News
2019
New York State Senate Testimony on Mayoral Control
Resource Type: News, Testimony
On March 15, the Partnership for New York City submitted the following testimony to the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Education:
Thank you, Chair Liu and members of the committee, for the opportunity to testify on New York City school governance, commonly known as “Mayoral Control”.
The Partnership for New York City represents the city’s business leaders and largest private sector employers. We work together with government, labor and the nonprofit sector to maintain the city’s position as the preeminent global center of commerce, innovation, and economic opportunity.
The business community strongly supports a multi-year extension of Mayoral Control of the New York City public school system. We do not think that the legislature should dilute the authority or accountability of the mayor for appointing the Chancellor of the system, approving its budget, negotiating labor contracts and for the overall performance of students and staff. The current system allows for input of parents and others into educational policies, but decisions are up to the mayor and his or her appointees. Modifying the governance law to confer additional power on parents or any other groups will make it significantly more difficult to hold the mayor accountable.
The governance system that was put in place by state legislative action in 2002 has resulted in demonstrable improvements in educational outcomes in the city. Graduation rates are up and disparities due to income and race are being reduced. Since 2002, when Mayoral Control was first put into place, the public high school graduation rate has increased from 50.8 percent to 72.7 percent overall, and from 38.8 percent to 67.1 percent for black and Hispanic students. Dropout rates are at historic lows. More students than ever are taking and passing Advanced Placement exams and English test scores are up in every district.
These improvements would not have been possible without the clarity of a system in which the mayor has the clear authority over leadership, labor contracts, management, and budget.
We urge the legislature in the upcoming budget to pass a multi-year extension of the current law and not risk reversion to a dysfunctional governance system.
2019
Albany Urged to Lift Charter School Cap
Resource Type: News, Press Releases
Today, the Partnership for New York City released a letter to Governor Cuomo and leaders of the state legislature urging them to increase the allowable number of charter schools in the city. Charter schools are some of the highest performing schools and provide important public education options for lower and middle income families.
Dear Governor Cuomo, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie:
On behalf of the business leaders of New York City, I am writing to urge your support for an increase in the allowable number of charter schools that can be established in New York City.
Public charter schools have enriched educational options in communities that desperately needed them. Charters have not detracted from the resources available to district schools, but have inspired greater support for public education on the part of the business community and philanthropists. Competition has turned out to benefit everyone, especially the students attending both charter and district schools.
Recently, the state-imposed cap on how many public charters are permitted to operate in New York City was reached. Already, six charter schools that would have otherwise been cleared to open have been blocked. This is a disservice to the students and families, particularly lower income households, who would benefit from expanded educational opportunities.
There are 53,000 city students on waiting lists for public charter schools. Of the city’s 50 highest-performing schools, 37 are public charters.
Members of the Partnership for New York City together employ 1.5 million New Yorkers. We consider it to be a top priority to equip more students with the high-level skills required to succeed in a rapidly-changing economy. Today, more than two out of three black and Hispanic students statewide lack the math skills that would put them on track for college. Lifting the charter cap is a clear way to ensure that more students are prepared for the jobs of the future.
We trust that you will take action to allow charter schools to continue to bring new energy and ideas to the city’s public education system and its communities by lifting the cap on city charters.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Wylde
President and CEO
Partnership for New York City
2019
New York State Senate Budget Response
Resource Type: News, Statements
“The new State Senate majority has issued a fiscally responsible set of budget recommendations that conform to the Governor’s 2 percent cap on growth in state spending. They have also endorsed congestion pricing, rather than imposing another personal income tax on high earners, as the preferred source of new revenues for mass transit. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and her members are to be congratulated for their thoughtful approach to the challenging issues the state faces this year,” said Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City.
2019
Over 100 Business Leaders Push for Mayoral Control
Resource Type: News, Press Releases
Today, the Partnership for New York City issued a letter signed by over 100 business leaders urging Governor Cuomo and the state legislature to extend mayoral control over the city’s public schools. Since 2002, when the mayor was given responsibility for governance of the schools, there have been significant improvements in educational outcomes for the city’s students. Albany has refused to make the system permanent, despite the fact that it is clearly superior to alternatives that caused schools to deteriorate.
