N.Y. Mayor De Blasio Issues Transcript on Appointment of Lt. Col. Hendon

NEW YORK, Oct. 3 -- New York Mayor Bill de Blasio issued the following transcript on retirement of Veterans Services' Commissioner Loree Sutton and appointment of Lt. Col. James Hendon as successor:

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Wow - James, I'm very, very impressed and very moved. I think everyone here is. And I think it's very important that you told people your story today because here you are, an accomplished man - a fine public speaker, may I add - everything about you exudes confidence and strength, and yet there's not one of us who doesn't slip and fall sometimes. And for you to tell your story, I think helps other people to realize that everyone has a right to the help they need. I don't want you to ever be ashamed of it.

Everyone has a chance to turn things around especially that is something we owe to those who have served us. So, you have set an extraordinary example today. I just want to commend you for doing that. I want to commend you for the strength you have shown, the way you have put your life on the track it's on now. You are - you're a role model to all of us. Thank you, James.

[Applause]

So, we're here because this is a very powerful, special place for our city and for our nation. The Intrepid stands for so much and means so much to all of us and it exemplifies the strength and resilience of those who serve us. Everyone knows the history of this ship, knows what it went through but it kept coming back. So, it's a symbol that is so powerful and we all feel it very personally, very humanly - and it takes on other meaning for us in different ways. For me personally this ship immediately reminds me of my dad.

This ship, in fact, brought many soldiers to fight on Okinawa where my dad fought in World War II and where he lost half his leg and where many of his challenges began. When I think of this ship, I think of the good people who serve their country and then how many of them carried with them thereafter the challenges and the pain because they did the right thing. But the right thing was not done for them in so many cases.

And that brings us to 2016. And I want to be clear, even though we're celebrating and there's a lot to celebrate - Loree's leadership and the creation of this department and everyone who works for this department, all the good people they've reached and the new leadership to come - there's a lot to celebrate but I want to remind people, the fact that we had to create this department is a reminder of something profoundly wrong still because our men and women in uniform served our nation - our nation from that very moment should have been there for them and it's still not true today, in too many cases. Not taking away for a moment the good work a lot of folks in the Veterans' Administration who do help people.

I'm speaking to the fact that so many men and women go without the help they need. So many families go without the help they need. The whole idea of helping a veteran is still so incomplete in America today. And that's why we had to act. And I think this department is going to be here for a long time. But I think on one level every one of us wished and still wish for the day where it would not be needed. But I think that day is a long way ahead and we got to keep fighting for it.

So, what we know is that I think the lesson we, kind of, are all taught, that the hard part was the time when you served, I think that was not the whole story, to say the least. For a lot of men and women the time they served was extraordinarily difficult and noble but equally hard sometimes, even harder, was the time after. And I saw that in my home and I came to understand that the war doesn't end for a lot of soldiers, sailors, airmen, a lot of families. The way doesn't end, it stays with them their whole life. And now that we understand that better, all of us, we know it's our job to do everything we can to be there for our veterans.

And this department serves an extraordinary amount of people. I think, you know, there may be in people's minds ideas of where veterans live in this country. Well, here is a home to over 200,000 veterans - this city. And this is the place where we need to make a change and we're trying every day and I now have the opportunity to praise the work of the founding commissioner, Loree Sutton. Now, I want to start by revealing a fact that I've known for quite a while but hasn't been brought up publicly that a well-known consumer product, a well-known symbol of that product, the Energizer Bunny, yes, was based on the life of Loree Sutton.

[Laughter]

It's true. Now, they took the Energizer Bunny down a few notches because they didn't think people were ready for the level of energy that Loree Sutton has.

[Laughter]

There it's out, Loree.

[Laughter]

I've often said, and I mean it, I've had so many wonderful experiences working with Loree, and I've said many a time and I feel it this very day - I want to eat for breakfast whatever she eats for breakfast because I don't understand it but I love it. So, her first year as leading our Office of Veterans' Affairs and in these last three years initiating and building out our Department of Veterans' Services - and I remember our earliest conversations, Loree, and you talked about with passion - pretty much the only way you talk - you talked about your own experiences in the army trying to help the higher-ups understand what was happening to members of the service, and appealing to them to change and understanding that change doesn't come easily.

And I say that fire and I saw that energy you felt that you didn't accept the status quo and you were not shocked when a bureaucracy had trouble acknowledging some of the challenges. Well, you took that spirit of not accepting the unacceptable and you put it to work, and with a great team you assembled. And I've had the joy of being with them at events and parades and meetings and they're just extraordinary people. Let's actually give a big round of applause to all of them.

[Applause]

Some of the achievements - just some - since 2014, we have a 97 percent drop in street homelessness among veterans to an all-time low level now.

[Applause]

And I want everyone to join me in your hearts with a commitment that the words veterans homelessness will someday be abolished and banned and unnecessary because one thing that does not make sense in our society is that any veteran would ever be homeless. And that's something we all have to aspire to. But we've seen remarkable progress.

What you and your team did in creating the Vets Care program to acknowledge and recognize and embrace vets who had PTSD. And I say this as the son of a veteran who unquestionably had PTSD. They didn't call it that, decades ago. But it is clear as a bell and it plagued him his whole life. But you are doing a wonderful thing by acknowledging that challenge, embracing those veterans, and then helping them to find the kind of jobs that will sustain them and their family, and the connection with now over 25,000 veterans and their families that has been achieved by this office. The fact that there was some place to turn that was compassionate and willing and able to provide help - what a blessing. But those numbers only tell us one piece of the story and so much more important is the story that James told. One example - and what a powerful one - of what can happen when someone actually gets the help they need and they are heard and they are seen and they are respected. And James, I am so happy so say, your story is not the only one. So many others have been helped by our Department of Veterans' Services. So, in a second I am going to ask Commissioner Sutton to come up and give her valedictory. But again, in addition to thanking everyone from Veterans' Services who had her back and took her vision and ran with it. And tried to keep up with her. I want to thank someone who has done a lot since he came on board to continue to build out this new department, still new department. And that's our Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson, thank you for your leadership, Phil.

