De Blasio reiterates plan to tax wealthy NY'ers to pay for pre-K programs
By JONATHAN LEMIRE, AP
New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio delivered his first major policy speech since his landslide victory, citing on Monday his historic margin of victory as a "clear mandate" to enact sweeping reforms to the city's schools even as he faces opposition for the tax hike needed to fund the plan.
De Blasio, who takes office Jan. 1, largely avoided new policy proposals, instead sticking to his campaign promises of delivering universal pre-kindergarten and free after-school programs to middle schoolers.
He aims to pay for those programs with a tax hike on wealthy New Yorkers but needs approval from the state legislature. Several leaders in Albany, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, have signaled a reluctance to deliver.
But de Blasio, giving the keynote speech at an education conference hosted by Columbia University, called his nearly 50-point win earlier this month "substantial" and the source of enough political capital to enact his ambitious agenda.
http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2013-11-26-85985.113122-De-Blasio-reiterates-plan-to-tax-wealthy-NYers-to-pay-for-preK-programs.html