10/31
In an often rowdy encounter before a hooting, cheering audience, Michael R.
Bloomberg and Mark Green offered differing views last night on rebuilding
New York, on improving public education and on what the city needed in its
next mayor. It was the first of two debates between the candidates - Mr.
Green insisted there be only two - and it was the first Spanish-language
mayoral debate in the history of New York, the organizers said. Mr.
Bloomberg, a Republican, presented himself as an independent- minded
business leader who could push the city through difficult years. He painted
Mr. Green as a career politician, indebted to special interests, be they
builders that contributed to his campaign or unions that endorsed him. For
his part, Mr. Green, a Democrat, portrayed Mr. Bloomberg as a wealthy,
politically ungrounded novice. He noted that his opponent had no experience
in government, and he mentioned frequently that Mr. Bloomberg was spending
huge sums of money to win the mayoralty. He suggested that Mr. Bloomberg had
displayed a lack of conviction by quitting the Democratic Party to run as a
Republican, and mocked his explanation that he had done that because the
Republican Party had "invited" him to run, while the Democrats had not.
(New York Times)
Mayoral candidates Michael Bloomberg and Mark Green squared off yesterday in
their first of two debates - a freewheeling exchange of ideas and insults
that included taunts about the divisive Democratic runoff and the media
mogul's $40 million campaign. Bloomberg, a billionaire Republican
businessman, presented himself as a no-nonsense manager steeled for tough
times and derided Green as a handmaiden of union bosses. Green, the city's
Democratic public advocate, touted his government experience and depicted
Bloomberg as someone who considers public service more hobby than career.
The 90-minute faceoff waded into issues that have provided daily grist for
the campaign - education, Bloomberg's record campaign spending, rebuilding
lower Manhattan. But the exchange may go unheard - or possibly
misunderstood - by many New Yorkers since it was broadcast only in Spanish
on WADO-AM radio and at a time (4 to 5:30 p.m.) when most people are
working. Bloomberg is trailing by 16 points in recent polls - a big gap to
overcome in seven days in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 5 to
1. (Daily News)
Mark Green warned yesterday that the $4-to-6-billion deficit that the city
is expected to face next year is its greatest fiscal crisis since it nearly
went bankrupt in the 1970's, and he said that he has "the experience in
government to make hard choices, tell the public hard truths and take the
heat." For the most part, Mr. Green avoided talking about specific cuts that
he would make if he was elected mayor, except to reiterate his support for a
temporary hiring freeze on all city workers other than teachers, police
officers and firefighters. Although he still spoke about paying teachers
more and hiring more of them to shrink class sizes, he made it clear that
such goals would now take longer to achieve. "Look, if the fiscal situation
worsens and we have the worst fiscal crisis in a half-century, of course
terrible things would be on the triage table," Mr. Green said during a 45-
minute breakfast interview yesterday with reporters and editors of The New
York Times. "And if you'd like to ask me, one by one, what they are and what
I would do, I'd say everything's on the table because the goal is to make
the city economically and fiscally whole." (New York Times)
It was hailed as a coup for Spanish-language media - El Diario, WXTV and
WADO-AM won the right to sponsor the first of two debates between Mark Green
and Michael Bloomberg. But as the debate began at 4 p.m. yesterday, the
mayoral candidates were nowhere to be found on WXTV (Channel 41). Instead,
the station kept to its regular schedule, airing "El Gordo y la Flaca" ("The
Fat Man and the Skinny Woman") - a talk show whose standard bits include the
"Fat Man" host interviewing bikini-clad women in a hot tub. Channel 41 also
refused to preempt its soap operas last night to show the 90-minute debate
on tape delay. "Those shows have a very loyal following, and you preempt
them at your own peril," spokesman Ted Faraone said. He said Channel 41
would broadcast a one-hour special on the debate at 10 a.m. Saturday. So
yesterday's debate could not be seen in its entirety on local TV - leaving
Team Bloomberg fuming at the campaign, which picked yesterday's debate
sponsors. "Mark Green knows the more people see him, the less they like
him," said Bloomberg aide Ed Skyler. (Daily News)
Yesterday's Spanish-language mayoral debate between Michael Bloomberg and
Mark Green was a little bit like the United Nations coming to a rowdy
high-school class. Equipped with earpieces that translated their questions
into English, both candidates packed the auditorium at the New School with
supporters who hooted, hollered and laughed at even the lamest joke made by
their respective political hero. Two men in the audience exchanged some
not-so-nice words - even while the 90-minute debate trudged on. (New York Post)
Michael Bloomberg trotted out his biggest fan yesterday - his 92-year-old
mother. Meanwhile, on the steps of City Hall, Democratic rival Mark Green
picked up the endorsement of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan)
and 50 members of the city's Assembly delegation. Bloomberg countered with
three endorsements in Harlem: the Rev. Simon Bouie, senior pastor of Emanuel
AME; the Rev. Michael Faulkner, senior past at Central Baptist, and the
African-American Women Republican Institute. (Daily News)
Whatever happens in next week's mayoral election, those who joined the Mike
Bloomberg campaign are already big winners-moneywise. The multibillionaire
is funding his mayoral race out of his personal fortune, and his campaign
has been a major score for a slew of political and policy gurus. (Village Voice)
Can Mark Green win back the hearts and minds of black and Latino voters? If
the shunned Democratic mayoral nominee wants to atone for participating in
the most divisive political campaign since Ed Koch's 1988 assertion that
Jews would be crazy to vote for Jesse Jackson, he must bow to a list of six
conditions, the Voice has learned. These conditions are contained in a
strongly worded letter that Brooklyn assemblyman Roger L. Green, the
powerful chair of the state's Black, Puerto Rican, and Hispanic Caucus,
quietly dispatched to Mark Green four days after the bruising October 11
runoff. (Village Voice)
10/30
Mayoral candidate Mark Green went on the attack yesterday, answering an
assault by Michael Bloomberg with his first negative TV ad - accusing his
rival of wanting to strip city schools of computers and funds. Meanwhile,
Bloomberg has flooded the airwaves with an ad that features Mayor Rudy
Giuliani. (Daily News)
Michael Bloomberg, a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, will spend up to $1.47
million running his campaign ads during the World Series games. (NY Post)
Mark Green stood yesterday at the latest in a series of news conferences
with unions jumping onto his campaign train - this time the giant health
care workers' union, led by Dennis Rivera - when he decided to take a
gamble. Several reporters had asked about Mr. Rivera's evident lack of
enthusiasm for Mr. Green, so Mr. Green impulsively turned to Mr. Rivera."Let
me ask Dennis a blunt question: Are you more or less enthusiastic in your
endorsement of me than Rudy Giuliani was of Michael Bloomberg?" he asked.
There was a moment of slightly awkward silence, then laughter. The
expression on Mr. Rivera's face did not change, and he did not budge. Mr.
Green moved on to the next question. (New York Times)
In the fierce race to succeed Thomas Ognibene, who is barred by term limits
from running for re-election, the question is whether the 30th Council
District, which includes Middle Village, Ridgewood and Glendale, Queens will
continue to be represented by a Republican.Mr. Ognibene has thrown his
support behind Dennis Gallagher, 37, the councilman's longtime chief of
staff. Mr. Gallagher has deep roots in the district, having worked with Mr.
Ognibene since 1991 and having been a member of the board of the local
Y.M.C.A. and president of one of the neighborhood civic associations. His
Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Crowley, 23, is an active member of local
chapter of the building trades council and is a decorative painter and home
restorer. She is also the bearer of a family name that has a history in this
part of Queens. Ms. Crowley is a cousin of Representative Joseph Crowley and
the daughter of Walter and Mary Crowley, both of whom represented many of
the same neighborhoods in the City Council. (NY Times)
10/29
Michael Bloomberg and Mark Green participated in what was called an
"undebate," back-to-back half-hour television interviews, because Green
refused to debate Bloomberg directly. While Green attacked Bloomberg for
not having government experience, Bloomberg portrayed that as a plus and
defended his decision to spend more than $40 million of his own money on his
mayoral campaign.
(New York Times)
Whoever is elected mayor will have to decide in his first few months in
office how to close a multibillion dollar deficit projected for the city
next year. Neither Mark Green nor Michael Bloomberg has offered many
specifics, but both candidates support hiring freezes for city agencies and
talk about trying to increase the productivity of city employees. While
saying he would seek ways to preserve essential services, Green has outlined
some proposed savings, including consolidating criminal justice agencies,
reducing the capital budget for jails and various contracting improvements.
Bloomberg has ruled out raising taxes, but said he would consider having the
city borrow more money.