[Applause]

We've also gotten a lot of support every step along the way from the City Council and I want to thank them because when we do our work, we need to do this, in partnership. The City Council believes in this department and its work and believes we all need to keep doing more. And I want to thank the Chair of the Veterans' Committee in the Council, Council member Chaim Deutsch. Thank you, Council member.

[Applause]

Council member, I know you are upset because you thought the energizer bunny was based on you, but you are a close second. I've seen you in action, you're a close second. And I also want to acknowledge some of the folks who are gathered with us here today, for this very important moment. First of all, they have done a lot of great work and we're elevating one of their members today, New York City Veterans' Advisory Board, let's thank all of them.

[Applause]

And let's thank an extraordinary organization that means so much to our veterans, the United War Veterans Council.

[Applause]

And an organization that acknowledges how much we need to give all veterans the education and training opportunities they deserve. An organization that we are pleased to have here including the founding member, or founder I should say, Gerry Byrne. Let's welcome Veterans on Campus.

[Applause]

So Loree, I don't have enough words, there are not enough words in the English language to describe you and all you've done here but I just want to thank you. This has been a joy. We saw eye-to-eye from the beginning, literally. And everything, every job you took on, every assignment you did it with heart and joy and passion and a can do attitude and it got done. And great things ahead - thank you, Loree.

[Applause]

Commissioner Loree Sutton, Department of Veterans' Services: Okay, alright, y'all. Listen up.

[Laughter]

Mr. Mayor, thank you so much. Thank you for your confidence, thank you for your support. Thank you and Chirlane for just giving me and my team and our community of veterans everything we need, we've needed to be able to support our veterans like James Brown. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for your leadership.

[Applause]

Now I know that a lot of you all thought that you were coming here today for the launch of our three year start up report. Well we are gang. It's on the website. I wanted to sleep with this under my pillow last night, Laurie told me that would take it a little far. But this is something we are so proud of. It's taken a team of teams, not just the wonderful members of our team DVS. And I'll tell you, Jeff Roth is our Deputy, we've been the mom and dad of this organization [inaudible] thank you so much for your leadership.

[Applause]

And that brings us to today's ceremony. Isn't that great, the sounds of freedom, we got little David and we got little Grace, and we got Christine here, and we got daddy Ulysses. James, you've done well. Welcome here to the Intrepid, thank you so much.

[Applause]

And that comes to Susan, you and Dave. Thank you for your hospitality. You have been so welcoming to me and my team, our entire community. This is sacred ground as the Mayor said, it makes him think of his father and all of us think of those to whom we owe so much. There have been times over the last five years where I have really felt like, perhaps I should start paying rent to the Intrepid because we've just had so much time here and done so much for so many. And the best of all is that we have just begun. Thank you for your hospitality, all you give to this city.

[Applause]

Now I got to tell you gang. When Laurie and I first came to New York City, six years ago now, we came as a grand adventure. We came as partners. We became Brooklynites, to begin with - I got it right after all this time Mr. Mayor. And what we didn't understand was what we would actually find once we got here. We found a home, we found a community, we found purpose, we found meaning. We found a place where we felt like we belonged. And Mr. Mayor, you'll remember this. You were there three years ago on that just, amazing day. The Pride March three days after the Supreme Court decision in which after the moment of silence honoring all who had not lived long enough to see that day, and we whisked under the security guard, I was down on bended knee, will you marry me? And Mr. Mayor, she said yes.

[Applause]

And so when I was spreading the great news, I had to reach out to my battle buddy of the last 15 years, Garry Trudeau, the arch angel of Walter Reed who has chronicled with perfect pitch the experiences of our veterans and their families since 9/11. Garry introduced me and Laurie and so when I told him we were engaged. He said oh, don't I get to be the grooms maid? And I said, better yet, it's your fault, you are going marry us. And marry us you did. Thank you, God bless you Garry Trudeau.

[Applause]

And that brings us to where we are today. This ceremony today, led by firefighter Mike and his A-list FDNY honor guard. How about a big round of applause for them?

[Applause]

Sergeant Major Escalante, great marine that you are, hoorah, thank you for being here today.

[Applause]

And our very own Tanya Thomas, thank you Tanya.

[Applause]

For any of you who may be wondering, from whence does Tanya draw her passion, her soul, herself to her music, Tanya is one of our Gold Star spouses. She leads our care giver initiative and God bless Tanya, we cannot thank you enough.

[Applause]

Now, Chaplain Sears, you know that you're not going to be left out of this. Chaplain Sears in his prayer referenced New York City as a premiere city, which it is. It's a fine city, and it's also a United States Coast Guard city.

[Applause]

One of my favorite lines over the last five years was when the Commandant of the Coast Guard was here, when he had a ceremony designating New York City as a Coast Guard city and the Mayor starts and says 'now, Mr. Commandant, four star general here, he says I want you to know that New York City has been, is now, and will always be a Coast Guard city. Glad you got around to it. So, thank you so much, Chaplain Sears, bring the word back. Thank you very much.

[Applause]

Deputy Mayor Thompson, you and your Dana have embraced me and my Laurie, and I got to tell you, our best is still yet ahead. Thank you for your leadership, your vision, everything that you've brought to this. And I know that under James's leadership DVS is going to continue going higher, further, farther than we even dreamt possible. Thank you so much.

[Applause]

Now, I got to tell you. Is this timing or what? Sweet grace, just at the time that I'm about ready to embarrass her daddy -

[Laughter]

Is grabbing onto him and James, you are demonstrating by your example, by your family, by your life of service and by your contributions already to our community. First, as the NYU Futures Lab director, member of our Veterans' Advisory Board - you got little, little David there next to Grace, and Christine and dad Ulysses. How about another big round of applause for James?

[Applause]

Okay, okay gang. So, I just have to thank you enough, I cannot thank you enough. I'm looking around the room here, I see Dominick Yezzo, I see Ed Schloeman. I see Stephanie [inaudible]. So many of you, Vince, and Doug, it just keeps getting better. And I feel a little bit right now, yes I am energized Mr. Mayor, and it's because of people like this, a community like this, leadership like yours, and James - yes, you, you're the guy that I work with and the other James, you're the guy that I love seeing little David in your arms. So, thank you all for all that you've given to me, and Laurie this is now our home. We're not going anywhere. We've lived more here in New York City than any other place in our adult lives. We love our city, we love its traditions, its culture, its arts, its quirks, its characters, and its traditions. So, let's just say I feel a little bit like Churchill after the Battle of Britain. You didn't see that coming, did you Mr. Mayor?

