Mayor O’Brien’s Inaugural Address

1.Write an interpretive summary of the speech that briefly but comprehensively discusses the topics addressed, and describes the tone and style. Also discuss what you think are the most outstanding and/or unique qualities of the speech?

On January 4th, 1933, Mayor John P. O’Brien delivered his Inaugural Address in New York City proposing a number of initiatives that have shaped some of the procedures that the City currently uses. He states that he understands his duty as a servant for the people and never before in this City have they ever had a crisis concerning the integrity of municipality. First proposal he suggests is the duty to provide food and shelter for the unemployed as during this time you had the Great Depression occurring that affected everyone worldwide. He wants to economize but not to the detriment of leaving New Yorkers out to dry. City Government therefore, is held accountable on the premise of eliminating unnecessary positions that will assist in the reduction of the financial crisis. Mayor O’Brien appoints a committee of citizens who are leaders in their communities to survey city departments and to recommend any changes to trim down government. He also appoints a committee to to make suggestions to review and modernize the city charter and another to suggest new sources of revenue for the city. This responsibility to the citizens holds them accountable and in return hold government to the standard people seek fit. He says the Mayor’s responsibility is to be charged with the preparation of a city budget and if items be added it should be the subject of the veto of the Mayor.

Although this was an era of struggle and hardship, New York’s population was steadily growing. Because of this, New York has had to borrow large sums of money annually in it’s anticipation of taxes, and temporary loans millions of dollars have been paid. He doesn’t fault any political official for the wrongdoing but rather that’s been the standard practice of New York government of quite some time. The tone of this speech was deafening. He was very strategic in his proposal of ideas that ranks from his top priority to his least concerns. These are the following changes: The creation of a centralized purchasing department for the purchase of all supplies paid for from funds in the City Treasury; Abolition of the Department of Weights and Measures and the vesting of these functions in the Department of Public Markets; Abolition of the Board of Taxicab Control and the vesting of its functions in the Police Department; The abolition of the City Planning Commission and the vesting of its functions in the Chief Engineer of the Board of Estimate; The abolition of the Bill Drafting Commission and imposing its duties upon the Law Department; The consolidation of inspection of buildings now scattered through several departments; The reorganization of the Department of Sanitation so that greater efficiency and economy may result from its activities; The payment of real estate taxes quarterly instead of semi-annually; The creation of a capital outlay budget; The establishes of an executive budget; The abolition of the Sinking Fund Commission and the transfer of its functions to the Board of Estimate.

2.Describe relevant events on the life of the city and the life of the Mayor which took place in the year or years prior to the delivery of the State of the City Address?

The most relevant event that occurred during this time was the Great Depression that occurred from 1929-1933 but realistically was a ten year occurrence. The Great Depression began after the stock market crash of October 1929, that sent Wall Street in New York City in a state of panic and destroyed millions of investors (The Great Depression, 2015). By 1933, when the Great Depression reached it’s low point, some 13-15 million Americans were unemployed and approximately half of the Country’s banks had failed (The Great Depression, 2015). Shortly after the surprise resignation of Mayor Jimmy Walker in 1932, Tammany Hall nominated O’Brien for Mayor in a special elections beating write-in candidate Joseph McKee with more than half a million votes. Their isn’t too many interesting notes on Mayor John O’Brien. Maybe in part due to his short term in office. According to the Bowery Boys History, “He was the last pure mayoral puppet of Tammany Hall.” (Bowery Boys, 2010). O’Brien was a lawyer but was renown knowingly for being a public servant. After he graduated from Georgetown, he pushed swiftly thought the political ranks of the Democratic Party to become Corporation Counsel in the early 1920s (Bowery Boys, 2010). As far as his promise of loaning, O’Brien continued and agreed to borrow form private banking firms until 1937, as long as the city stopped raising real estate taxes. (Bowery Boys, 2010)

3.Describe the context in which the speech was delivered and any ceremony that surrounded it. The delivery of the State of the City speech has become progressively more ceremonial over the years. While most early speeches were given at City Hall, Mayor Bloomberg established a practice of traveling to different parts of the city, and of course there were some politics involved in his choices about where to speak.

Their wasn’t a ceremony behind this speech. His speech was based upon a continuing effort to grind through the depression. It was a swift transition for someone who was part of a political machine such as Tammany Hall. The text of Mayor O’Brien’s address doesn’t specify where the speech took place.

4. If possible, describe the reaction of the press and the public to the speech. What kind of ‘spin’ was it given in the media.

Their are no media reports of reaction to Mayor O’Brien’s speech.

5.Note the speechwriter(s) that worked on the speech is possible, and say whatever else you can about the composition of the speech. I realize that it will not be possible to obtain this information for some

Their are no speechwriters that were said to work on this speech.

6.Find 5 to 8 passages in your speech that you believe require explanation to understand. List these passages and provide the necessary explanation.

“I have appointed a committee of prominent citizens to survey city departments immediately under my jurisdiction and to make recommendations looking to eliminate of waste and extravagance. I have named another committee of well-known citizens to make suggestions for the revision and modernizing of the city charter. I also have appointed a committee to suggest new sources of revenue for the city. These committee soon will make preliminary reports to me which I am sure will contain practical suggestions.” I only require explanation when they revert to him as part of a political machine. They described him as a political puppet, so I don’t know if he’d really be seriously about the responses he’d get about government.

“I have a deep sense of obligation to the citizens of this great who have placed me at the head of the municipal government. From this day on I am the Mayor of all the people of the city and not any part of portion thereof.” Again hearing the comments of how he got into office with the ‘Tammany Hall Machine’ so I’m unsure if he was for all of the people, maybe to one particular party.

“It is true that I am a Democrat and that I was nominated for this office by the Democratic Party. I realize, however, that I serve my party best when I serve my city best, and it is with that determination that I undertake the great task which now confronts me.” I’m curious to know why Tammany Hall chose him to be the Democratic candidate for Mayor and what was the controversy surrounding the last Mayor.

“Public office is a public trust.” No reason to explain really great quote by Grover Cleveland

“With this situation before us today, all partisanship should be cast aside and every citizen should cooperate in solving the present engrossing problems that beset our beloved city.” He said all of the right things, why did he only serve one term?

7.People and places: What people and places are mentioned in this speech? What is their significance? During his proposals, he talked about the Bronx Terminal Market and Staten Island Piers. He mentioned President Grover Cleveland and his quote “Public office is a public trust.”

8.Find one or two quotations from the speech that you believe represent some essential aspect of it.

“It is true that I am a Democrat and that I was nominated for this office by the Democratic Party. I realize, however, that I serve my party best when I serve my city beset, and it is with that determination that I undertake the great task which now confronts me.”

“Public office is a public trust.” Grover Cleveland

9.Key terms: Provide a list of 2-5 key terms related to the speech.

•Partisanship

•Sinking Fund

10.Further Reading: More recent mayors have been extensively written about by biographers and…by themselves. Recommend a few biographies and/or autobiographies, and or good articles in respectable publications.

"Our Campaigns - Candidate - John P. O'Brien." Our Campaigns - Candidate - John P. O'Brien. Web. 6 Aug. 2015.

Citations

Boys, Bowery. "Mayor John O'Brien: His Heart Is as Black as Yours! - The Bowery Boys: New York City History." The Bowery Boys New York City History. 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 6 Aug. 2015. <

"Our Campaigns - Candidate - John P. O'Brien." Our Campaigns - Candidate - John P. O'Brien. Web. 6 Aug. 2015.

"The Great Depression." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 6 Aug. 2015. <