(Newsday)
Michael Bloomberg announced a plan for fighting bioterrorism, saying poor communication
between the federal government and New York police department slowed
the response to the anthrax scare in the city. The Republican mayoral
candidate called for creation of a task force linking city, state
and federal agencies and health care providers, for testing to be
available at all times and for an increase in laboratory capacity
to reduce the time it takes to get results of those tests. (Daily
News)
The New York Times endorsed Mark Green for mayor saying his opponent,
Michael Bloomberg, is "is ill matched to the job he covets." The
editorial concludes that Green "has not been the most lovable candidate
in New York City history, but he has demonstrated a deep understanding
of the issues, a sensible approach to public policy, and the soul
of a fighter. That may be the quality he will find most useful if
he becomes the city's next mayor." (New
York Times)
10/28
Mayor Giuliani finally endorsed Michael Bloomberg, praising the Republican
candidate as someone who "has the background, varied experience, the kind of
experiences" that could make him a great leader. Despite the mayor's
popularity, observers question how much his endorsement would help
Bloomberg, who is trailing in the polls. But Bloomberg aides were happy to
receive the support and will use it in upcoming television commercials.
(Daily News)
Mayor Giuliani's endorsement of Michael Bloomberg gives Bloomberg a boost in
what many have characterized as his troubled campaign. But a big
question is how much effort Giuliani can or will expend on the mayoral
race. Bloomberg needs the mayor to make personal and television
appearances stressing that Bloomberg is the person best suited to
carry on his work and attacking opponent Mark Green. But Giuliani
has limited time and is eager to avoid being perceived as too partisan
at a time when he is so popular because of his role since the attacks
on September 11. (New
York Times)
Mark Green focused on his support from Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem), Rep.
Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) and state Controller Carl McCall as well as Crain's
New York Business and the Empire State Pride Agenda gay-rights group.
Green's appearance with black elected officials may indicate that the rift
between Green and people who had supported the mayoral bid of Fernando
Ferrer has at least partly healed.
(Daily News)
Despite all the campaign rhetoric, neither Mark Green nor Michael Bloomberg
has provided precise details of how he would address a city budget deficit
that could reach at least $4 billion next year.
(Daily News)
The Green campaign has canceled plans for a fundraiser at the home of
Abraham Biderman, a former city commissioner and prominent activist in the
Brooklyn Orthodox Jewish community. Biderman was one of the signers of a
letter, published in the Jewish Press immediately before the October 11
Democratic runoff election, that accused Green's then opponent, Fernando
Ferrer, of "dividing the city racially." It also accused Sharpton, who
endorsed Ferrer, of inciting a mob against Hasidic Jews during the 1991
Crown Heights riots.
(Daily News)
10/27
Republican Michael Bloomberg has already spent more than $40 million of his
own money on his mayoral campaign, almost four times the amount spent by
Democratic rival Mark Green. Bloomberg is financing his own campaign while
Green is participating in the city campaign finance system. Last year,
Hillary Clinton and Rick Lazio together spent $69 million for their Senate
race, making it the mostly costly Senate campaign ever. Bloomberg now seems
on the road to spending $50 million, far more than either Clinton or Lazio.
(Daily News)
10/26
Mark Green refunded $13,500 in contributions yesterday from three
contractors whose firm oversaw the renovation project in which five workmen
died in a scaffolding collapse. Stephen Green, a real estate titan who is
the public advocate's older brother, had solicited the donations from the
firm, Nesa Roofing and Restoration. A company Stephen Green controls, SL
Green Leasing, had hired Nesa for the renovation at 215 Park Ave. South,
where the scaffolding collapsed Wednesday. SL Green Leasing manages the
building. The Green campaign said it was returning the cash because of the
"likelihood of an extensive investigation." (Daily News)
The United Federation of Teachers endorsed Mark Green for mayor yesterday
after passing him over twice for the primary and runoff elections, causing
renewed disagreements over education with his Republican opponent, Michael
R. Bloomberg. (New York Times)
The three largest municipal unions -- United Federation of Teachers,
District Council 37, and Local 1199 hospital workers -- are beginning to
rally behind Mark Green, bringing their large memberships and celebrated
get-out-the-vote operations to his candidacy. (Daily News)
Michael Bloomberg accepted the endorsement of the Amsterdam News yesterday.
(Daily News)
Michael Bloomberg wants Mayor Giuliani's endorsement, but also is trying to
distinguish himself from his fellow Republican. At a forum in the South
Bronx, Bloomberg suggested his administration would be more inclusive than
Giuliani's. "I was talking to a City Council person," said Bloomberg. "And
they were complaining about something, and I said, 'Well, the last time you
talked to the mayor, why didn't you say something?' And they said they've
never met the mayor." During the same meeting, Bloomberg also criticized
Giuliani's proposed 15 percent budget cut to CUNY as "penny wise, pound
foolish." (Daily News)
The 43rd Council District, which extends from Bay Ridge into Dyker Heights
and Bensonhurst, is an area of prim houses, busy shopping thoroughfares, and
Giuliani Democrats. Now Democratic candidate Joanne Seminaria is hoping to
unseat Republican incumbent Martin Golden. (New York Times)
10/25
Although aides to Mark Green are reluctant to say who might hold top positions in a Green administration, senior posts could go to some familiar faces,including people who have worked for previous mayors. These include former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and former Emergency Management official Jerry Hauer, who both worked under Mayor Rudy Giuliani but have supported the Green candidacy. The inner circle in a Green administration could also include aides from his years as public advocate and from the campaign, such as campaign manager Richard Schrader, chief of staff David Eichenthal, senior policy adviser Barry Ford, chief spokesman Joe DePlasco and general counsel Laurel Eisner. Former Mayor David Dinkins and Assemblyman Herman (Denny) Farrell, the Manhattan Democratic leader, could also have clout in a Green city hall. Dinkins says he does not want a government job but "would want to be helpful."
(Daily News)
Two weeks before Election Day, the Quinnipiac University poll shows Mark Green leading Republican mayoral rival Michael Bloomberg by 16 points. Green has 51 percent to 35 percent for Bloomberg, with 13 percent of voters still undecided. Green gets particularly strong backing from Democrats and blacks, while the two candidates are statistically tied with Hispanic voters.
(New York Post)
Governor George Pataki yesterday endorsed Michael Bloomberg for mayor, citing the Republican candidate's leadership abilities and business background. Mayor Giuliani, though, has still not made a similar move. "When I'm ready to do that, then I'll make a decision," Giuliani said.
(New York Post)
With Michael Bloomberg encountering difficulties in his campaign for mayor, a number of Republicans have expressed concern over the way the campaign is proceeding and note how tough it is for a first-time candidate to succeed in New York politics. The task facing Bloomberg is especially daunting because he is running as a Republican in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans five to one. Further, the campaign is short because of the postponement of the primary election, and voters are preoccupied with world events, the World Trade Center attacks--and the Yankee.
(New York Times)
Mark Green and Michael Bloomberg seem to have switched roles. Green, who has spent a career as an outsider, is now the confident front-runner, refusing to debate, appearing with law-and-order supporters and avoiding his opponent. Bloomberg, a billionaire Republican, is the challenger and protest candidate, offering himself as the choice for disaffected minority voters and allying himself with Independence Party followers of Lenora Fulani, the former presidential candidate who once criticized fellow black activists for their willingness to "pander to Jews."
As part of this, Green advisers are reportedly trying to keep Mayor Giuliani from endorsing Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Bloomberg has won the Independence Party line on the ballot, so Democrats who like Bloomberg but do not like voting for Republicans can cast ballots for him. But the support could hinder his efforts to win over moderate Democrats and Jews who dislike Fulani.
(New York Observer)
10/24
The Bloomberg campaign yesterday quoted from a book rival Mark Green wrote
20 years ago to try portray Green as a defender of Soviet tyrant Joseph
Stalin. The charges is seen as part of an attempt by the Republican mayoral
candidate to question the move by Green to the political center. "Mark is a
very liberal, leftist kind of guy," Bloomberg said yesterday. A Green aide
called the attack "complete crap and they know it."
Meanwhile, Mayor Giuliani has said he will not endorse Bloomberg "right
now."
(Daily News)
One of two election-eve phone campaigns bashing Fernando Ferrer for his
political alliance with the Rev. Al Sharpton has been traced to officials of
a Brooklyn Jewish community council. The recorded message went to scores of
households in Brooklyn, most of them Jewish, the night before the Oct. 11
Democratic mayoral runoff between Ferrer and Mark Green. It is not clear who
was behind a second similar, but more widely distributed, message. Senior
officials of the Boro Park Jewish Community Council,which has been linked to
the first phone campaign, did not respond to requests for comment. Green
has denied having anything to do with the phone calls, which he has called
racially divisive.
(Daily News)
Citizens Union, a nonpartisan civic group, has announced its support for
Michael Bloomberg for mayor, citing his business background and managerial
skills. At least one member of the board of the organization,
Stanley Brezenoff, resigned in protest of the decision, partly because
Bloomberg is using his own fortune to finance his campaign.
(New York Times)
The accord between Mark Green and supporters of Fernando Ferrer is shaky at
best.