Dear Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Heastie,
New York City’s business community strongly supports multi-year extension of mayoral control of the New York City public school system. A quality education is the key to unlocking economic opportunity for the city’s residents. Mayoral accountability for management of the system is essential to achieving that objective.
The governance system that was put in place by state legislative action in 2002 has resulted in demonstrable improvements in educational outcomes in the city. Graduation rates are up and disparities due to income and race are being reduced. Dropout rates are at historic lows. More students than ever are taking and passing Advanced Placement exams and English test scores are up in every district.
These improvements would not have been possible without the clarity of a system in which the mayor has the clear authority over leadership, labor contracts, management and budget. We urge you to pass a multi-year extension of the current law and not risk reversion to a dysfunctional governance system.
Sincerely,
Lee S. Ainslie, III, Managing Partner, Maverick Capital
Ellen Alemany, Chairman & CEO, CIT Group Inc.
Robert Bakish, President & CEO, Viacom Inc.
Ajay Banga, President & CEO, Mastercard
Candace K. Beinecke, Senior Partner, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
William H. Berkman, Managing Partner, Associated Partners, LP
Kathy Bloomgarden, Chief Executive Officer, Ruder Finn, Inc.
Adam M. Blumenthal, Managing Partner, Blue Wolf Capital Management
Neil Blumenthal, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Warby Parker
Albert Bourla, Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer Inc.
John Bruckner, President, NY, National Grid
Martin S. Burger, Chief Executive Officer, Silverstein Properties, Inc.
John Catsimatidis, Chairman & CEO, Red Apple Group, Inc.
Rodgin Cohen, Senior Chairman, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Creighton Condon, Senior Partner, Shearman & Sterling
Daniela Constantino, Partner, Mason Capital Management, LLC
Michael L. Corbat, Chief Executive Officer, Citigroup Inc.
Anthony J. de Nicola, President, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe
Barry Diller, Chairman & Senior Executive, IAC and Chairman & Senior Executive, Expedia, Inc.
William R. Dougherty, Chairman, Executive Committee, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Lynne Doughtie, U.S. Chairman & CEO, KPMG LLP
Douglas Durst, Chairman, Durst Organization Inc.
Joel S. Ehrenkranz, Partner and Co-Founder, Ehrenkranz Partners L.P.
Joseph R. Ficalora, President & CEO, New York Community Bancorp, Inc.
Laurence D. Fink, Chairman & CEO, BlackRock, Inc.
John Fish, Chairman & CEO, Suffolk
Winston C. Fisher, Partner, Fisher Brothers
Alan H. Fishman, Chairman, Ladder Capital Finance LLC
William E. Ford, Chief Executive Officer, General Atlantic LLC
Paul Fribourg, Chairman & CEO, Continental Grain Company
Mark T. Gallogly, Co-Founder & Managing Principal, Centerbridge Partners
Jeff Gennette, Chairman & CEO, Macy’s, Inc.
Eric Gertler, Executive Chairman, U.S. News & World Report
Dave Gilboa, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Warby Parker
MaryAnne Gilmartin, Chief Executive Officer, L&L MAG
Daniel Glaser, President & CEO, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
Barry M. Gosin, Chief Executive Officer, Newmark Knight Frank
Jonathan N. Grayer, Chairman & CEO, Weld North LLC
Logan Green, Co-Founder & CEO, Lyft
Kelly Grier, U.S Chairman & Americas Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
Robin Hayes, Chief Executive Officer, JetBlue Airways Corporation
Brian T. Horey, President, Aurelian Management
Joseph Ianniello, President, CBS Corporation
Frederick J. Iseman, Chairman & CEO, CI Capital Partners LLC
Kenneth M. Jacobs, Chairman & CEO, Lazard Ltd
Brad S. Karp, Chair, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Jeremy M. Kroll, Co-Founder & CEO, K2 Intelligence
William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.