Mayor: It's a long way from the Energizer Bunny.

Commissioner Sutton: It is.

[Laughter]

But when he said this is not the end, this is the not the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning. Let us continue to march forward, let's continue to keep our eyes on the prize. Service is our North Star. We will meet again on the high ground. I'll be the one with the big grin. God bless you all, thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: Yes she will.

[Applause]

Well done, Loree. Well, Loree has set the stage perfectly for the passing of the torch and you can imagine as we at City Hall discussed who would be the right successor to Loree Sutton, and I'm reminder of the famous dialogue. Do you know the famous story of Thomas Jefferson going to France as the United States ambassador? And the French official who greeted him upon arrival - and the previous ambassador had been Ben Franklin, and the French official who greeted him upon arrival said ah Mr. Jefferson, you are Mr. Franklin's replacement and Jefferson's said no I am not Mr. Franklins replacement, I am merely his successor. So, I don't think there is another Loree Sutton in the universe. But -

Commissioner Sutton: We can all be glad.

[Laughter]

Mayor: But we have a successor who is extraordinary. And I agree with Loree that the beginning has been achieved over these last three years. But now it is a time to take this agency even farther, because there is a lot of work to be done, there's a lot of people to be reached. And we've seen how much can be done by our Department of Veterans' Services and we know that there's even more out there. So as we contemplated who should lead this department, well we thought about someone who understands family as he's' proving right now.

[Laughter]

I give you credit.

[Laughter]

Cool under pressure. But we also really thought about as someone who could relate and feel experiences deeply of those he would serve and as I got to know Colonel James Hendon, I appreciated a lot of piece of his story. I appreciated it that he is someone who very early on showed tremendous leadership. And when he was chosen to go to West Point, it was not because he was someone who was connected or part of an old military family. He was someone who just extraordinary promise and he shown even in his earliest years through and then he served this country in both Iraq and Afghanistan. And the stories he told me of dealing with the complexities of those theaters of war, and what it took to lead his troops in that circumstance, to me it was sobering and eye opening, and humbling, and a reminder of what people can summon in themselves when confronted with extraordinary challenges.

And then upon returning, having a vision of wanting to do so much more for the world, and I think James Hendon and Loree Sutton have this great commonality of there is no such thing as enough service, and there is no such thing as mission accomplished. There's always another mission. So, James then came back, got the kind of training that we all believe our veterans deserve, started his own company to do good, and then did even more as the founding director of the NYC Veterans Lab, helping veterans to become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses and have the kind of livelihoods they deserve and as a member of our Veterans Advisory Board, building out this department. He is by his experience, by his intellect, by his drive he has become a national leader on helping veterans to come home and to reach their full potential after their military service is done and that spirit, that experience, that vision is what we need as we move forward. Coronel Hendon, we're going to look to you to reach a lot of people with this extraordinary team. And as we heard the amazing story of James Brown, we're going to measure success by the lives we make better. And you know a lot about that already, and you're going to bring all that here. Now, if your wingman there will release you for a moment -

[Laughter]

Excellent transition, that was symbolic.

[Laughter]

It's now my pleasure to introduce the next Commissioner for the Department of Veterans' Services, Coronel James Hendon.

[Applause]

Incoming Commissioner James Hendon, Department of Veterans' Services: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Giving honors and salutations to Mayor de Blasio, to Deputy Mayor Thompson, to Commissioner Sutton, Chairman of the city's Veteran Committee Councilman Deutsch, and members of the Veterans Advisory Board, and distinguished guests. I am honored to accept this appointment to serve as the next Commissioner for the Department of Veterans' Services and as Commissioner Sutton will say, there's a saying in the military that we don't promote individuals based on performance alone but based on potential. That being said, I'm so grateful that you see potential in me as a servant and as a steward of this awesome organization, Sir. It's already been said but to reiterate, some of the finest people you will see in this city and in the world are housed within DVS. Please, let's give them a hand.

[Applause]

Like many members of the veteran's community and our allies, a feeling of appreciation for this great nation and a compulsion to serve are in my DNA. Funny thing is, you know, when I was a child, many moons ago but maybe David and Grace's age, I would have been the last person to tell you that I would be standing here right now. I was born in Miami, Florida in 1980. For those who are of age, you might remember this - about the time of the McDuffie Riots. My father tells me that shortly after I was born in December, the last verdict acquitting one of the officers involved was announced and more riots broke out.

So, on the way home from the hospital, he had to take me, you know, a newborn, and just hold me out of the window of the car so that rioters would not flip the vehicle. And this wasn't us driving from one neighborhood - passing through a neighborhood to get where we needed to go. This was us heading home. This was where we lived at the time. And, you know, fast forward - I've always had love within the places where I've stayed, within the homes where I've lived, and amongst the people who lived with me, but I kept changing homes. I kept changing households and living arrangements after my parents got divorced.

So, for me, between grandparents and aunts and parents, there was a handful of places where I could stay at a given time at night. So, you keep changing spots, changing spots, and, you know, you get these times where you wake up at night, it's dark, you don't know where you are, and you realize, you know, this is where I am and it just got at me. And, you know, this is me as a kid.

The things that stood out to me throughout those times - and the other piece of it was just constantly changing schools also when I was young. So the things that stood out to me was gratitude and ZIP codes. For gratitude, when you see a lot of things and move around a great deal, you don't take for granted what you have. You know, to this day, I tell my wife, Christine, who is here today - you know, my compass - I tell her thank you for even little things. So - just thank you for food. You know, we might get some pizza from a place down the street and I'll - she'll give me a plate or more likely I will go get myself a plate -

[Laughter]

And I will say thank you, honey, so much for this pizza. You know, that's just who I am. And I tell her how much I appreciate her, that I love her. Same thing happens with my kids. With Grace, with David - Grace will open a door for me and I will just say thank you so much, I'm just so grateful because I think when you come for certain settings you just develop this deep appreciation.