(Village Voice)
10/23
With Mark Green looking on in approval, several of his top law enforcement
advisers asserted yesterday that Michael R. Bloomberg was not qualified to
assure the safety of New Yorkers in the face of the threat of more terrorist
attacks. They recited statements that Mr. Bloomberg had made in the past
that they said demonstrated his lack of understanding of policing and of
city government. One adviser, William J. Bratton, the former police
commissioner, went so far as to invoke the image of Times Square packed at
midnight on Dec. 31 as a potential target for terrorism at the very moment
that Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's term will be ending. Asked if it was
appropriate to raise fears about New Year's Eve, Mr. Green said: "When a lot
of people congregate and there are terrorist threats, we have to make sure
that we elect a mayor of New York City who has experience in public safety,
has worked with the leading experts on public safety, and has spoken to cops
on the street and in private meetings over eight years. That's not scaring
people, it's just being realistic." (New York Times)
Republican mayoral nominee Michael Bloomberg portrayed Democratic rival Mark
Green yesterday as an enemy of the NYPD, while Green assailed Bloomberg as
unprepared to lead the nation's largest police force. Bloomberg also said he
would extend his proposed citywide hiring freeze to teachers - a plan that
brought swift criticism from Green and the teachers union. The vitriolic
exchange, just 15 days before the Nov. 6 general election, focused attention
on two major issues facing New Yorkers - public safety in the aftermath of
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the crisis in the city's public schools.
On public safety, Bloomberg, a billionaire media mogul, blasted Green, the
city public advocate, as a politician who reinvents himself each time he
runs for office. (Daily News)
Republican mayoral candidate Michael Bloomberg said Monday that if elected,
he'd stop hiring new teachers because of the city's economic woes and his
desire to raise teacher salaries. Bloomberg's idea was criticized by
Democratic nominee Mark Green as "defeatism," and the teachers union
president warned that not replacing older teachers could balloon classes,
which are already larger in city schools than in the suburbs. A hiring
freeze would severely crimp Schools Chancellor Harold Levy's aggressive
recruitment efforts at a time when two-thirds of the city's 80,000 teacher
corps could retire in the next five years. The school system hired 8,500 new
teachers this year and may lose another 10,000 teachers by next summer.
(Newsday)
Mike Bloomberg enters the last two weeks of an uphill campaign without Mayor
Giuliani at his side. (NY Post)
10/22
John S. McCain, the Arizona senator and champion of strict government
regulation of campaign spending, campaigned yesterday on behalf
of Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman who has declined
to participate in New York's campaign finance system and has already
spent more on his mayoral campaign than any candidate in the history
of city elections. (New
York Times)
Democrat Mark Green evidently liked a lot of the people he met
during his past 12 years in city government. He's relying on them,
most of them veteran government officials, to help craft his policies
in his run for mayor. By contrast, Republican Michael Bloomberg,
a businessman making his first run for public office, is relying
on a small group of academics-most with past political experience-to
develop policy positions. The irony is that while Mr. Green is one
of New York's staunchest liberals and Mr. Bloomberg hails from the
conservative world of Wall Street, many of Mr. Bloomberg's advisers
are more liberal than those advising Mr. Green. (Crain's
New York Business)
10/21
Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer, who lost the Democratic mayoral
nomination to Mr. Green in the runoff, moved yesterday to quash
any doubts about their public reconciliation and to appear united
in their opposition to Michael R. Bloomberg, the Republican candidate.
Campaigning yesterday in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Mr. Green was
joined for the first time on the mayoral stump by Mr. Ferrer, who
shook hands with voters and said he was backing Mr. Green in the
spirit of unity created after the Sept. 11 terror attack. "I support
Mark Green wholeheartedly," Mr. Ferrer said. (New
York Times)
His primary contest behind him, Mark Green has emerged, unexpectedly
and not by the design of his campaign, as the first Democratic mayoral
nominee in memory who appears to owe no obvious debt to the major
constituencies that traditionally stake a claim on New York mayors.
With a few notable exceptions, New York's most influential unions,
elected officials and party leaders "opposed Mr. Green almost
through the end". Whatever the reason, the result may well
turn out to be a welcome turn of events for Mr. Green in the final
weeks of this mayoral campaign and, should he win, in a Green mayoralty.(New
York Times)
Mayoral hopeful Michael Bloomberg has increased his spending on
TV and radio advertising to at least $2.5 million a week. The pre-Election
Day ad blitz puts the Republican on a pace to burn through nearly
$40 million of his own money by the time his campaign ends. No candidate
for any office has ever spent so much on commercials on a weekly
basis in the New York market - not even Jon Corzine, who shelled
out $60 million last year in winning a Senate seat from New Jersey.
(Daily
News)
The Rev. Al Sharpton is now the target of a tough new TV ad for
the Conservative Party's mayoral candidate. "Thinking of voting
for one of these guys?" Terry Gray says in the ad, as pictures of
Democrat Mark Green and Republican Michael Bloomberg are shown.
"Then you're also voting for this guy," he adds, as the commercial
cuts to a shot of Sharpton. "Both Mark Green and Michael Bloomberg
say they'd welcome Al Sharpton's support. I won't. I'm Terry Gray,
Conservative for mayor." (Daily
News)
10/20
Eight days after the last vote was cast in the Democratic mayoral
contest Fernando Ferrer formally conceded to Mark Green yesterday,
and joined a packed platform of elected Democrats, party leaders
and union executives in an elaborate, if uneasy, display of unity.
(New
York Times)
Republican mayoral candidate Michael Bloomberg unleashed his first
attack ad yesterday, a 30-second spot that quotes New Yorkers as
saying Democratic rival Mark Green is racially divisive. The media
mogul launched the TV ad less than a week after stating unequivocally
that he would not use race in his campaign. (Daily
News)
No rebuilding plan can succeed without the enthusiastic participation of the
next mayor, and the two main candidates in the Nov. 6 election have offered
very different proposals.Mark Green, the Democratic nominee, has proposed a
city-state "superagency," accountable to the mayor and governor with input
from other voices around the city.Michael Bloomberg, the Republican nominee,
sees no need for an additional authority and says the next mayor should be
the point person on the city's downtown's recovery. (New York Times)
10/19
For the first time since their bitter runoff contest, the Democratic
candidates for mayor, Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer, met last night
in an apparent effort to keep their differences from continuing
to spill over into the compressed general election season. They
met alone and neither would comment afterwards to the press. Then,
Mr. Green met with Mr. Ferrer's supporters, including the Rev. Al
Sharpton. The friction between Mr. Ferrer and Mr. Green has provided
fodder for the Republican candidate, Michael R. Bloomberg, who has
criticized Mr. Green several times this week for the tenor of his
runoff campaign. In addition, Joseph L. Bruno, the State Senate
majority leader, announced that the Senate's Elections Committee
would hold a hearing in New York City on Wednesday to look into
the runoff. A news release issued by Mr. Bruno's office said that
the hearing would look into "miscounts, and allegations of vote
fraud, racism and questionable campaign tactics." (New
York Times) (Daily
News)
With the mayor's race shaping up as a fierce battle over qualifications
rather than issues, Michael Bloomberg decided yesterday to boost
his resume a notch by boasting he has more government experience
than anyone worldwide. "We deal with 100 national governments. We
deal with 50 state governments," said Bloomberg, the billionaire
founder of a financial communications company. "I have more experience
in dealing with governments than probably anybody in the whole world."
Democratic rival Mark Green, the city's public advocate, responded
tersely: "He's funny." (Daily
News)
10/18
It is official, or at least sort of official. With all machine votes
counted, Mark Green leads Fernando Ferrer by 18,000 votes, virtually
assuring that the public advocate is the Democratic nominee for
mayor. Some 30,000 paper ballots must still be counted, making it
mathematically possible but highly unlikely that Ferrer could still
pull out a victory. The machine count gave Green 393,385 votes,
or 51.2 percent of the total, while Ferrer received 375,356 votes
or 48.8 percent. Paper ballots typically mirror the percentages
recorded by machines
The count did not, however, end the controversy over the runoff voting and
tallying. The Rev. Al Sharpton plans to file a formal complaint with the
Justice Department, questioning why some election districts were
consolidated for the vote last week and alleging a disproportionate number
of minorities may have been required to fill out paper ballots. And lawyers
working with Ferrer say they have documented cases in which machines
malfunctioned or security might have been compromised.
(Daily News)
Republican mayoral candidate Michael Bloomberg yesterday released his plan
for economic development. He called for reducing the city's workforce by
attrition, moving some city agencies from Manhattan to the other boroughs,
and bringing industries other than finance to lower Manhattan, as well as a
reduced state role in city affairs, including redevelopment after
September 11. At the same time, Bloomberg proposed turning Governor Island,
which is federally owned, into a center for new high school and college
facilities. This, he said, would free up existing high schools for use as
elementary schools and would overcome opposition to high schools from people
who do not want them in their neighborhoods.
Mark Green, who is running against Bloomberg, dismissed the proposals from
the Republican nominee as "displaying the naivete of a novice."
(New York Times)
Michael Bloomberg and Mark Green clashed yesterday over what role, if any,
the state should play in decisions over how to rebuild lower Manhattan.
Bloomberg wants the city to control money and redevelopment, while Green has
called for a joint city-state authority to rebuild. Whatever the two say,
however, Albany is considered unlikely to surrender its role in the
reconstruction efforts.