Joseph M. Leccese, Chairman of the Firm, Proskauer
Joey Levin, Chief Executive Officer, IAC
Martin Lipton, Senior Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Howard W. Lutnick, Chairman & CEO, Cantor Fitzgerald L.P.
Vikram Malhotra, Chairman of the Americas, McKinsey & Company, Inc.
Anthony E. Mann, President & CEO, E-J Electric Installation Co.
Donald B. Marron, Chairman, Lightyear Capital
Peter W. May, President & Founding Partner, Trian Partners
John McAvoy, Chairman, President & CEO, Con Edison, Inc.
Charles R. McCall, Chief Executive Officer, Astoria Energy II LLC &, Astoria Energy LLC
Heidi Messer, Co-Founder & Chairman, Collective[i]
Edward J. Minskoff, President, Edward J. Minskoff Equities, Inc.
Ken Moelis, Chairman and CEO, Moelis & Company
Greg Mondre, Managing Partner & Managing Director, Silver Lake
Deanna M. Mulligan, President & CEO, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
Kentaro Okuda, President & CEO, Nomura Holding America Inc.
Jon Oringer, Founder & CEO, Shutterstock, Inc.
Mark Pearson, Chairman & CEO, AXA Equitable Life
Charles E. Phillips, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, Infor
Scott Powell, Chief Executive Officer, Santander US
Deirdre Quinn, Co-Founder & CEO, Lafayette 148 New York
Steven L. Rattner, Chairman, Willett Advisors LLC
Scott H. Rechler, Chairman & CEO, RXR Realty LLC
Thomas J. Reid, Managing Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
James D. Robinson, III, Co-Founder & General Partner, RRE Ventures
Michael I. Roth, Chairman & CEO, Interpublic Group
Steven Rubenstein, President, Rubenstein Communications, Inc.
William C. Rudin, Co-Chairman & CEO, Rudin Management Company, Inc.
Kevin P. Ryan, Chairman & Founder, Zola, Workframe, Nomad Health, MongoDB, Inc.
Timothy Ryan, U.S. Chairman & Senior Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
Faiza Saeed, Presiding Partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Scott Salmirs, President & CEO, ABM Industries Inc.
Charles Scharf, Chairman & CEO, BNY Mellon
Michael Schmidtberger, Partner & Chair of the Executive Committee, Sidley Austin LLP
Alan D. Schnitzer, Chairman & CEO, The Travelers Companies, Inc.
Alan D. Schwartz, Executive Chairman, Guggenheim Partners, LLC
Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO & Co-Founder, Blackstone
Tarek Sherif, Chairman & CEO, Medidata Solutions, Inc.
Jonathan Silvan, Chief Executive Officer, Global Strategy Group, LLC
Larry A. Silverstein, Chairman, Silverstein Properties, Inc.
David M. Solomon, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Goldman Sachs & Co.
Rob Speyer, President & CEO, Tishman Speyer
Stephen Squeri, Chairman & CEO, American Express Company
Arthur P. Steinmetz, Chairman & CEO, OppenheimerFunds, Inc.
Steven R. Swartz, President & CEO, Hearst
Mary Ann Tighe, Chief Executive Officer, NY Tri-State Region, CBRE, Inc.
Daniel R. Tishman, Vice Chairman, AECOM & Principal, Tishman Realty
Paul Todd, Chief Executive Officer, GLG
Bridget van Kralingen, Senior Vice President, Global Industries, Platforms & Blockchain, IBM Corporation
George H. Walker, Chairman & CEO, Neuberger Berman Group LLC
David R. Weinreb, Chief Executive Officer, The Howard Hughes Corporation
Charles Weinstein, Chief Executive Officer, EisnerAmper LLP
Robert Wolf, Chief Executive Officer, 32 Advisors, LLC
Kathryn S. Wylde, President & CEO, Partnership for New York City
Brett Yormark, Chief Executive Officer, BSE Global
Strauss Zelnick, Partner, ZMC
John Zimmer, Co-Founder & President, Lyft
2019
Diverse Leaders Urge Amazon to Reconsider New York
Resource Type: News, Press Releases
Today, a diverse group of business, labor and civic leaders issued an open letter to Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos in The New York Times, urging the company not to abandon plans to build a new headquarters in Long Island City, Queens. Signatories argued that the majority of New Yorkers are eager to see Amazon and other tech companies invest and create jobs in the state join Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio in the commitment to support Amazon and the tech industry more generally as a valued contributor to the statewide economy. The letter was organized by the Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit organization whose members include major employers and business leaders.
