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What is Searchlight on Campaign 2001?
Searchlight
on Campaign 2001 is a guide to the political races in what
many are calling New York City's most significant campaign
season in modern history.
What is so significant about it?
For
the first time in memory, most political offices in the city
will be wide open to people who have neither money nor connections.
Why will the races be so open?
There
are two reasons. This year, a new law goes into effect that
limits the terms of New York City elected officials, forcing
the mass retirement of most incumbents in the city - including
the mayor, the comptroller, the public advocate, four of the
five borough presidents, and 36 of the 51 members of the City
Council. At the same time, a new campaign finance law kicks
in, which allows any candidate who agrees to certain restrictions
to collect four dollars of matching funds for every dollar
they raise.
What does this have to do with this site?
As
a public service, Searchlight on Campaign 2001 has a separate
page for each race, including all the races for City Council,
that not only sorts out the candidates -- many of them new
and unfamiliar -- but also offers an opportunity to learn
about the issues, and the districts themselves.
Who is behind Searchlight on Campaign 2001?
Searchlight
on Campaign 2001 is a project of Gotham Gazette, a non-profit,
non-partisan, non-ideological (but non-boring) web site about
New York City news, policy and politics published by Citizens
Union Foundation, part of the oldest and largest good-government
group in the city (founded in 1897).
What's wrong with the way the regular press
covers the races?
That
is for you to decide. And one of our regular features, Campaign
Trail, helps you to decide. Campaign Trail provides succinct
summaries and links to campaign articles in the commercial
press.
Who are we?
Masthead
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Second
Televised Mayoral Debate, August 28, 2001
MODERATOR: KAITY TONG, WB11
PANELISTS: JIM WATKINS, WB11; LES PAYNE,
Newsday; BRIAN LEHRER, WNYC Radio
CANDIDATES: PETER VALLONE, City Council Speaker;
FERNANDO FERRER, Bronx Borough President; MARK GREEN,
Public Advocate; ALAN HEVESI, City Controller; GEORGE
SPITZ, Former NYC Auditor
ALSO PRESENT: JOSEPH O'HARE, Chairman of
the Campaign Finance Board
DEBATE PROCEEDING
MS. TONG: Good evening, and welcome to our mayoral
debate. I'm Kaity Tong and I'll be your moderator.
For our viewers who would like to hear this debate
in Spanish you can do it by switching to SAP on
your remote control. Today's debate is sponsored
by WB11 News, Newsday and WNYC radio. Let's get
right to the debaters now. The candidates are, in
alphabetical order, Bronx borough President Fernando
Ferrer; Public Advocate Mark Green; City Controller
Alan Hevesi; former New York State Auditor George
Spitz; and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone. The
candidates will be questioned by my WB11 News at
10:00 co-anchor Jim Watkins, Newsday assistant managing
editor Les Payne and Brian Lehrer from WNYC radio.
Now, the debate rules. The candidates may not bring
notes or props of any kind but, they may take notes
during this debate. Each candidate will get one
question from one of our panelists who will have
45 seconds to answer, and each of his opponents
will have 45 seconds to respond. Each panelist will
then rotate and ask a different candidate a different
question. The candidates know they must adhere to
the time limit. They will get a yellow warning light
when they have ten seconds left. They will get a
red light when their time has expired. Gentlemen,
if you are still talking when that red light goes
on, I'm going to have to jump in and interrupt you
so don't make me go there. After the question and
answer portion, the candidates will each get one
minute for closing statements. Before we get started,
we have this message now from Joseph O'Hare, Chairman
of the New York City Campaign Finance Board.
CHAIRMAN O'HARE: Welcome to the first primary debate
for mayoral candidates participating in New York
City's Campaign Finance Program. The program gives
matching funds to candidates who limit contribution
and spending and agree to full disclosure of their
finances. To qualify for matching funds, the City
wide candidates must participate in debates. Information
on the candidates and the debates can be found in
the 2001 Voter Guide which you'll receive in the
mail before the primary and again before the general
elections. An interactive version of the guide is
also available on the CFB website, www.cfb.nyc.ny.us.
We hope you'll find this debate helpful as you prepare
to cast your vote on election day.
MS. TONG: All right. Let's begin. Our first question
will be from Jim Watkins to Fernando Ferrer. Jim?
MR. WATKINS: Thank you, Kaity. Mr. Ferrer, it is
several months since your term as mayor, when it
becomes clear that squeegee men are reemerging at
intersections throughout the City. Let's say, just
hypothetically, the squeegee men thinking that with
the Giuliani Administration gone, for them, the
coast is clear. Please tell us the specific steps
you would take in your response to this.