(Newsday)
Mark Green participated in a mayoral debate yesterday, but it is safe to say
he was the only one there with much of a chance to be mayor. Green, the
Democratic candidate, shared the stage with Kenny Kramer of "Seinfeld" and
candidates from the Marijuana Reform, American Dream and Green parties.
Green was required to take part in the debate because he is participating
in the public campaign finance program. Republican candidate Michael
Bloomberg did not have to attend because he is not participating in the
campaign finance program.
(Daily News)
10/17
Republican Michael R. Bloomberg, inserting himself into a racially charged
dispute among the Democrats, yesterday characterized the final days of Mark
Green's runoff campaign against Fernando Ferrer as racially hued and said
Mr. Green owed the voters an explanation. (NY Times)
Republican Michael Bloomberg tried to reap gains yesterday from a
controversy roiling local Democrats by accusing Mark Green of conducting a
divisive runoff campaign. (Daily News)
Mark Green's lead in the Democratic mayoral runoff swung to 19,000 votes in
unofficial tallies yesterday as election officials tossed thousands of
uncounted paper ballots. The slim hopes of Bronx Borough President Fernando
Ferrer now hang on 34,000 paper ballots yet to be counted. Bronx Democratic
Party chief Roberto Ramirez, a top Ferrer adviser, said the campaign "has as
its utmost priority that every one of the paper ballots that are bona fide
votes gets counted." (Daily News)
Mark Green has two big guns waiting in the wings for him - Bill and Hillary
Clinton - as he waits to be officially declared the winner of last week's
primary runoff. (NY Post)
Republican mayoral candidate Mike Bloomberg made a long-shot pitch yesterday
for the endorsement of one of the city's most powerful and liberal-leaning
unions - health-care workers Local 1199. But all Bloomberg came away with
was a photo op and some kind words from union president Dennis Rivera, who
had backed Fernando Ferrer for City Hall. (NY Post)
Officials of the city's Board of Elections are warning they can't be ready
for the Nov. 6 mayoral vote, yet the board's Democrats vowed on Tuesday that
the general election will take place that day, as planned. "If I have to go
to the warehouse and set up every machine myself, I will," said Manhattan
Democrat Douglas Kellner, who argued that the vote must go on. (Newsday)
Mark Green takes the heat for hate flyers passed out by supporters. (Village Voice)
10/16
As predicted, errors in the numbers reported last week have cast a shadow
over the Democratic mayoral nomination, with several Fernando Ferrer
supporters calling for a Justice Department investigation of the election.
Mark Green's 24,031 lead is 5,775 fewer votes than was announced last
Thursday, Associated Press said Monday as it continued to analyze the
numbers. Total voter turnout was also inflated in the initial election
reports and has been reduced to 763,065, AP said. Those numbers, however,
are still unofficial. The official vote count will begin Wednesday at 10
a.m. and is expected to be finished by Sunday. (Newsday)
"It is premature
to state with certainty what the outcome of this election is," board Deputy
Director Joseph Gentili said in statement yesterday.But in a later
interview, he repeated assertions that Green's victory was expected to stand
after the ballots were counted. "There's nothing here that makes me believe
the proportions will change," he said. (Daily News)
The results of the Democratic mayoral nomination remained in limbo
yesterday, with no official vote count from the Board of Elections, and thus
no certified winner.The leaders of the state and national Democratic parties
both worked to reconcile Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer and their supporters
yesterday, trying to head off any lasting rift between the two campaigns
that could damage the party's chances of recapturing City Hall in November.
(New York Times)
City Board of Elections officials - backed by Mayor Giuliani - are
considering seeking a two-week postponement of the Nov. 6 election.
(New York Post)
Four days after the polls closed for the final time on the extended
Democratic mayoral primary in New York, relations between Mark Green and
Fernando Ferrer were more antagonistic yesterday than during the campaign
itself, in a lingering and perhaps, for Mr. Green, debilitating dispute over
racial politics in the city. Mr. Ferrer's chief adviser, Roberto Ramirez,
yesterday lodged a complaint with the Democratic national chairman, Terry
McAuliffe, about his contention that Mr. Green had run a racially charged
and unfairly harsh campaign. Another Ferrer adviser, Representative Charles
Rangel, met conspicuously with the Republican mayoral candidate, Michael R.
Bloomberg, and then held a news conference to offer warm words for Mr.
Bloomberg, while lamenting the "the racist calls that were made, the racist
cartoons that were sent." As of yesterday evening, Mr. Ferrer had still not
returned the call Mr. Green had placed to him the day after last Thursday's
vote. By Sunday, Mr. Ferrer had withdrawn the concession he had made on
Thursday, releasing a statement that criticized Mr. Green's campaign tactics
and took note of confusion about the vote tally. (New York Times)
If the fallout from the hotly fought runoff and the ensuing vote-count
controversy was meant to make Green sweat about securing a strong turnout by
black and Latino voters in the Nov. 6 general election, he didn't show it.
During a stop in a senior center, Green went down a long list of prominent
blacks who have endorsed him, from state Comptroller Carl McCall to rap
impresario Russell Simmons, and later collected the endorsement of City
Council Speaker Peter Vallone in front of City Hall. Vallone had backed
Ferrer in the runoff. Green predicted Ferrer and Rep. Charles Rangel
(D-Harlem) - who met with Republican nominee Michael Bloomberg - would come
around to him as the party designee. And Green added he's certain the city
Board of Elections will certify his victory when it finishes its official
count. "Democrats are uniting behind me," he said. (Newsday)
Mark Green yesterday picked up the endorsement of Peter Vallone - a onetime
supporter of Fernando Ferrer who urged the Bronx borough president to "throw
the towel in" on becoming mayor. Vallone warned that by not backing Green,
Ferrer is helping Republican nominee Michael Bloomberg's chances in next
month's general election. (New York Post)
More than two months before the new City Council is sworn in, the race for
Council speaker has begun in earnest, characterized by a barrage of letters,
telephone conversations and meetings with incumbent council members and
candidates who won last month's Democratic primary races. The contenders
include three Democrats from Manhattan - Bill Perkins, A. Gifford Miller and
Philip Reed - and three from Brooklyn - Tracy L. Boyland, Angel Rodriguez
and Albert Vann. The race for speaker is conducted among the 51 council
members, with the Democratic members, who traditionally hold a lopsided
majority, essentially picking the speaker.(New York Times)
10/15
Mayor Giuliani yesterday ripped the city Board of Elections for its bungled
vote count in the Democratic mayoral runoff and renewed his call to do away
with the board. (New York Post)
Fernando Ferrer seized on reports that some votes were counted more than
once in the Oct. 11 Democratic mayoral runoff to essentially rescind the
concession he made to his opponent, Mark Green, declaring yesterday that "we
don't know who" won the nomination and calling for a "fair, complete and
accurate final count." Mr. Ferrer's statement came after the Board of
Elections announced that unofficial returns reported on election night
included roughly 42,000 votes that had been counted twice. A new unofficial
tally by the board showed that Mr. Green still won the election, but that
his margin of victory had narrowed by roughly 9,000 votes to 21,056 votes.
Mr. Ferrer suggested the election's outcome was far from certain.
(New York Times)
10/14
The unofficial vote totals in the Democratic mayoral runoff Thursday night,
narrowly won by Mark Green, were overcounted by perhaps 200,000 votes or
more, according to the city's Board of Elections. Joseph Gentili, the deputy
director of the Elections Board, stopped short of saying that the final
count - still under way - would change the outcome. Mr. Green received about
52 percent of the vote, according to the early unofficial returns, while
Fernando Ferrer had about 48 percent. Joe DePlasco, a spokesman for Mr.
Green, said yesterday that election officials had assured the campaign that
the overcount would not affect the outcome. And, he added, Mr. Green
appeared to have won by nearly 30,000 votes, and he did not expect that
margin to change considerably. Elections officials said the overcount was
the result of votes' having been recorded more than once in dozens, and
perhaps hundreds, of instances. (New York Times)
As Mark Green tried to build support among black voters yesterday in
Brooklyn, the Rev. Al Sharpton called Mr. Green's campaign tactics racially
divisive and hinted that he might not endorse either Mr. Green or his
Republican opponent, Michael R. Bloomberg. (New York Times)
The challenge Mark Green now faces in winning over minority voters was
underscored yesterday by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who angrily accused Green of
having "played the race card" in his bid to beat Fernando Ferrer. "You all
think you forced us out of the game?" Sharpton asked, referring to Green's
camp. "Good. Then we'll stay home and watch." (Daily News)
For six months, Michael R. Bloomberg presented himself as the independent
businessman whose lack of experience in politics made him the ideal next
mayor of New York. But running now in a general election campaign against
Mark Green that will last only three weeks, that same scant electoral
experience is stirring concern among Republicans about his prospects.
