By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told New Yorkers what they already knew during her State of the City address on Thursday — the economy is really bad, and people really need jobs.
"Economists say that we’ve hit the low point of the recession, and we’re starting to climb back out," Quinn, a likely mayoral candidate in 2013, said during the speech at City Hall. "But talk to the average New Yorker, and you’ll hear a very different story."
Quinn announced several new economic initiatives during the speech, including New York City High Tech Connect, a program aimed at technology entrepreneurs looking to turn an idea into a business, and a bid to exempt small business from the city’s corporate tax, saving them up to $3,400 annually.
“Whether we’re creating a better tax environment, investing in growth industries, or supporting our small business community, it’s all about creating good jobs for working families,” Quinn said.
The speaker singled out the GED system as one of the causes for high unemployment in the city.
“New York State ranks dead last in the percentage of people passing the GED. Why? Because our GED system is broken,” Quinn said. “If we want to get people back to work, we need to fix the system.”
The speaker announced new programs to encourage New Yorkers to take the high school equivalency test, including a Web site for easy test registration and a practice test program.
“We’ll seize the potential of tomorrow by using the opportunities of today,” Quinn said at the end of her speech. “And if we have faith in the power of New Yorkers, if we give them the tools they need, then we can help them build a stronger New York City, now and for decades to come.”
The full text of the speech can be found here (PDF).