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: First,
Jim, the Ferrer administration will not give the
squeegee guys or aggressive panhandlers any reason
to believe that they can harrass or aggressively
panhandle any New Yorker. Let's make that clear.
One of the important aspects of quality of living
in this city is a city that preserves and protects
everyone's individual sets of safety and security.
But having said that, we also need a Police Department
that inspires the trust, confidence, support and
respect of every New Yorker; a police commissioner
who has the sense of balance about those things,
who will continue to bring down crime, but also
bring down those negative contacts between people
and the police that serves them.
MS. TONG: Okay, Mr. Green, your rebuttal.
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: First I really want
to thank WB11 and Newsday and WNYC for this chance
to have our 90th appearance simultaneously or sequentially.
And really, it is the best way to elect the next
mayor. I, the police commissioner, if there is an
uptick at some intersection the so-called squeegee
men are back, it is not the hardest thing to invest
officers in that corner to stop it. What is more
important is to come up with a strategy to keep
the barriers not just low, but even lower. And so
I am such a strong proponent of more community policing
with more cops on the neighborhood beat, like Chicago,
Boston, San Diego are doing. Until and when we lower
the barriers between cops and communities, especially
communities of color, we'll never continue our crime
deduction as we must.
MS. TONG: Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: There cannot be one
step back in the fight against crime. There has
to be a continuous effort to sustain the police
force at its current levels, with new deployments,
with new technologies. And included in that formula
is an absolute requirement that we do not retreat
when it comes to quality of life crimes as represented
in your question by the squeegee, the squeegee men.
If quality of life means a Decency Commission, that
will not be part of my agenda. I will eliminate
the Decency Commission. But when it comes to fare
jumping, and squeegee and graffiti, we will sustain
that effort to make sure everybody in New York gets
the idea we are not retreating on all out on crime.
MS. TONG: Mr. Spitz?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: The problem is
the Democratic Party has become too conservative.
These squeegee people will need help. And I favor
looking into some of the programs that they do in
the Scandinavian countries, and getting them into
the mainstream of the Democratic Party. These people
need help and the government should give it to them.
MS. TONG: Mr. Vallone?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: I work alongside
three different mayors to make sure this is the
safety city in the country. I am the one that conceived
the plan in the first place to put 10,000 more police
on the street. There is absolutely no way I will
let this City step back to where it was with squeegee
men or anyone else. Under my community policing
plan, I will make sure that the police that are
assigned to that area or any area in the City not
only know the areas and know the problems of the
area, but know the people in the community. I think
that the police officers serve a dual front, not
just to stop crime like that or harassment like
that from happening in the first place, but to give
the perception to all of the people in that community
that that police officer is there to serve them,
and to prevent crimes from happening in the first
place so they can be very sure they are taking no
chance with me.
MS. TONG: Okay. Mr. Payne, Les Payne now has a question
for Mark Green.
MR. PAYNE: Mr. Green, one of your opponents who
happens to be sitting to your right here today,
has charged that you were perhaps soft on the four
officers whose shot Amadou Diallo, shot him 41 times
and the 19th time. In the last debate you said it
was wrong, it would have been wrong for Mayor Giuliani,
it would have been wrong for Mayor Giuliani to proclaim
those police officers innocent as it would be for
the candidates here to proclaim them guilty. Now
laying aside the question of innocence, we leave
that to the jury who has already decided, I would
like to know as the next mayor looking back that
these incidents may happen again, at what point,
if any, do you feel that those police officers use
excessive force, whether it is a fifth shot, the
25th shot, the 39th shot or were they all okay?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: Les, I think no candidate
on this panel or no official in this city has spent
more time exposing and reducing police misconduct
than I have five years ago before I was a candidate
and it was easy to do. I sued the Mayor and sought
an agency to protect rather than punish those errant
officers that attained the heroism of all the others.
In this situation, it was a horrible tragedy. And
I can't sit here and say which shot was too much.
They were all too much since he was an innocent
man in his own vestibule slain. I am proud that
Seikou Diallo and Congressman Charles Rangel worked
with me and lauded me as I exposed the problem.
The problem among others is that Mayor Giuliani
short-circuited a disciplinary hearing before --
MS. TONG: I'm sorry. The time is up. I'm sorry.
Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: We have a superb Police
Department, among the best in the world. And the
Police Department, by the way, should be recognized.
They deserve a raise. They deserve strategies to
improve morale. But it does not disintegrate the
whole department to say there is a problem with
police misconduct. I come at this a little bit differently
than others as a claims officer for the city. In
the last three years, not including 2001, we paid
out $106 million in claims for lawsuits for police
misconduct cases. And so there's got to be a systematic
program involving holding precinct commanders responsible,
cues from the mayor, stress management, ethic diversity
training, more training sergeants for rookie cops,
very elaborate program one which I identified in
April of '99 with 19 different recommendations for
reform.