And the thoughts on gratitude especially extend to my time in military service. I think this is an incredible country that we live in and [inaudible] America is the best place on Earth, in my opinion and it's worth defending, it's worth fighting for, and with that in mind when I was of age - as soon as I was old enough, I put my right hand up and swore to protect and serve this Constitution, and [inaudible] defend it when becoming an officer. I think that all people should serve in some way, be it military service or otherwise, but some way because we have so much to give.

As far as ZIP codes - so I moved around so much and I attended so many different places that I started to see this disconnect between certain lives and others just based on where you live and where you grow up. And when you travel so much and you're young, you see these outcomes - it just forged within me a desire to serve and to help people connect dots to be able to get to a better place. This is something that is a theme throughout my life.

My theory of the case is that life is like a race - a track. Picture a track, several lanes, you've got different people running in their own lane. I believe that based on your religion, based on your race, based on your creed, based on your military affiliation, based on your sexual orientation, based on your disability status, that you start at a different place on this track. And everything that I care about is how do we connect the dots so that everyone can be at that starting line. That applies to not only members of the veteran's community but just all who are within this mantle.

This focus on empowerment it's within everything that I do from teaching ROTC at CUNY to mentoring students at the Eagle Academy in the Bronx, to helping faith centers perform energy-efficiency retrofits first while at BlocPower, and then within my own business to leveraging my expertise in entrepreneurship to helping other veterans and spouses of veterans launch their own businesses at NYU's Veterans Future Lab.

I just keep trying to move this ball forward on the same theory of the case - we're getting people to that starting line. I told the Mayor, when we last spoke, that my efforts in DVS will continue the work that started years ago when I was asked to build - to lead that veterans incubator for NYU. The goal is to expand coalitions within the veteran's community that can be mobilized to come together and act for the greater good of all of us while tackling these challenges through an innovation lens.

Outstanding work is already being done by Commissioner Sutton and her team - the unsung, world class heroes of DVS - to build the lines of actions as we see them. Everything from housing to engagement to administrative activities and various other services. The mechanism, the vehicle already exists to fulfill DVS' mission which is the foster purpose-driven lives in New York City's service members, veterans, and their families. I am not here to reinvent the wheel or to fix what it is not broken. My job is to ensure that as many veterans and allies of our communities as possible are aware of what we do, that they support our efforts. To use a football analogy, everybody hits, nobody quits, we win. To be clear, I'm not just speaking of the people in this room - many leaders in the veteran community are here right now and we honor you and everything that you've done in front of and behind the scenes to get us to where we are today.

I am speaking of all of New York City's 208,000 veterans and those who care about them, those who love them. Innovation comes to the table because in the tradition of General Sutton, we will do everything that we can to continue to experiment and leverage all resources around us - people, processes, technology - as we learn what does and does not work in our efforts to connect, mobilize, and empower the city's veteran population.

Do these things and we continue to move the needle forward towards achieving functional zero in combating veterans homeless. Do these things and we continue to increase the number of positive outcomes that vets have when working with our engagement and community support team. Do these things and we amplify our ability to help veterans not only help themselves land jobs but to also start and grow their own successful ventures.

As I learned at the Veterans Future Lab, these former leaders are military [inaudible] are fire in a battle, game changers in the economic development space. It is 2019, I'm telling you our full potential is not yet tapped. Do these things and more veterans receive the tools that we need to win the greatest, longest lasting, and most acute battle that many of us ever face, the battle within our minds.

All of this is Commissioner Sutton's legacy. We will especially honor VetsThriveNYC and the Core4 Model just with a small twist. We want to significantly amplify the engagement and connection aspects at the base of the model. In layman's terms, if we continue to strengthen the bonds within New York City's veteran community, cutting across all social economic and demographic canvasses, then we will help the community further heal itself. Step one in fostering purpose driven lives for veterans in New York City is to pay heed to the refrain, all I need is a friend. I officially start in a few weeks but prior to then, I will conduct a listening tour and get a better feel of the nooks and crannies of where we can grow on top of what DVS has already accomplished in its first three years.

That being said, ideas are important but execution is nine-tenths of the game. Over and over again I have witnessed entrepreneurs thrive not because they were brilliant, not because they gave a good speech, or had good connection, not because of their resumes, and definitely not because they looked a certain part. I have seen leaders thrive including a lot of the people in this room - I'm talking about folks on the top of the chain all the way to the bottom because they were able to execute.

In my old job, I liked to say action is currency. In this new position, I'll start saying the words, let the work talk. That is what we at DVS will continue to do. Despite any issues surrounding us, despite any challenges we face - and once again I'm not just talking about DVS, I'm speaking of all city veterans who will remain grateful for all that we offer, all that we have, for all that we can be as we help one another. We will be mindful of the city's 178 ZIP codes - I counted -

[Laughter]

And the need to empower our veterans to close the gap where necessary so that they can start at the starting line in order to fit in. I've been an entrepreneur long enough to know - I think some people will agree with me when I say this - no one gives you anything. Be wary of someone offering to give you something for nothing in the world that precedes our military service.

True, lasting success must be earned. You just heard James talk about, he started his - we helped him connect the dots to get housing. He connected the dots for himself to have his business and cook at the U. N. I wanted to try some of his chicken. By the way, I'm going to talk to him offline. That's a whole other thing, sorry. I was just thinking about that while you were talking. I know you got good chicken.

[Laughter]

What I'm trying to say is DVS cannot give you dignity but I recognize that all of this is about dignity. Dignity - it's an undercurrent of things. I'm talking about economic access, housing, mental health, you name it. It's the idea that you are on top of things, that you remain proactive and not reactive. The idea that you are in control. We're going to do everything in our power to facilitate our veteran community having the tools to build that reality.

We're going to stand on the shoulders on the good work of this administration, of the [inaudible] qualities of this city, and on warrior ethos as it pertains to veterans and military families in pursuit of our objective. As we do all of that, I'm going to turn around and I'm going to ask you to continue to give because as was already said here today, this is never over.

