NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- 1010 WINS reporter Al Jones sat down with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for an exclusive interview, talking about affordable housing and the issues the city is dealing with.

De Blasio held a teleconference town hall on affordable senior housing Wednesday night that had 4,500 New Yorkers on the call.

"A lot of people talk about their particular problems," De Blasio told 1010 WINS. "We're able to give them answers right away on the phone."

De Blasio said City Council members will pay attention to New Yorkers and their problems with these teleconference town halls.

"There's a lot of emotion on all these calls because people are worried about being priced out of the city, worried about their homes being taken away. We know on these calls not everyone is going to agree, people are going to ask tough questions," the mayor said, adding that it's a real cross-section of New Yorkers who call in.

De Blasio prefers these types of calls because he's able to reach so many more people than a regular town hall.

"I think it's great for people who don't travel so well, or have a disability. It's so wonderful, they can be totally engaged right from their living room," he told 1010 WINS.

The mayor explained to 1010 WINS he has a lot on his plate right now with paid sick leave, the minimum wage gap, pre-kindergarten and affordable housing.

"It's a moment in history that demands it. There's a real inequality crisis. There's a real affordability crisis," he said.

The mayor touched on the perceived notion that crime is going up in the city with the recent rash of slashings.

"The fact is crime keeps going down. The NYPD is doing an amazing down," citing that murders and shootings in the city have gone down.

De Blasio also said he's happy to see income inequality becoming a mainstream issue on the Democratic presidential platform.

De Blasio endorsed Hillary Clinton for president last October.