MS. TONG: Mr. Spitz?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: I took a poll in
the Wiz store at 87th and Third where I purchase
my hardware, TVs, all the salespeople are people
of color, every one of them has been stopped. I
don't know a single white person that's been stopped
and frisked. I am totally -- will have an executive
order as soon as I'm mayor, no more stop and frisk,
no more entrapment, I'm opposed to the drug war.
I favor legalizing marijuana and decriminalizing
the other drugs, favor equipping the police with
hand-held metal detectors, it won't be necessary
to stop and frisk anybody when I'm mayor.
MS. TONG: Mr. Vallone?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: I condemned
that as soon as it happened. No New Yorker should
be shot 41 times; no person should be shot 41 times.
I don't condemn the police officers and I don't
condemn them now. I condemn the system that led
to that to happen in the first place. That would
never happen under my administration, because those
police officers would be assigned to the community,
they would know the culture of the community, they
would know the custom of the community. That never
would have happened. Since it happened, I put $21
million in the budget to retrain the police officers
so they would be more familiar with the kinds of
situations that might occur in different neighborhoods.
Also I got the police commissioner and the mayor
to understand that the police officers should be
assigned from the borough itself, under my situation
it would be from the precinct itself so that there
would be absolutely no misunderstanding. Under our
criminal justice system, once a trial is over, that's
it, whether you like it or not.
MS. TONG: Mr. Ferrer?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: We know
the men and women who work in the New York City
Police Department do heroic work every day. And
all they expect to do is to be able to come home
in once piece every night for their family. No service,
by ignoring this problem, is sweeping them under
the rug. Now it's a fact that Amadou Diallo, completely
innocent, and unarmed man, was shot 41 times in
the lobby of his own home. But it is also a fact,
it seems to me, that regardless of guilt or innocence,
which was decided by a jury in Albany, the fact
still remains that those four officers, did a tragically
bad judgment that resulted in the killing of an
unarmed and innocent man should not be carrying
a badge, should not be carrying a gun, should not
be working in the New York Police Department. That's
common sense.
MS. TONG: Thank you, Mr. Ferrer. All right. Our
next question from Brian Lehrer for Alan Hevesi.
MR. LEHRER: Thank you, Katy. Mr. Hevesi, Mayor Giuliani
yesterday called you "ethically challenged" for
the way you used your office to try to help a campaign
contributor, try to get a business deal. What is
your response to the mayor? And for the rest of
you, you have all been very coy in reacting to this
issue. Do you have a problem at all with anything
Mr. Hevesi has done?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: Today the mayor, I'm
told, called me a "wacko." So we are in a very interesting
situation here where the mayor has decided after
seven and a half years of not making these kinds
of accusations, of trying to smear me, and true
to himself and to the campaign. And the reason he
is doing it is revenge for my exposure of corruption
in the administration of Rudy Giuliani in the Maximus
and other cases, and my exposure just this week
of information from the Department of Investigations
that the administration covered up pertinent information
that would have been relevant in a court case regarding
Maximus. So the answer is, the mayor is trying to
involve himself in the democratic primary, and that's
why I've responded very forcefully by identifying
what he said as a smear.
MS. TONG: Okay, Mr. Hevesi, your time is up. Mr.
Spitz, your response?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: Yes. I think that
this Maximus contract and the whole $500 million
package of Welfare to Work programs is a set --
scam, equal to what went on in Tammany Hall in its
heyday. It is ridiculous spending $500 million to
do work to advise welfare recipients where to apply
for jobs. That can be done by the case worker. The
only reason these contracts are let out are to pay
off politicians. That's the only reason. And the
whole $500 million package is a waste of money.
It could be better used for education.
MS. TONG: Your turn, Mr. Vallone.
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: Yeah, I made
my position clear. I've known Alan for more than
20 years and I have no question about his integrity.
On the other hand, in terms of the Campaign Finance
Board, it is a very serious situation, it is serious
allegations and I think that they're in the hands
of the proper authorities and do not belong in this
race in the last two weeks. It seems to me we ought
to be proud of the law I sponsored and passed which
is the Campaign Finance Law which says -- it takes
that away, it takes corruption out of campaign finance.
It says we are all limiting the amount of money
that we can collect and the amount of money we can
spend. That takes the incentive for corruption out
of the picture. And I don't think it belongs here
now. I think that the Campaign Finance Law as it's
written is one trying to make a level playing field
for all of us, and the issues should be decided
in this race not anything else.