Generations of veterans sacrificed for us to be here, to have the infrastructure, the benefits, and the community that we have, for us to not be in the shadows, for us as a group to exist. It is now our turn to steward the present while making contributions towards tomorrow. Post military service - if everyone takes and no one gives, and when I say give I'm speaking of anything you have - anything from time, talent, resources, whatever you can give - if everyone takes and no one gives then we as a body will fade away.

To quote JFK, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." The challenge did not stop when we took the uniform off, it simply evolved. We will succeed but these things do not happen by themselves. I challenge everyone here and outside of the Intrepid right now to do your part to fight for what we have, to fight for our future, and to fight for one another.

I told my story but every single person here has gone through something in and out of the military. We have come this far. And for me, as someone who was born into a riot, literally and turned out okay, I can assure you that we will be alright. Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: Well done. Well done. That was absolutely beautiful, Colonel Hendon, and I want to say you have mystical powers because your son cooperated and -

[Laughter]

- stayed calm for that entire speech. We're about to have a benediction and then we will go to the press questions. I just want to say that Colonel Hendon momentarily has another appointment that he made a while back to serve veterans that he has to get to. So, after the benediction, we're going to do questions about this appointment quickly, make sure we get those done while you're still here, and then of course we'll go to other questions as well. But first the benediction -

[...]

Mayor: Okay, let's take - please be seated everybody - let's take questions from the media on the appointment of Colonel Hendon and anything else DVS related, please?

Question: I just wanted to ask you Mayor de Blasio, you took a lot of - through your reporting at the time of launch of this [inaudible] reflected about it [inaudible] veteran's community [inaudible] veteran's groups, have you been kind off convinced about the benefits--

Mayor: Long since, long since. In the beginning, we wanted to make sure we could get it right and we wanted to make sure if we created something, it would really be value-added. It's not a shock to know that sometimes good people think creating a new vehicle will be achievement onto itself. What I've learned in my experience is you got to construct in a way that's actually going to reach people and be value added and achieve the things that the federal government was not, and that was really one of the big questions. Could we fill that gap? Could we do it responsibly? Could we do it effectively? I'm very satisfied by what's been achieved, I think it beyond what we all thought could be done in three years. So, absolutely, yes.

Anything else on the appointment today or on Veteran Services? Yes?

Question: So this question is for the new Commissioner [inaudible]?

Incoming Commissioner Hendon: I think one of the biggest challenges is just employment as far as just access to economic opportunities and upward mobility in that realm, so you know, really want to pay heed to the continued work of the Veteran Success Network the DVS has and all the efforts that we can do for the entrepreneurship side as well, so folks are agile between navigating things in a typical business lens for the jobs but also within the lens of starting one's non-profit, one's own for-profit venture.

Question: [Inaudible] legislation [inaudible].

Mayor: Speak up.

Question: There is legislation out there to rename the Manhattan VA Hospital [inaudible] what's your stance on it?

Incoming Commissioner Hendon: I got to say I don't have a stance at this time, please forgive me. So I'm just getting right into things, so just yeah, I'm sorry.

Question: How about any thoughts on [inaudible] court case saying that the federal government has to reimburse veterans for out of pocket medical expenses [inaudible] -

Incoming Commissioner Hendon: Same thing, I'm just getting read into all the different issues. As far as, you know, holding on the mantle that General Sutton so greatly held, so I'm not at this time, but once we - I'm in the chute, please come back at me and we'll definitely be able to respond to those things. So yeah -

Mayor: Let me know before we go onto - stay up here - that on the question of employment, and I'm so glad that Colonel Hendon is focused on this, something I've spoken about at a lot of gatherings internally and externally. City of New York - we talked about that during the interview - the City of New York needs to go farther in terms of employing veterans, we do some good work, we need to go farther. The private sector too. We really need to call the private sector to conscience here to take on more serious commitments to hiring veterans, and as Loree educated me very early on, and their spouses because both matter deeply -

[Applause]

Go ahead Rich.

Question: When does he take office, when do you take office?

Incoming Commissioner Hendon: My first official day will be November 1st.

Question: I wanted to ask about the Veteran Resource Centers, there's one in every borough, but they are only operating part-time, about 10 hours a week, and it seems to be an important way to engage veterans. The website - excuse me - the website [inaudible], you know advocating, engaging in as many veterans as I think the Department would like. Why aren't the Resource Centers are operating in a greater capacity?

Commissioner Sutton: So the question is about our Veteran Resource Centers, we now have one in every borough in addition to our HUB Headquarters in Lower Manhattan. Listen, what we are doing with those Veteran Resource Centers, and I just want to give nod to Chair Deutsch and his support and advocacy for them, is we are not only available at posted hours, and you can see the hours and the locations on our website in our three year report. But we also go to where the veterans are, we go to where they live, we go to their VSO headquarters, we go to their events, to their barbeques, to their churches. We go to the VAs, the Vet Centers, and that's equally as important a task for us in being out in the community as it is to have - yes a predictable set of hours that is one - one part of the menu of services that we provide. Thank you for that question.

Question: [Inaudible].

Mayor: A little louder.

Question: The Department's budget in the past fiscal year has risen by 70 percent but there was a slight decline in homeless veterans getting housing or any other services. Some activists have told us that they felt it was because you were out of town with too much campaigning, what would you attribute it to?

Mayor: That is - with all due respect, that is a nonsensical question. Would you like to add Loree?

Commissioner Sutton: Yeah - no, absolutely. First of all, the budget, I came into this position as Commissioner - first, five years go as the Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs. Now, to understand a little bit about the history, this office was set up thanks to the advocacy of folks like Vince McGowan and others who came back from Vietnam, they pounded on the doors of City Hall and Mayor Koch in the late '80's heard them and stood up the office. But then for, you know, nearly 30 years, Mayors on both sides of the political aisle just kind of let this little office languish in place.

Great people who worked there, certainly giants upon whose shoulders I stand and now James will stand, but when I came on board, we were called the "Office of Flags and Tags" - flags for Memorial Day and tags for burials. It was disgrace and fortunately there was a convergence of leadership that started with the Mayor and the First Lady and their very personal experience - all four members of their parental family, both moms, both dads, served in World War II, as the Mayor has said so eloquently and in such a poignant manner. His father, like so many veterans, brought the war home with him. Fortunately we also had partnership in the City Council. First with Chair Eric Ulrich and then Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and on to the current day we've got Chair Deutsch here and the current Speaker have been supportive as well.

