STATEMENT

by Kathryn S. Wylde, President and CEO
PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW YORK CITY

New York, New York
January 17, 2008

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Statement From Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City on Mayor Bloomberg's State of the City Speech

 “Mayor Bloomberg begins his seventh year with the same energy and focus on continuous improvement in city services that he brought to the office in 2002. He demonstrates once again the fiscal stewardship and application of solid management principles to the business of government that have uniquely prepared New York City to survive a national economic downturn without serious problems. The business community is particularly appreciative of his attention to public education and long term planning ­- specifically the commitment to reform career and technical education and to prepare for a doubling of the city’s senior citizen population in the next twenty years.

“To implement the Mayor's Career and Technical Education (CTE) initiative, the Partnership has been asked to engage the city's business community in identifying sectoral job opportunities and developing a curriculum that puts high school students on a path to acquire the skills to succeed in the 21st century economy. This effort will be led by Partnership Executive Committee member Sy Sternberg, Chairman & CEO of New York Life Insurance Company, and a product of the city's public school system. Sternberg will co-chair the Mayor's Task Force on CTE with former Mayor David Dinkins. The Partnership will mobilize a pan-industry effort to provide business expertise to the Task Force. Our hope is that this will result in a reduction in high school drop out rates and a supply of highly trained workers for the technical and service jobs that New York employers are having the most difficulty filling.

“The Mayor's commitment to launch a major initiative to prepare New York to accommodate the needs and maximize the contribution of older people is an example of his willingness to tackle challenges where the results of early investment will benefit the city for many years after he leaves office. The Partnership is already participating on the City Council’s “Age-Friendly New York” initiative, where I am serving as a business Co-Chair. The resources that the Administration will bring to this issue will insure that, as New York's age demographic increases, the city will capture net benefits from a trend that could otherwise be costly.”

The Partnership for New York City (www.pfnyc.org) is a network of business leaders dedicated to enhancing the economy of the five boroughs of New York City and maintaining the city’s position as the center of world commerce, finance and innovation.