(New York Times)
10/13
Democratic mayoral candidate Mark Green and Republican rival Michael
Bloomberg fired away at each other yesterday in the first day of campaigning
following the Democratic runoff. The candidates began exchanging barbs
before the sun rose in a series of TV and radio interviews. Each argued
passionately that his experience is what New York City needs following the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. "I'm a professional
manager. He's a rookie. We want Joe Torres or Bobby Valentine. This is not
the time to have a Little League manager in there," said Bloomberg, the
billionaire media mogul who is running his first campaign for elected
office. Green, who has served as the city's public advocate for the past
eight years, said he's "going to fight" to become the city's 108th mayor.
"If the public wants the person who has created and has made billions
selling a gizmo on a desk, he's your guy," Green said of Bloomberg. "I have
experience in government, an experience money can't buy." (Daily News)
Many of Fernando Ferrer's strongest supporters say they were outraged by
what they considered heavy-handed and racially charged tactics of the Green
campaign in the final days before Thursday's runoff election. And many of
these supporters have insisted that, while Mr. Green prepares for his
contest with the Republican nominee, Michael R. Bloomberg, he has
significant repair work to do within the ranks of his own party. Congressman
Charles Rangel, a Ferrer supporter, and Bill Lynch, one of Mr. Ferrer's main
campaign advisers, plan to meet with Mr. Bloomberg on Monday.
(New York Times)
Now that the Democratic mayoral primary runoff is over, Mayor Rudolph W.
Giuliani is making it clear that he meant what he said about wanting to
stay. "Mike [Bloomberg] and Mark Green both agreed to the idea of a
three-month additional transition," the mayor said during a guest appearance
on Howard Stern's morning radio show. "And maybe we can still convince the
Democratic State Legislature to go along with it now that the two candidates
agree to it." Charles Carrier, a spokesman for Sheldon Silver, speaker of
the State Assembly, said: "The Assembly Democratic majority's position on
extension of the mayor's term has not changed. It will not be considered."
(New York Times)
10/12
Public Advocate Mark Green won the Democratic runoff to be mayor by 52
percent against 48 percent for his rival, Bronx Borough President Fernando
Ferrer. Out of a total votes cast of 804, 852, Green had 417,329 votes to
Ferrer's 387,523, a difference of 30,000. Green's percentage in each borough
is as follows: Manhattan, 61.3 percent; Brooklyn, 51.4 percent; Queens, 55
percent, The Bronx, 29.1 percent, Staten Island, 74.2 percent.
(Daily News)
Against a backdrop of civic trauma and deep anxiety about the future of New
York City, Mark Green won the Democratic nomination for mayor last night. He
defeated Fernando Ferrer in a racially divided contest in which voters
embraced Mr. Green's declaration that recovering from the World Trade Center
attack should be the central focus of New York's next mayor. The victory by
Mr. Green, the city's public advocate, derailed the second attempt in four
years by Mr. Ferrer, the Bronx borough president, to become New York's first
Puerto Rican mayor. But Mr. Ferrer came close to assembling a winning
coalition of Hispanic and black voters, in a way that suggested that this
election marked a new chapter in the continuing ethnic and political
realignment in New York. One-quarter of the primary electorate was Hispanic,
and the turnout of more than 800,000 was even higher than it was in the
first round of Democratic voting on Sept. 25. (New York Times)
Former Parks Commissioner Betsy Gotbaum decisively thumped civil liberties
attorney Norman Siegel in the Democratic runoff for public advocate, the
city's second-highest office. Gotbaum had a nearly 2-to-1 margin over
Siegel, based on a nearly complete vote count. With no Republican in the
Nov. 6 general election, Gotbaum is nearly certain to take office on New
Year's Day. (Newsday)
Mark Green gobbled up the lion's share of votes from people who cast ballots
for Peter Vallone and Alan Hevesi in the Sept. 25 Democratic primary, exit
polls showed yesterday. Even though Vallone endorsed Fernando Ferrer the day
after he lost in the primary, some 80 percent of Vallone's backers went for
Green, according to the survey by Edison Media Research of New Jersey. Green
fared almost as well with people who originally backed Hevesi - snaring 74
percent to Ferrer's 26 percent. Hevesi endorsed Green in the runoff.
(New York Post)
Ferrer got just 16 percent of whites' votes on Tuesday, while Green got just
16 percent of Latinos' votes. But whites outnumbered Latinos at the polls,
and Ferrer, to win, needed about twice as many white votes than he received.
Among black voters, Green picked up 29 percent compared with Ferrer's 71
percent, another lopsided result.Green's anemic support from minority
Democratic voters wasn't the only discouraging news for him in the exit
survey of 1,380 voters last night. The survey showed that 60 percent of
voters who pulled the lever for him on Tuesday voiced reservations about
him, compared with 40 percent with reservations about him on Sept. 25. One
in seven voters said they wouldn't return to the polling sites for a Nov. 6
showdown between Green and Republican mayoral nominee Mike Bloomberg.
(Newsday)
Green's victory over Fernando Ferrer in the Democratic runoff was propelled
by voting patterns surprisingly similar to those that installed City Hall's
current occupant, Republican Mayor Giuliani. Green snatched 84% of the white
vote and 29% of the black vote against the Hispanic Ferrer, with some of his
strongest margins coming from the Giuliani strongholds of Staten Island and
Queens, where the city's white ethnic population is anchored. In the
clearest sign of the irony for a frequent Giuliani critic, Green picked up
nearly half his winning margin in Staten Island, a bastion of the city's
conservative white middle class. (Daily News)
If the past is prologue - and the Democrats' 5-to-1 edge in registration
shapes this election - the mayoral contest is Mark Green's to lose. But this
year's vote for mayor, shaped by term limits and conducted in the shadow of
the city's worst calamity, is already different than any other.
Now, because the primaries were delayed two weeks by the World Trade Center
disaster, the general-election campaign is unexpectedly short. So watch for
the rhetoric to heat up quickly.
Republican mayors tend to be a once-in-a-generation quirk. And the contest
between Green and billionaire businessman Mike Bloomberg poses a man long
steeped in public issues against a self-made success from the private
sector. (Newsday)
Ferrer's staff tried to find solace - even in defeat. If nothing else, they
said, there was satisfaction in having proved that black and Latino voters -
the devoted core of Ferrer's support - had arrived as a dominant force in
city elections."I think history will write that this election changed the
political landscape," said Roberto Ramirez, the powerful leader of the Bronx
Democratic Party and a key Ferrer ally. Added Ferrer, "You opened a door
that will never be closed." (Daily News)
Elections officials and monitors reported generally smooth going at the
polls yesterday, the third time in a month Democrats have been asked to cast
ballots. (Daily News)
The lame-duck City Council will name a member from Brooklyn to the
$141,000-a-year plum job of city clerk today. The coveted post is slated to
go to Councilman Victor Robles, 56, a Democrat who has represented Bushwick
since 1984 and was barred from running again this year by term limits.
Robles is to succeed Carlos Cuevas, a Bronx Democratic stalwart who was
first appointed in 1984 and was serving as a holdover in a six-year term
that expired 16 months ago. The clerk is the official keeper and certifier
of city documents, from mayoral executive orders to City Council
legislation. He also runs the city's marriage bureau and receives city
lobbyists' disclosure reports. David Dinkins served as city clerk before
being elected Manhattan borough president and then mayor. (Daily News)
10/11
The New York Times has reiterated its support for Mark Green for mayor.
While noting that neither Green nor his opponent, Fernando Ferrer, is "an
ideal mayoral candidate," its editorial states, "But the differences
between the two men, which were noticeable before, have stretched to
formidable over the last few weeks. Mr. Ferrer is the product of the Bronx
Democratic machine, and his career has hewed closely to the party
organization's political rulebook. Mr. Green has always been a political
outsider who had to fight for what he wanted, an idea man who specialized in
problem-solving. In a time of quiet prosperity, perhaps either man could
have handled the job. But now the city needs Mr. Green, who knows how to
operate in uncharted waters."
The paper has also endorsed Betsy Gotbaum for public advocate.
(New
York Times)
The Daily News urges anyone who cares about New York to vote today,
and to vote for Mark Green. "A Green victory is crucial to the city,"
the paper says, noting that he is opposed to raising taxes, "best
equipped to deal with the economic downturn," and "committed to
the city he loves." Previously, the paper had endorsed Betsy Gotbaum
for public advocate. (Daily
News)
The New York Post endorses Mark Green, commenting, "It speaks volumes
about the choice facing voters in [the] Democratic mayoral primary
runoff that The Post today endorses the candidacy of Mark Green."
The editorial adds, "We don't agree with Mark Green about much."
(New
York Post)
In early September, the Village Voice endorsed Mark Green for mayor
and Norman Siegel for public advocate. (Village
Voice)
There has been a lot of grumbling about Mark Green in the days
since he said he would agree to allow Mayor Giuliani remain in office
for an extra 90 days. The Voice explains why it still supports the
public advocate in his race for mayor. (Village
Voice)
In early September, writes The Observer in an editorial, "we were
adjusting ourselves to a world in which Public Advocate Mark Green,
the perpetual outsider, would become New York's 108th mayor on January
1." But now after the terrorist attacks and the bid by Mayor Giuliani
to extend his time in office, Fernando Ferrer has become the favorite.