2019
Response to Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio’s 10-Point Plan to Transform and Fund the MTA
Resource Type: News, Statements
“The region ‘s future economic health requires a modern, well-functioning transportation system, including elimination of excess traffic congestion and reform of the MTA. Agreement between the governor and mayor is a breakthrough and we look to the legislature to approve this package so that this essential work can proceed,” said Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City.
2019
Transit Tech Lab Will Accelerate Regional Transit Innovation
Resource Type: News, Press Releases
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Partnership for New York City today are jointly announcing finalists accepted to the Transit Tech Lab, an accelerator program that will allow tech companies to introduce New York’s transportation agencies to new products designed to improve transit services.
2019
Statement from Kathryn S. Wylde, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, on Amazon’s Cancellation of HQ2 Plans in Queens
Resource Type: News, Statements
“How can anyone be surprised? We competed successfully, made a deal and spent the last three months trashing our new partner. The reception Amazon received sent a terrible message to the job creators of the city and the world.”
2019
Support for Governor Cuomo’s Call to Fix Mass Transit from the Partnership for New York City
Resource Type: News, Statements
“The business community welcomes Governor Cuomo’s willingness to take on the challenge of fixing and adequately funding our mass transit system. Traffic congestion costs the region over $20 billion per year and contributes to pollution and global warming. Revenues from congestion pricing are needed to fund modernization of the subway, bus and commuter rail system and to ensure that New York remains a thriving global city,” said Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City.
2019
New York City Council Testimony on Electric Bicycles & Scooters
Resource Type: News, Testimony
Today, the Partnership for New York City submitted testimony to the New York City Council Committee on Transportation regarding electric bicycles and scooters.
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Thank you Chair Rodriguez and members of the committee for the opportunity to submit testimony on electric bicycles and scooters. The Partnership for New York City represents the city’s business leaders and largest private sector employers. We work together with government, labor and the nonprofit sector to enhance the economy of the five boroughs of New York City.
Excess traffic congestion is a serious problem in the city, clogging our streets and highways and resulting in more than $20 billion a year in economic losses and increased expenses. The Partnership supports efforts to reduce congestion, including the proposed congestion pricing district in Manhattan and improved public transportation options. We have also been early supporters of bike share and the creation of bike lanes to encourage a safe alternative for getting around the city.
We are very concerned, however, with the move to legalize electric bicycles and e-scooters in the city. Reports from our members who operate businesses in other cities that have been early movers in legalizing or not enforcing laws against these newly popular options for getting around the city are that they are dangerous and disruptive in a dense urban environment.
We conclude that New York City should not move forward with legalization without in depth analysis of the possible consequences and investment in infrastructure that will ensure the safety of riders and pedestrians. Space on city streets and sidewalks is at a premium. Certainly in the Manhattan Central Business District, no additional alternative equipment should be permitted until we see the impact of congestion pricing, which will be 2021 at the earliest. Current conditions simply cannot safely accommodate e-bikes and scooters.
Deterioration of our city’s mass transit system has stimulated interest in alternative ways to get around, but these alternatives bring with them new challenges. We should all be focused on fixing the bus and subway system, rather than the distractions of accommodating new modes of transport. We urge the City Council to slow down the process and work with the city Department of Transportation on a comprehensive plan to address concerns about these vehicles and ensure the safety of all of our citizen.
Thank you.
Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City