January 18, 2008
Mayor Hails City’s Immigrants and Innovation
By DIANE CARDWELL

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, looking at once to close a multibillion-dollar deficit and burnish his national profile as an innovator, unveiled a mix of tough education and anticrime measures while embracing the virtues of immigration on Thursday at his annual State of the City address.

At the heart of his speech, Mr. Bloomberg warned of the coming pain of spending cuts in response to lost revenues from Wall Street and a slowing real estate market. But he argued that the hurt would have been far worse if not for his careful management of the budget in recent years, and said he did not yet plan to raise taxes.

In the 48-minute address, Mr. Bloomberg vowed to end social promotion for eighth graders, as he already has for third, fifth and seventh graders. He called for collecting DNA from anyone arrested for a crime. And the mayor, a billionaire who paid for his own campaigns, promised to step up the fight against political patronage.

The presentation, complete with lively performances by public school students and the mayor holding up a baby, was as political as it was practical, with Mr. Bloomberg working to keep the notion alive that he could become a third-party presidential candidate unencumbered by partisan allegiances and sniping. He was particularly explicit on immigration, an emotional issue in both the Democratic and Republican campaigns.

“Take a look behind me,â€