The weekly says, "In battling his way back from the dismal polls
of summer, Mr. Ferrer has shown political smarts and no inconsiderable
amount of guts. These days, such qualities are in high demand."
(New
York Observer)
Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer spent the day before the runoff
election for the Democratic mayoral election trying to shore up
support and make sure that their voters go to the polls. Green campaigned
among black voters in Harlem and white voters on the Upper West
Side, in Queens and Brooklyn, while Ferrer urged his union supporters
to deliver a victory. Green picked up the endorsement of the union
representing New York firefighters, the Uniformed Firefighters Association.
(New
York Times)
Unions are making a major effort to get out their voters for today's
runoff election. The big unions, Service Employees International
Union, the United Federation of Teachers and District Council 37,
support Fernando Ferrer, but a number of smaller unions are backing
rival Mark Green. Many are operating phone banks urging their members
to come to the polls. (Newsday)
With the Democratic mayoral nominee finally about to be chosen,
Republican candidate Michael Bloomberg is hoping to regain some
of the spotlight. He has resumed his television ad campaign and
hopes to announce his plans for economic development in the next
few days. (New
York Post)
The race for public advocate between Betsy Gotbaum and Norman Siegel
is considered too close to call. (Newsday)
The gap in voting turnout between whites and Hispanics in the city
narrowed considerably in the September 25 primary election, according
to a new analysis prepared by Center for Urban Research at the City
University of New York. While several non-Hispanic white districts
produced high turnouts, so did several districts that are home to
a substantial numbers of Latinos, particularly Puerto Ricans and
Dominicans. The starkest example of this was Washington Heights,
a district that is 80 percent Hispanic. Turnout there was 32.4 percent,
compared with the citywide rate of 29 percent. That overall rate
was significantly higher than turnout in the 1997 Democratic primary
when only17 percent of those eligible came to the polls. But it
was markedly lower than in 1989, when 50 percent of registered Democrats
cast ballots. (New
York Times)
John Baxter is demanding a revote, even though he won the September
25 primary for the Independence Party nomination for councilmember
from the 32nd district in Queens. Baxter is upset that voters in
minor party primaries had to use paper ballots instead of machines
and that poll workers could not supply the proper envelope for Independence
Party voters to put those paper ballots in. Joseph L. Gentili, deputy
director of the city's Board of Elections, said election commissioners
are "going to ignore" Baxter, whose name will appear on voting machines
in his district for the November election. (New
York Times)
10/10
The New York mayoral campaign is certainly one of the most
critical elections in the city's history. Yet it may also prove
to be among the least noticed - time and again overshadowed by events
both global and local. As the campaigning for the Democratic primary
runoff tomorrow moves into its final hours, the pull of these somewhat
contradictory forces are consuming and confounding Fernando Ferrer
and Mark Green. Over the past week, they have seemed to trade political
personalities. The once cautious Mr. Green is suddenly running a
forceful, hard-hitting campaign, unleashing an uncharacteristically
harsh advertisement attacking Mr. Ferrer. The Bronx borough president
seems intent on coming across as the confident favorite, much the
way Mr. Green was acting only two weeks ago. (New
York Times)
The Democratic mayoral runoff election grew nastier yesterday on its
next-to-last day, with an exchange of attack ads on the airwaves, sharp
words between the candidates and even a circuslike confrontation, complete
with an acrobat, between supporters of Fernando Ferrer and Mark Green on a
Midtown street. It began when supporters of Mr. Ferrer, including former
Representative Geraldine A. Ferraro and Ruth W. Messinger, the former
Manhattan borough president, assembled outside Mr. Green's campaign
headquarters on Lexington Avenue near Grand Central Terminal for a news
conference to denounce a Green campaign ad that calls Mr. Ferrer "borderline
irresponsible" and asks, "Can New York afford to take a chance?" But chaos
broke out as the news conference ended when young Green campaign aides
poured out of the building with a street-theater counteroffensive. To draw
attention to Mr. Ferrer's shifting positions on the death penalty and
late-term abortions, Mr. Green's supporters chanted "flip-flop! flip-flop!"
and gave out flip-flop sandals picturing Mr. Ferrer along with the words
"Death Penalty" and "Choice." An acrobat, wearing a shirt that said "Death
Penalty" on one side and "Choice" on the other, then began performing flips
in the air.
(New York Times)
(Daily News)
(NY Post)
(Newsday)
It is all about turnout. With the contest virtually deadlocked, tomorrow's
runoff likely will hinge on which side does a better job getting its
supporters to the polls. And it appears Fernando Ferrer's camp has the
advantage in getting out the vote, most political strategists agree.
(Daily News)
A top Board of Elections official warned yesterday that there is not enough
time to prepare the city's thousands of voting machines for next month's
election. As a precaution, the board is printing thousands of extra paper
ballots in case the machines break down during the Nov. 6 general election.
(Daily News)
While the Rev. Al Sharpton, one of Fernando Ferrer's biggest backers, has
been battled over by the Democratic mayoral hopefuls in the past week, the
reverend has kept a fairly low profile. (NY Post)
Strategists for Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer say privately that they've
taken a special interest in the L.A. race for its parallels and its
differences. (Newsday)
10/9
Former Governor Mario M. Cuomo endorsed Mark Green for mayor yesterday.
(New York Times) (Daily News)
The campaign of the Democratic mayoral candidate Mark Green unleashed the
first negative ad of the runoff election last night, labeling his opponent,
Fernando Ferrer, "borderline irresponsible" and a proponent of "higher
taxes" and a "divided city." (New York Times)
An umbrella Muslim group is backing Fernando Ferrer - two months after it
pulled back its endorsement of Mark Green. But Ferrer said he's "not
interested." (New York Post)
Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer has squeezed out a small lead over
Public Advocate Mark Green as they barrel toward Thursday's Democratic
mayoral runoff, a Daily News/New York 1 poll shows, Ferrer at 46 percent,
Green at 44 percent. This is a statistical tie, given the poll's margin of
error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. An additional 10 percent are
undecided. Voters who backed also-rans Alan Hevesi and Peter Vallone in the
primary balloting are supporting Green over Ferrer more than 2-to-1, the
poll found. But Green's gains have been offset by some erosion, especially
among blacks. A key reason appears to be his support of - and Ferrer's
opposition to - Mayor Giuliani's now-dead push for a 90-day extension of his
term. The poll found 13 percent of Green's voters in the primary planned to
switch to Ferrer. (Daily News)
10/8
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver slammed the door shut yesterday on Mayor
Giuliani's request for a 90-day extension of his term, saying the mayor's
gambit was finished. "I've heard from enough of my members to know the Rudy
extension won't happen," Silver (D-Manhattan) said in a telephone interview.
"It's finished." The decision means that, barring unforeseen events,
Giuliani's term will expire Dec. 31 and a new mayor will succeed him New
Year's Day. (Daily News)
The candidates in the mayoral race in New York once again shifted to a more
somber tone last night, this time with the commencement of retaliatory
attacks by the United States military on targets in Afghanistan.The
Republican nominee, Michael R. Bloomberg, and a Democratic candidate, Mark
Green, continued to seek out voters in public appearances in Staten Island
and Manhattan, respectively. But Fernando Ferrer, who faces Mr. Green in the
runoff Thursday for the Democratic nomination, canceled a series of
afternoon campaign stops in the Bronx as the military action continued.
(New York Times)
In two back-to-back caustic and testy debates, Fernando Ferrer and Mark
Green challenged each other's credibility yesterday, as Mr. Green said Mr.
Ferrer had flip-flopped on abortion and the death penalty, and Mr. Ferrer
disparaged Mr. Green for aligning himself with Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's
attempt to extend his term. With four days left before the Democratic
mayoral primary runoff on Thursday, and polls showing those two Democrats in
a dead heat, Mr. Green and Mr. Ferrer clashed with an intensity that had not
before been seen in this campaign for mayor. (New York Times)
10/7
The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center has created sharp stylistic
and policy differences between the two Democratic candidates for mayor, with
Mark Green seizing on it as the central focus of his campaign, and Fernando
Ferrer arguing that it should not overshadow existing problems confronting
the city. The responses by Mr. Ferrer and Mr. Green expose the divergent
views of the crisis by two public officials with very different political
and personal backgrounds. Each is trying to measure the impact of the
bombing on the city he is seeking to lead, and on his campaign for mayor, in
the heat of a tight contest. The divergent reactions are the latest
evidence, aides to both men said, that New Yorkers' response to Sept. 11 may
vary based on where they live and their economic situation. Both campaigns
are regularly polling voters to prepare for the primary runoff on Thursday.
The central point of contention between Mr. Ferrer and Mr. Green is over
where the rebuilding should occur. Mr. Green, the public advocate, who lives
in Manhattan, argued that the city should swiftly replace the office space
lost in Lower Manhattan. Mr. Ferrer, who has been the Bronx borough
president for almost 14 years, said that some of the construction should be
spread out across New York, and that the attack was "an opportunity to
pursue much- needed redevelopment opportunities" in boroughs that have
resented Manhattan's economic dominance.
