Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Delivers Remarks at the New York Building Congress Annual Gala

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Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Delivers Remarks at the New York Building Congress Annual Gala

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at the New York Building Congress annual gala.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and available in TV quality (h.264. mp4) format here.

AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here.

PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

We've been together for so many years - back when I was Lieutenant Governor and no one knew who the hell my name was. But Carlo, you've been extraordinary in your leadership of this organization. I love this organization because all I have to do is work with my dynamic team - and I have the best and brightest public servants you'd ever want to gather - and we come up with a vision. But you are the doers. You are the ones who are the implementers. You're the ones who make the magic happen. And I could not be prouder to be the Governor of the State of New York at this time, when just a few short years ago, the days looked dark and long and we did not know whether or not we were going to come through the horizon, or whether the storm clouds would part.

And look at where we are today. We've retained and regained that exceptionalism - that mojo that New Yorkers had when you walked down the street. You got that swagger back again. And you know what I'd love to see? To have that not just here in the city, but to have people walking with that sense of pride and courage and ambition all over the State of New York, because I love building in every corner of this state. And we are doing exceptional things, and you heard about them from Carlo. And I want to thank you. And this great organization - Greg Kelly. Let's give him a round of applause. Our Chair of the Building Congress. I don't know if Gary LaBarbera is here. Gary, I did see you at the dinner, so I presume you're here. Rick Cotton, our Executive Director. I also know Janno was here and all of our elected leaders who are making the magic happen.

You know, I realize I do love to build. I'm probably in the wrong profession, but I do love the job. But I also love building. I gave my little two-year-old granddaughter - not a doll - but building blocks. I said, "Sweetheart, this is how it all starts. You start making things from nothing. And you have that sense of pride." And I hope that when all of you walk down the streets of this city and this state, you have that sense of pride of what we've done from deep underground into our subway systems. And yes, we will have the $15 billion we need to take this and finish our capital plan and the next capital plan, which is going to take us for five years and beyond, to do extraordinary things: What our commuters expect from us. The world class service they deserve. And we're going to make sure it happens. So, whether you're underground or building the skyscrapers that grace our skyline right now, this is an extraordinary moment in our history.

And what we're also doing is projects that were stymied and people didn't have the courage to get them over the finish line. Projects like the Gateway Tunnel and the Hudson River Project - that went through probably five governors, four mayors. I mean, nobody could get it done between New York and New Jersey. And all it took was people saying, "Wait a minute. This has to happen, number one. Number two, there are tens of thousands of jobs involved in this." So, right now in the State of New York, we have not only the largest public infrastructure project going on right now with the Gateway Tunnel, but we also have the largest private sector project in American history with the building of Micron in upstate New York. That's 50,000 jobs and $100 billion of investment. I spoke to the CEO yesterday, and we are moving forward.

So right now - yes, there's 49 other states I'm told - but look at what's happening in your State of New York. And we're going to continue. We're going to look in places that deserve so much more attention, like Penn Station. Anybody been there lately? We can do better. We can do better. That should be a place that is a monument to our aspirations and our ambitions, and something we're all so proud of. And I'll get that done. Even the bus station; the bus terminal. Port Authority Bus Terminal. We can do better, can't we everyone? That can be a beautiful place. A welcoming place. Let's make that happen. I was just talking to the White House yesterday about getting support for that as well.

And I also love the Interborough Express. Just acknowledging that people live in the outer boroughs and they work in the outer boroughs. And so, the illogic of saying you have to come into Manhattan to get a ride to go from Queens to Brooklyn doesn't make sense. We can dream big and we can accomplish great things and that's exactly what we're doing.

So, these are just a few of the things on my current to-do list, but I assure you that over the years, that list is going to continue growing stronger and stronger, and all of you are the ones who make it happen. So, I want to wish all of you a peaceful, joyful holiday season. Continue the great work, and onward and upward into 2025, because my friends, the best is yet to come.

Thank you very much.