On the budget, we had - let's just put it this way, we had four people on board, great people on board when we started out three years ago. Today we have 40 people on board. So yes, there is an increase in budget. We had - we had - we had a reputation that really was unworthy of a city like New York. If veterans and their families were fortunate enough to find us, Letitia and Ines, some of our stalwart pioneers, many of you in this room know of their tireless efforts and Commissioner Handy, and so many others. But I will tell you today because of these investments, and because of the advocacy of veteran service organizations, family members, our academic partners, our private, not for profit, and social sector partners, and yes our veteran service organization leaders, this convergence of leadership led to that ceremony three years ago in December here on this very deck of the Intrepid. And today - we took on the biggest problem that veterans and their families talk about no matter where you go, it's about navigating, to connect with quality resources, care, and services. VetConnectNYC now is the nation's leading model that connects with 18 other cities under the America Serves model, and it's continuing to grow. We are now working with teachers college on a ETS sponsorship program which is connecting with service members and their families before they come here.

You heard what we've done with homelessness. We are continuing to work on that. Nicole Branca is right here, I will tell you we have established a system that has allowed us to maintain a steady state and we are working tirelessly both on the supply side and the demand side to increase the number of veterans like James Brown who can find themselves a home and can continue to flourish, so thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to clarify that issue that you raise, thank you.

Mayor: I mean before - hold on one second, I'm sorry, we'll come right back to you. I just want to see if there's anything else for Colonel Hendon because he does need to catch a flight to a veterans' event?

Question: [Inaudible].

Mayor: I'm coming to you, but let me just see if there's anything else for Colonel Hendon, and then we will happily come back to you.

Question: [Inaudible] you view the federal government as a reliable partner [inaudible] the chaos of the Trump administration now. There are also reports [inaudible] -

Commissioner Sutton: I'll come back to that. Is there anything for Colonel Hendon [inaudible]--

Incoming Commissioner Hendon: I think it's just what I said in my speech in that you know, here at DVS we will, you know, let the work talk. We will put one foot in front of the other, do everything that we can to, you know, fulfill our mission within the agency and work with all around us and not get bogged down and any other issues aside from the direct idea of assisting veterans and helping them foster purposed driven lives, helping folks help themselves.

Mayor: Alright, thank you Colonel, congratulations.

[Applause]

Alright continue, go ahead.

Question: Just clarify what [inaudible] from the Mayor's Management Report?

Mayor: Yeah, that's not how you asked, so don't play around. So we will happily ask that - we'll answer that question because it's not a ridiculous question. Go ahead.

Commissioner Sutton: I think the best answer to that question I would refer any of you and all of you to our three year report. It is currently on the website and you will see there are thousands of veterans today like James Brown and so many others who are getting services that they wouldn't have gotten just a very short time ago and best of all we've just begun. The execution, the mission, the passion, the drive, the leadership, it will continue and take us places that other cities are already contacting us to emulate. So we can be very proud of that. Thank you.

Question: Commissioner, you mentioned the report, but this shows data from 2016 to the current date and I think what the Mayor's Management Report shows is that there was a decline in services for veterans in placing homeless veterans in housing, and providing those necessary services, so the question is why would there be such a large uptick in the budget? Not criticizing the budget necessarily but [inaudible] concern is the decrease services, in many cases they are vital services for veterans.

Commissioner Sutton: Okay. So for any of you who have ever started up an organization, and I did that in the Department of Defense, I've done it here - it's one of the reasons why I urged caution on the Mayor early on. Because I knew what it was like to start a new organization from nothing. Expectations are sky-high, but yet you're in the weeds of trying to figure out where is the - where are the computers, where's our budget code, who are the people we are going to hire. We've gone from four people to 40 people in three years at the same time that we have continued our homelessness mission. We have stood up our community engagement teams. And so, what you will see is that in the Mayor's Management Report, that, you know, in the first three years of any start up, as you focus on certain areas and are engagement has been one of those, we realized a year-and-a-half ago that what we've really needed to do was we need to incorporate both our whole health team with our engagement and employment team. So it would be one community team because we care for the whole veteran. So it took us a little time to be able to do the training, the consolidation, and so you'll see that in the numbers there was a period in there that it was - that the numbers varied, and I think, in fact I know there is no doubt in my mind that as you see continued Mayor's Management Reports, reports, the legislation, and all that we've got going forward, that this is a great news story getting better and better all the time. So thank you for that question.

Question: So the decrease in [inaudible] for homeless veterans, a very crucial thing, the decrease in services, particularly mental health services, for veterans is due to start-up fluctuation, or?

Deputy Mayor J. Phillip Thompson: You speak to mental health, I'll speak to homelessness.

Commissioner Sutton: So there's been no decrease in mental health services for our veterans. What we have experienced and we're continuing to work with our developers, our landlords, our folks around the city, is to be able to create that system, which we have, that takes a homeless veteran like James Brown from the time they're placed into the shelter system to the time that they get a permanent home and apartment - less than 90 days. When we started this journey it was 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 days or more, and so it's that system, it's the need that we are there for a veteran, whatever they need - VetConnectNYC is the next step up and I will tell you, just so you know what to expect going forward. These first three years, I don't think we could have worked much harder. That's what it took. Last time the City stood up an agency - 15-20 years ago, no institutional memory - we're leaving a template now with OMB and the Mayor's Office so the next time this is done it - we'll know more of what to expect going forward and that's a good thing. But now, what Colonel Hendon will be charged to do, and I'm so excited about this, going forward is to now bring together a smart system. An artificial intelligence data analytics system which we're already working with the Mayor's Office of Operations to bring together all of these building blocks that creates the system that makes it really easy for a veteran or family member to get connected and really, really hard to fall through the cracks. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Thompson: So I just wanted to add that we have expanded staff for placing homeless veterans and helping them find housing and it's always a dynamic situation because as the Mayor said - it's not just what we do, it's also the private sector. Veterans are not the only people finding themselves unable to afford housing in New York City. And the reason for that is that a lot - there's a lot of real estate speculation, a lot of, you know, housing is hard for people to find and maintain and so it's always a dynamic situation. But we have expanded services recently to help with that.

