Bronx.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 31:27-31:34
“A lot of the decisions and behavior that happened within City Hall was clearly from Eric [Adams].”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 04:09-04:15
“You have many people that are now thoroughly concerned about overall government because of a minority of bad actors.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 04:25-04:33
“A mayor is a manager. You are the one that is deciding on who you're putting in place.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 04:38-04:44
“You have several in the race who've had a chance to fix these things and haven't.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 05:01-05:05
“I ran in a race where corruption was evident.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 05:54-05:58
“A county party sued three times to try to kick me off the ballot.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 06:02-06:12
“We opened up the structural opaqueness that was happening around contracting and personnel.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 06:17-06:24
“You have a mayor who made decisions purely for the benefit of Donald Trump and not for the people.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 06:56-07:04
“You have to show New Yorkers that they can trust again.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 07:40-07:45
“CCRB, for example, has to be further empowered.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 08:03-08:06
“You need to have other entities [besides the current investigative team].”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 08:05-08:09
“There will be an independent entity that will actually hold people accountable.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 09:37-09:41
“No single individual should hold unchecked authority over disciplinary outcomes in the NYPD.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 10:51-11:04
“Officers [should do] increased street patrol with body cameras on.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 11:07-11:25
“There are formal structural changes that are occurring.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 11:32-11:35
“There needs to be a registry that is established of any officer who had police misconduct before they came to New York.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 12:42-12:49
“You have a scenario where effectively you have a mayor that's a bully.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 16:13-16:23
“You have a mayor who has multiple times pursued charter revisions because he was mad.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 16:23-16:30
“We saw this just last week where you had the mayor having undisclosed location briefings with the speaker and the budget chair before…”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 17:24-17:37
“There has to be greater transparency on what is actually happening when funds have been deployed or not deployed.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 19:25-19:32
“The fact that we all learned of the federal funds being rescinded because of essentially press releases.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 19:31-19:42
“It just speaks to the lack of collaboration that is happening when you have $80 million to $100 million that people are unaware of.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 19:59-20:09
“ICE is not allowed and should not be allowed on premises unless there's a signed judicial warrant.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 25:43-25:48
“We need to have a vacant apartment and a vacant commercial property tax for those that do not have New York as a primary residence. That…”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 26:46-26:55
“The reclaiming of unclaimed fees and fines in large part being parking that would generate close to $2 billion.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 26:56-27:04
“You have about 180,000 of our immigrants, in particular African, who do not have legal representation when they are going before these…”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 27:26-27:35
“If you are going to want to sustain these New York City contracts, you will not collaborate with unconstitutional behavior.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 28:01-28:09
“Every day when you check this man, he stands down.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 28:24-28:27
“The Harvard example where you saw that there was the back and forth that has been occurring when they're talking about the endowment.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 29:07-29:14
“My alma mater, Northwestern University, is one of the latest two that he's attacking right now.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 29:16-29:21
“The Costco target example where again, apply public pressure, makes people stand down and check their behaviors.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 29:23-29:31
“If the election were today, Andrew Cuomo would win.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 30:39-30:42
“The polls appeal around name recognition, but the sample sizes are obscenely too low.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 31:04-31:12
“We have 14 clergy that have endorsed us.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 32:09-32:12
“Two of the four largest congregations actually endorse us as well.”
Michael Blake Discusses Mayoral Candidacy and Reform Agenda with Citizens Union | Uploaded June 3, 2025 | 32:27-32:30