But the differences go beyond what or where to rebuild. (New York Times)
With polls showing the Democratic race for mayor a tossup, the two
contenders have launched 11th-hour TV commercials targeting undecided
voters. Public Advocate Mark Green's new spot, called "A Decade of
Experience," pushes his years of public service and his "specific plan" to
rebuild lower Manhattan, and bills him as the "Democrat who can lead in
times of crisis." Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer's spot, called
"Unity," features five prominent current or former elected officials,
including ex-mayor Ed Koch, who passionately extols Ferrer's "intelligence
and courage." (Daily News)
The Democratic campaign for Thursday's mayoral runoff took on a more
personal tone yesterday, as Mark Green sought to portray himself as someone
who would not change his opinions on issues like abortion and the death
penalty for political gain - implying, none too subtly, that Fernando Ferrer
is someone who would. While Mr. Green made his attack, there was a political
spectacle of sorts in Brooklyn as Mr. Ferrer campaigned with former Mayor
Edward I. Koch and the Rev. Al Sharpton - two former adversaries whose
sudden jovial camaraderie marked another twist in a campaign that now seems
to have had a lot of them. (New York Times)
The Rev. Al Sharpton says he doesn't want a job from Democratic mayoral
candidate Fernando Ferrer - or any other candidate. "I have never engaged in
patronage," he told applauding supporters in Harlem yesterday."All I ask is
that whoever is in, that they do what is right for the people of this city.
That's all I've ever asked," he said. (Daily News)
Roberto Ramirez, the Bronx Democratic leader, is wielding a great deal of
behind the scenes influence in the mayoral campaign of Fernando Ferrer.
(New York Times)
Roberto Ramirez is the former janitor who became a state Assemblyman - and
later a powerful political boss - while working nights to put himself
through law school.Kenneth Knuckles is a vice president at Columbia
University. And Luis Miranda is a political operative so adept he managed to
serve Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani.These are among the closest confidantes of
Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, and a few of the architects of his
first-place finish over Public Advocate Mark Green in the Sept. 25
Democratic primary. They also are among the faces that could populate City
Hall should Ferrer win Thursday's Democratic mayoral runoff against Green
and go on to best Republican Michael Bloomberg in the Nov. 4 general
election, say those familiar with Ferrer's thinking. (Daily News)
10/6
Mark Green charged yesterday that Fernando Ferrer was not prepared to
rebuild the city's economy in the wake of the attack on the World Trade
Center, saying his plans did "not measure up to the crisis" and warning that
his call to decentralize office space could break up the financial district.
"Anybody who understands how integral financial services is to New York,
anyone who understands the way markets operate, should know that you don't
break up Wall Street," said Mr. Green, the public advocate and a Democratic
candidate for mayor. "You don't break up Broadway, Detroit doesn't break up
the auto industry, and New York doesn't break up downtown Manhattan and
financial services." His remarks were the latest in a series aimed at
raising doubts in the minds of voters about whether his opponent for the
Democratic mayoral nomination, Mr. Ferrer, the Bronx borough president, was
prepared to guide the city through the current crisis. (New York Times)
Mayoral hopeful Fernando Ferrer said yesterday that the Rev. Al Sharpton
"wants nothing from me" and "will get nothing from me" in a Ferrer
administration. "He won't be recommending or picking any commissioners,"
Ferrer said. Seeking to refute critics who wonder whether Ferrer's election
would give Sharpton a large voice at City Hall, Ferrer added, "I owe him -
like I owe all the people that pulled the lever for me." (Daily News)
Democratic rivals Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer are heading into next
week's runoff in a dead heat - with signs that Ferrer's support from white
voters is on the rise, a new poll yesterday showed. The Marist Institute
survey - the first since the Sept. 25 primary - had Green and Ferrer tied
with 45 percent each. (New York Post)
As the union representing New York City teachers formally endorsed Fernando
Ferrer for mayor, its leader sought to portray him yesterday as the
candidate who would rebuild Lower Manhattan and make New Yorkers feel safe
without abandoning the goal of making teachers' salaries competitive with
those in the suburbs. Randi Weingarten, the union president, harked back to
the fiscal crisis of the early 1970's and warned that the impending
recession must not have the same devastating impact on the school system.
"Freddy understands that you cannot rebuild New York unless you ensure that
our schools work for all our children," Ms. Weingarten said in a news
conference at the Manhattan headquarters of the union, the United Federation
of Teachers.But it remains unclear whether the union's 100,000 members who
live in New York City will follow Ms. Weingarten's lead and vote for Mr.
Ferrer in the runoff on Thursday. After the union endorsed Alan G. Hevesi
for the Democratic primary, only 20 percent of teachers voted for Mr.
Hevesi, compared with 29 percent for Mr. Ferrer and 32 percent for Mark
Green, according to surveys of voters leaving the polls. (New York Times)
Republican mayoral nominee Michael Bloomberg has spent nearly $30 million of
his own money in his rookie campaign - with a month still to go before
Election Day, his campaign records show.
Bloomberg's campaign spending is 2 1/2 times as great as the total combined
outlay of the two Democratic rivals. (Newsday)
10/5
The New York City teachers' union voted last night to endorse Fernando
Ferrer for mayor, giving him a clean sweep of the three most sought-after
unions in local politics: health and hospital workers, city employees and
now teachers.
(New York Times)
Mark Green charged that Fernando Ferrer, the Bronx borough president, is
unprepared to lead the city in the fights against terrorism and crime. And
he accused Ferrer of waging a "polarizing" campaign. Ferrer has "said next
to nothing on security and safety issues," Green charged. "When it comes to
safety and security, it's all about citywide experience ... decisive
leadership ... strong plans," Green said (Daily News)
The Rev. Al Sharpton's emergence as a central player in the Democratic
primary runoff for mayor in New York presents vast political opportunities
and a thicket of risks for both Fernando Ferrer and Mark Green.Mr.
Sharpton's presence poses a complication in the two-way runoff on Thursday,
as Mr. Ferrer searches for a way to break beyond the minuscule showing he
posted among white voters in the primary. He is understandably wary of being
held accountable for any excesses that Mr. Sharpton might display, like Mr.
Sharpton's remark last weekend that in the wake of the September 11 attack,
even Bozo the clown could have brought the city together the way Mayor
Rudolph W. Giuliani did. On the radio yesterday, Don Imus referred to Mr.
Ferrer simply as "Reverend Al's guy." For Mr. Green, not having Mr.
Sharpton's backing is highly problematic as he battles in a runoff with an
opponent who is apparently succeeding at forming a coalition of black and
Latino support behind his effort to become New York's first Puerto Rican
mayor. But Mr. Green's advisers see opportunities here as well, providing
they can untangle this political knot: How to link Mr. Sharpton to Mr.
Ferrer in a way that will galvanize the sizable number of white voters who
dislike Mr. Sharpton, without risking the loss of other Green voters. (New York Times)
A widely respected police chief from South Carolina - an African-American
who is Jewish - is among the candidates for New York Police Department
commissioner if Fernando Ferrer wins City Hall. Reuben Greenberg, the head
of the Charleston police department, joins a short list of possible top cops
who have experience fighting crime in New York City. Others on the list
include former NYPD boss Raymond Kelly, Philadelphia Commissioner John
Timoney, Baltimore Commissioner Edward Norris, and federal Judge Sterling
Johnson, the former narcotics special prosecutor. (New York Post)
The two candidates for public advocate clashed in a debate last night, with
Betsy Gotbaum stressing the velvet glove and Norman Siegel the iron fist. In
a spirited and substantive encounter, Siegel said he would be an aggressive
ombudsman who would not be afraid to tangle with the mayor and other
officials on such issues such as making sure the pressure for public
security doesn't infringe on individual rights. "I'm passionate, and I'll
fight," he said, citing his experience as a civil rights lawyer and outsider
and dismissing Gotbaum as "part of the [establishment] club." Gotbaum said
she would stress "the ombudswoman function" of the post but would look to
build public-private partnerships to get things done rather than take issues
to court. She praised Siegel as a "brilliant lawyer" and civil rights
champion, and added: "He's there making noise. He has a big mouth, and thank
God for him. I think he should stay on the outside." (Daily News)
The city's Board of Elections yesterday certified the remaining results of
the City Council races in last week's Democratic primary elections,
including several that were initially considered too close to call. In a
race in Flushing, Queens, the board certified John C. Liu as the winner. His
closest rival Ethel Chen said that she was not convinced that the numbers
certified by the board were accurate and that she would pursue legal action
to force a recount. Other winners: Larry Seabrook, Michael McMahon, Charles
Barron, Kendall Stewart, Alan Jennings, Leroy Comrie (New York Times)
A week before a Democratic runoff that will pit Mr. Green against Fernando
Ferrer, the Bronx borough president, there is much soul-searching and hand-
wringing in Greenwich Village, SoHo, TriBeCa, Chelsea and Battery Park
City - overwhelmingly white, mostly middle-class neighborhoods that make up
the 66th Assembly District. It is not the first time that voters in this
district, a Democratic stronghold, are reacting to political events in
unexpected ways. In 1997, more than half voted for Mayor Rudolph W.