The other thing I want to say, Commissioner Sutton actually went further than I was going to go on this but we are doing some really exciting things that will become public soon on the employment side for veterans. Because if you don't have a job, nothing is affordable, and I think we're about to launch something which is state-of-the-art, not just for veterans, but for connecting people, period, into employment. And she let a little bit of it out, but we are tackling the homelessness issue not only from the housing angle, and placement and housing, but also on the other side which is the income-side. And also the new Commissioner has said entrepreneurship. And so we're approaching it from all these different angles to really try and get at the source of the problem.

Mayor: Okay, anything else related to DVS before we go to other topics? Yes?

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: I'm going to take what you're saying but it is media questions right now. Would it be okay to see you afterwards? Okay, I'll see you after. Any other media questions, DVS?

Yes?

Question: Can the Commissioner talk a little bit more about why she's leaving at this--

Mayor: More about?

Question: Talk about why she's leaving at this moment, and also early on when the Department was formed it was a criticism from advocates that they don't feel there was enough direct impact through City Hall [inaudible]. Can you talk about that over the past few years?

Commissioner Sutton: So the question is, to talk about some of the criticism over the last several years, as well as why I might be thinking of moving on at this point in my tenure, let me take the first one first. You know we have the world's best advocate community for veterans and their families here in New York City. And they have their role, and we have our role. They make us better, we make them better. And so over the last several years, you bet, we've had some very pointed discussions with our advocates. We've learned from them, they've learned from us. That process will continue as it should. But I will tell you - I want to just turn back to James Brown. When we hear from our veterans and are reminded, like James has said, how he got his life back, his pride, his confidence back, we're reminded he's the guy we work for and we will always measure our success based on how well we support his future, his spirit, and his ongoing contributions.

Now in terms of my situation, I will tell you, I have been in this position for longer - five years and two months - longer than I've been in any other position in my entire career. And I have given it everything I possible had. And you know, as a leader it's important for us to know, when is it time for an infusion of new energy, and an infusion of new expertise, and new ideas, to take things to the next level. Well I hope you saw with James Hendon today that he is that leader and I'm going to exhale and just figure out how can I continue to serve, and that's as much as I'll say on that, thank you so much for the question though.

Mayor: Last call, anything on DVS? And then we'll turn to general questions. Last call? Okay. Media questions on anything else?

Yes?

Question: I wanted to ask you about the -

Mayor: I think standing up would help me hear you -

Question: I wanted to ask you about the [inaudible] schools initiative that [inaudible] -

Mayor: Yeah -

Question: So, I have a lot of questions, but I think the biggest one is sort of, what do you imagine this initiative - [inaudible] any different from what schools are already doing? There's some stuff - you know, your office [inaudible]?

Mayor: I think the power of this announcement is, first of all, we're bringing in substantial resources to determine how to make our public schools better. And I think that says something about how we've changed as a city. I am someone who believes in public education, I believe in traditional public schools and what they mean in our society, and what they should aspire to be for our communities. We are not there yet, which is why we have the Equity and Excellence vision. We have a whole transformation we have to go through. I think in the past there was, sort of, a fault line where there were a number of well-intentioned people who were not sure that traditional public schools could work, and there were different ideas about, you know - maybe very specific ways that they only could work. And we challenged that from the beginning and both my Chancellors have believed fundamentally as educators that a whole range of traditional public schools can work, and that is the future. So, this announcement today provides us with resources and expertise to determine how to make our public schools better for the future, including in some of the communities where we've had, as a city, the least success previously, and to re-engineer those schools, or, in some cases, start new schools to answer, sort of, the essential question - why in some communities is public education not succeed the way it should have? And I'm very excited about this because I think it's going to be part of how we crack the code and come up with new models that are the vision of the future.

Question: Just a follow-up - can you say where these school are going to be? And if [inaudible] close schools to make room for the new ones?

Mayor: So, that is not the assumption to begin with. Where it's going to be - there will be a process, obviously, to determine where the fit is best. Remember, some of this is re-engineering existing schools, some of it is starting new schools - that doesn't always have to come with a closure. It can sometimes come with a closure, but it doesn't have to. I think if you've been watching the situation, I'm sure we've announced from our previous efforts around renewal schools, etcetera, we've announced that schools are going to close, we've announced the schools that are going to continue to work in different ways. So, I think in terms of thinking about this, I'd say, re-engineering some schools in place, starting some new schools just to start new schools, because we think there's a need and a demand in certain places. In some cases it could be connected to a closure but it's not an assumption.

Yeah?

Question: [Inaudible] opinions on billionaires. Do you think that this new school plan will give them too much influence?

Mayor: I like billionaires I just want them to pay their fair share in taxes. No, I think this is about a coming together of different strands. You know, when you look at the foundation world, they've evolved quite a bit. And I give them a lot of credit, this doesn't happen to involved the Gates Foundation, but, Bill Gates, to his credit, actually acknowledged over the years that some of his original assumptions about education were wrong and he came to different views. And the foundations we're working with here have embraced the notion that we've got to work on public education, that the numerical reality alone - the moral imperative is strong enough, this is the future of this city and of this country, but the numerical reality was always clear, that this is where the vast majority of kids were going to be educated. And so, I think it shows that people, sort of, moved toward each other and willing to work together to go to where the need is greatest, which is in some of our traditional public schools that really need transformation, and I think this will allow us to do it. I think - look, it's a huge contribution, which we appreciate, and certainly there had to be some agreement on vision, but I don't think that's undue by any measure, because if we had not felt comfortable that the ideas were consistent with our values, we wouldn't have accepted the plan.

Go ahead -

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: I can't tell you the specifics of this one at this hour, we can get you more detail today, but I can tell you the broad situation. First of all, I commend the community for embracing and supporting that shelter. The reality of what's happening with our homeless population, even though our shelter population has gone down recently, the composition of the shelter population keeps changing, and one of the things we've seen is that, you know, we have different types of people at different times, and different times of year and year-by-year, that changes. So, we have to adjust to the people we are here to serve, while simultaneously, as you know, getting out of those old cluster, scattered site buildings, getting out of as many of the pay-per-day hotels as we can. So, that leaves us only so many options and we have to make adjustments according to who we have to serve. But we'll get you a more detailed answer.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: What questions raised - what was the last part?

