We may not always agree with every one of our neighbors. That's life. And it's part of living in such a diverse and dense city. But we also recognize that part of being a New Yorker is living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. It was exactly that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11, 2001.

The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts. But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans if we said no to a mosque in lower Manhattan.

We cannot continue. Our pension costs and health care costs for our employees are going to bankrupt this city.

We are the safest large city in America, but any crime rate is too high.

I have two daughters that are the loves of my life and I want to leave them a better world, a better country, a better state and a better city.

If a hurricane strikes, we can blame the president for not being there; we can blame Congress and FEMA; we can blame the state governments; but in the end, it's the mayors and the local city governments that have to be prepared for emergencies and be prepared to act.

You are safer here tonight than you would be on the streets of any other city in the world.