Giuliani, even though four years earlier the majority of them had flatly
rejected him. Now, with thousands of bodies entombed in the rubble of the
World Trade Center a few blocks from their homes, voters in this district
may be gearing up to help rearrange the city's political map once again.
Some voters who used to despise Mr. Giuliani - who has said he would like to
extend his term by three months - now love him for his command of the city
after the collapse of the twin towers. Some who voted for Mr. Green in the
primary are ditching him for Mr. Ferrer because they like how Mr. Ferrer
stood up to Mr. Giuliani's pressures to prolong his mandate. And still
others, who had rarely ever voted Republican, are inclined to vote for Mr.
Bloomberg because, they say, he is the only one with the business experience
to resurrect Lower Manhattan from the ashes. (New York Times)
10/4
Mayor Giuliani announced that he would abandon his bid for a third term
because any attempt to overturn the city term limits law, which requires him
to leave office in January, would create too much acrimony. The
mayor said he would still like to stay in office for an additional three
months to help the next mayor with the transition.
(New York Times)
In a 90-minute debate last night, Mark Green accused Fernando Ferrer of
"risking divisiveness." The two Democratic candidates, who will face each
other in a runoff primary on October 11, also offered their ideas
for rebuilding the city after the World Trade Center attack.
(Daily News)
While many observers had expected Mark Green to be aggressive in the debate
last night, the public advocate took a cautious approach.
(New York Post)
When Fernando Ferrer rejected Mayor Giuliani's bid to extend his term, the
Bronx borough president gained a central cause for his campaign and a good
chance of winning. But his anti-Giuliani posture will make it more difficult
for him to capture the white votes he needs.
(New York Observer)
Public advocate candidate Willie Colon, who came in fourth in the Democratic
primary according to unofficial tallies, said he will ask the Justice
Department to investigate alleged voting irregularities. Tonight, the two
top vote getters, Betsy Gottbaum and Norman Siegel, who will face each
other in a runoff on October 11, will debate. Fifth place finisher Scott
Stringer said he would soon endorse either Gottbaum or Siegel.
(NY Times)
10/3
Despite predictions that the tragedy of September 11 would depress voter
turnout, New Yorkers went to the polls last week in numbers not seen in a
decade, and produced some surprising results. In Queens, there has been a
mini-revolution: Democratic primary voters selected their first black
borough president, their first Hispanic City Council member, and the first
Asian American to sit on the council. And in Brooklyn, where the Democratic
county machine pulled out the stops for its favored candidates, those on the
outs with the leadership won much of the day. (Village Voice)
The chemistry of the mayoral race has changed. For a variety of reasons -
starting with Fernando Ferrer's decision to challenge Mayor Giuliani's
attempt to stay in office, in contrast with his opponent Mark Green's quick
agreement to the mayor's demands - the contest for mayor has taken a crucial
and potentially decisive turn. (NY Times)
Former Mayor Edward Koch endorsed Fernando Ferrer in the mayoral race,
yesterday, praising Ferrer for standing up to Mayor Giuliani and sharply
criticizing Mark Green for failing to do the same. (NY Times)
The owner of a Queens company that was barred from school-construction work
has raised $20,000 for Fernando Ferrer's mayoral campaign, The Post has
learned. (NY Post)
How Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer used the mayor to define themselves.
(Village Voice)
The race for Public Advocate-never a focus of much attention even before the
world was turned upside down on September 11-has suddenly become a crucial
contest. Created by the city charter changes of 1993, the Public Advocate's
office has always been vaguely defined, with few concrete powers other than
making its occupant first in the line of succession. It's a high-profile job
with a small budget and no required heavy lifting. But the Public Advocate's
race has been overshadowed at every step of the way; first by the mayoral
and City Council contests, then by the attack, and now by the wrenching
debate over Giuliani's demand to hold onto City Hall. But if voters glossed
over the differences between the Public Advocate candidates before last
week's primary, the players now stand out in stark contrast. (Village Voice)
10/2
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's chances of staying in office past
Dec. 31 dimmed markedly today. State lawmakers declared the idea
of extending his term by 90 days all but dead, and some in the mayor's
camp said he would not try to run for a third term. (New
York Times)
In what aides touted as a "major policy address," Fernando Ferrer
said giving Giuliani an extension to manage the city through the
World Trade Center crisis would "allow terrorists to force us into
changing our system of government." He did not mention his rival
in the October 11 Democratic runoff, Mark Green, who backs Giuliani's
proposed 90-day extension. But, Ferrer said, "the willingness of
anyone to capitulate in the face of a threat to our orderly constitutional
transition of government" should "give every New Yorker pause."
(Daily
News)
"I actually believe that if - God forbid - I had been the mayor during such
a calamity, I would have done as well or better than Rudy Giuliani," Mark
Green said in an interview on WLIB radio. (New York Post)
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver charged yesterday that Mark Green's support
of a three-month extension for Mayor Giuliani is simply a bid to grab
votes."Quite honestly, it is a political calculation," Silver said. "He
thinks that the public supports" Giuliani's term extension bid. The swipe at
Green came as Silver suggested that Giuliani could instead oversee the
rejuvenation of lower Manhattan by taking charge of the Port Authority or by
being appointed to a federal rebuilding post. The comments marked Silver's
strongest words yet in the hot debate over Giuliani's future and the mayoral
race. Last week, the powerful Manhattan Democrat left open the possibility
of an extended term for Giuliani. But on Sunday, he said there weren't
enough votes in the Assembly, and by yesterday, he was suggesting alternate
career paths for the mayor. (Daily News)
Mark Green's decision last week to support Mayor's Giuliani request for a
three-month term extension isn't going over very well with Democratic
leaders. Green is having a hard time finding support for his position, even
among political allies trying to install him as the next mayor. (New York Post)
Republican mayoral nominee Michael Bloomberg renewed a call yesterday for
the Board of Education to develop a voice mail system, saying the technology
would prove especially helpful during an emergency.
"We should have a voice mail system, which would have been particularly
useful on Sept. 11, where a parent can call up from any phone, any place in
the world, any time of day or night, punch in a number and find out what is
happening with their child," he said. (Daily News)
Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer today picked up the endorsement of
District Council 37, the city's largest municipal union and one of the big
prizes in the Democratic runoff for mayor.
The 125,000-member union had endorsed City Council Speaker Peter Vallone in
the Democratic primary. Green also picked up endorsements today, most
notably from Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, and Helen Marshall
nominated to be her successor. (Newsday)
10/1
The confidence of business leaders in the city's future has been shaken by
the outcome of last week's Democratic mayoral primary and the efforts of
Mayor Rudy Giuliani to extend his stay in office.
Corporate titans fear that the city's ability to handle the enormous
problems associated with rebuilding lower Manhattan could be undermined by
political instability created by the mayor's ambitions. They are also
unsettled by the two Democratic finalists, especially Fernando Ferrer. Many
for the first time are considering backing Republican Michael Bloomberg.
(Crain's NY Business)
Three weeks ago, Mark Green seemed a good bet to be the next mayor, in a
soporific race. Now he's playing Rudy and Freddy in a scintillating
power-politics poker game. (New York Magazine)
Fernando Ferrer and Mark Green continued to trade barbs yesterday over plans
to rebuild Lower Manhattan and whether Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani should be
allowed to stay on after his term ends, as each candidate tried to suggest -
in the time- honored political tradition - that the other one started it.
Mr. Ferrer, the Bronx borough president, also distanced himself from
comments that a key supporter, the Rev. Al Sharpton, made on Saturday. Mr.
Sharpton suggested that Mr. Giuliani had been excessively praised for his
handling of the World Trade Center crisis and said that "we would have come
together if Bozo was the mayor." Mr. Ferrer said that he "would have chosen
far different language." (New York Times)
Clarence Norman, the chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic organization, was
disappointed on Primary Day. Practically all of Mr. Norman's favorites
lost. So did his brother (though Mr. Norman had not backed him). Mr. Norman
was among the early and ardent supporters of Alan Hevesi, who came in fourth
place in the primary for mayor. He was an enthusiastic champion of Jeannette
Gadson, who lost to State Senator Marty Markowitz for Brooklyn borough
president. But even more stinging were losses in races for City Council,
contests to which Mr. Norman devoted considerable time and energy. Steven D.
Cohn, a lawyer who is the executive secretary of the Brooklyn Democratic
Party, lost to David Yassky, a professor at Brooklyn Law School. The
bitterest defeat, perhaps, went to Letitia James, the endorsed candidate of
Mr. Norman's organization in a district virtually at Mr. Norman's front
door. Ms. James lost to James E. Davis, a police officer, minister and
Democratic district leader. (New York Times)
September
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