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: I've spoken to Commissioner O'Neill about this extensively. There's a very thorough review going on right now in what happened in this tragedy. And it's horribly painful - you know, I was at the hospital with Chief Monahan and others when we told the family that Brian ad passed away, and it's a horribly painful situation. And we are going through a full review and going to, from that review, determine what needs to change in training. And clearly, there has to be some additional approach to training here and we have to get that right.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: No, it's an ongoing conversation with the Council. And look, I think overall we have - there's a very good partnership, relationship between the Council and the Mayor's Office. We're always going to have some differences, but if you just look day-by-day at the way things get done, we ultimately get there on a whole host of things. So, they've raised real concerns, we want to answer those concerns, and that's an ongoing discussion, but I don't have any doubt we'll get it done.

Question: [Inaudible] timeline -

Mayor: Relatively soon, I can't give you an exact -

Right there, coming to you - we're going right to left. Go ahead.

Question: [Inaudible] ask you about the parking situation in Brooklyn Borough Hall. There's been kind of a longstanding [inaudible] to allow the Brooklyn Borough President's office to park in the public plaza there, which is technically park land, even though they have [inaudible]. And your administration has kind of continued that arrangement. Why is that a good use of public space like that?

Mayor: I'm not an expert on that location. I've been there plenty of times, but I'm not an expert of what the history is or any of that. Look, I think the central question is, we've got to make sure where there's a valid need for official parking, it's covered; and where we don't need it, then we don't need it. And that's the assessment we have to make. Honestly, having been a public servant in Brooklyn for a long, long time, I haven't heard a lot of people concerned about that particular situation, but we'll look at it, and if there's any adjustments that should be made, we'll make them, but I don't have a strong view right now on that.

Question: Yesterday, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came out against the City's plan to close Rikers and I'm curious if you're changing any of the way you're advocating [inaudible] confident it's going to pass the Council?

Mayor: Yeah, I'm confident. I want to commend the Council - and this is over two Speakers and, now, several years. Both Speaker Johnson and Speaker Mark-Viverito and the four Council members in whose districts the new facilities will be have all been extraordinarily consistent. Everyone believes this change is needed for the good of New York City. Everyone believes that the 85-year-old facility on Rikers doesn't make sense and that we have to move forward with something very different. And we're fine-tuning the final details, but I have no doubt that everyone's moving in the same direction.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: She thinks what?

Question: She mentioned training also [inaudible] -

Mayor: Yeah, look, she is - I know her, and she's a very good person, and she's speaking out of real personal pain. My experience has been very different over now six years, having seen so many situations and a lot of body camera footage and other footage where officers showed extraordinary restraint. We can get you the exact number, but the number of discharges of weapons in adversarial situations in 2018 by NYPD was, I believe, under 20, in this big a city, with this many officers. I think that the training has occurred, started by Commissioner Bratton and deepened by Commissioner O'Neill has emphasized de-escalation, restraint in the use of weapons, a whole host of things that I think have made the NYPD better. So, I think there's a real issue. We lost two of our officers - that's very, very painful. It means, by definition, we have to keep understanding what the NYPD can do better, and I think training is always part of the solution. But I would say to you, overall, I think the big picture is that every time we've invested in training, it's had a very powerful impact and we're going to do more.

Okay, who has not gone yet? Way back?

Question: [Inaudible] the folks from the No Jails campaign are concerned about building jails and whether - once you build those jails, they'll then have to be filled. Do you have any concern about whether building more jail [inaudible]?

Mayor: No, I don't, and I'll tell you why. First of all, here's a city right now - 30 percent-plus decrease in incarceration in the last six years we've been here. In terms of the number of people walking through the door of one of our correctional facilities is literally half as many as six years ago. So, the fact is, this is the way of the future, I'm absolutely convinced. I'm very proud that we've been driving down crime for six years, extraordinary work was done before us, I'm convinced it will continue. I think as a society, we in this city want to end the era of mass incarceration once and for all, and I think that's becoming an American consensus too. I don't feat that community jail create an unintended consequence. In fact, I think a community jail puts the humanity back in the equation, because the idea here is - and God forbid anyone ever gets in trouble with law enforcement, we want them to get a speedy trial, we want their loved ones to be able to visit them, which is part of turning their life back around, we want redemption, we want to end recidivism, we can't do that with the kind of jail facilities that we inherited, we need new facilities to keep driving down crime, to keep reducing the number of people who end up in a life of crime. So, I actually think it's quite the opposite. I think these are the jails that are actually going to help us to continue to decarcerate in a meaningful, safe way. But to those who say we don't need any jails, that's just - there's no human history that tells us that that's a realistic proposition. We want as few people in jail as possible, but we do need to have something. And we know that what we've had historically hasn't worked, so, some people - ironically on both right and left - sort of, wanted to stay on Rikers Island, and I think that's an absolutely counter-productive outcome.

Go ahead -

Question: I wanted to ask you about the 14th Street busway [inaudible] introduce more busways over the next year or [inaudible] -

Mayor: There's no plan to introduce anything like that right away. When I was presented that plan, I thought it was a really exceptional opportunity to figure out if this strategy would work. We had a situation that we had to make adjustments for anyway, because of what was going on with the L-train. And we had a question before us that was important to the whole city - was there actually something we could do to actually speed up bus service meaningfully, given how many people depend on it, and what would it do to everything else if we were to do that? So, I said, I accept this as a pilot, and only as a pilot, and I'm going to see what those results are, and it's going to tell us whether it's something we want to do in other places. And some places might be right for it and other places not, obviously. But no - the jury is out. We want to see what we learn from this pilot.

Question: A resident of Staten Island who purchased a horse -

Mayor: Did you say a horse?

[Laughter]

Question: And he's keeping it in his backyard [inaudible] -

Mayor: I did not expect this question -

[Laughter]

Question: [Inaudible] neighbo