MS. TONG: Mr. Ferrer?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: You know,
it is a little ironic my friend Alan and the Mayor
use to greet each quite a lot. So really in the
green room I congratulated Alan for now being on
the business end of Rudy's barbs. I've been there
for eight years so I know a little bit about how
that works. But I'll tell you this, and I said it
before for the public record, that this is a matter
of impugning someone's good name and integrity.
I've known Alan for a long time. He has an unblemished
record in public service. This should not be a way
in the closing days of the campaign to smear somebody's
reputation, I don't think it's right.
MS. TONG: Mr. Green?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: What counts is not fights
in election year, but performance over the years.
And in the past seven years when someone had to
stand up to Mayor Giuliani and exceeded the speed
limit, whether or not I did it, gave as good as
I got and on. As for the specific charge, I do believe
the criminal charge thrown at Alan is unsubstantiated
and is incredible. I actually can never remember
using my public office to help a donor or a bundler
get a private contract, which of course is not criminal,
but it's, I think, undesirable. Finally, I'm so
proud that the night I won the election in '97 I
said my number one goal was to have a Campaign Finance
Law changed to have a more even playing field, and
I was delighted to accomplish it with Peter Vallone.
MS. TONG: Okay. Now we are back to Jim Watkins,
my colleague, who has a question for George Spitz.
MR. WATKINS: All right, Kaity. Mr. Spitz, traffic
congestion is one quality of life issue that even
the current administration has had very little success
addressing. What are your short and long-term plans
to make it easier to get around the city by car,
and to reduce congestion and gridlock particularly
in Manhattan?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: Well, the problem
is that we spend too much money on scams like the
$500 million Welfare to Work program, the $1.1 billion
given to the Stock Exchange to build a new building,
the multitude in this buildings, the grants to major
league sports. That's where the money goes. I would
use some of that money, stop these scams, stop the
money to the Stock Exchange, stop the welfare scams,
and put the money in things like equalizing teacher
salary, restoring free tuition. Regarding traffic,
overpasses, build overpasses. That will save a lot
of lives. It will help in this. But we got --
MS. TONG: Mr. Spitz, I'm sorry. I must insist, I'm
sorry. Your time is up. Mr. Vallone, your rebuttal
please?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: We are going
to bring the City to a halt unless we found newer
and 21st-century solutions to our traffic problem.
We have a convention center that would double and
triple and quadruple its business if we had ways
of moving people in and out of the West Side. We
have a subway ditch that's been dug for over fifty
years for a Second Avenue subway waiting for it
and we still haven't got the Second Avenue
subway, and we still don't have the state and federal
money that this city is entitled to to help us complete
that. The next mayor must understand how important
it is to have public transportation work, have public
transportation innovatively done for the 21st century
and make this City not stop where it was in the
20th century. If you can't get to traffic congestion,
you don't deserve to be a person to lead this city.
MS. TONG: Mr. Ferrer?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: You know,
unless you use a red light and siren, you are stuck
in gridlock everywhere in this city forever; whether
it is going crosstown in Manhattan or on the BQE.
And that's just a fact of life for a whole host
of reasons. One, we got to build a full-length Second
Avenue subway. This city can't afford to do anything
less. It unites four boroughs, four new population
centers in four boroughs, and a host of new job
creation and job road centers. But even more than
that, we got to look at congestion pricing on bridges.
Clearing traffic off of side streets so the traffic
can move expeditiously from one side of the town
to another, and bring down the cost of doing business
in the City. Traffic is one of the biggest business
killers in New York.
MS. TONG: Mr. Green?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: Your question reminds
me of the Yogi Berra aphorism, "Nobody goes there
anymore, it's too crowded." And that's true in our
streets. There are small and large ideas. The small
ideas, in '94 I started pushing for many more red-light
cameras which can ticket people as they speed through
a red light to deter speeding. We need car free
Central and Prospect Park. We need low-tech mitigating
ideas like speed bumps along Queens Boulevard; high-tech
ideas like value or congestion metering, so if cars
want to park in the middle of the day when it is
expensive, they'll think twice. The big idea, more
public transit, less private transit. And I've been
pushing, if Tokyo and London can have a new subway
system, why can't we after 60 years? The number
one goal, a Second Avenue subway from the Bronx
through Manhattan into Brooklyn.
MS. TONG: Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: Let me build on the
small ideas that Mark suggested, and the general
theme that there should be big ideas. We have to
have as priority a building of the Second Avenue
subway top to bottom, and follow that up with a
long-range plan for West Side development which
includes extension of the "7" line out to the West
Side. Third, I am an advocate of a rail freight
tunnel under the harbor to reestablish that rail
freight substitute for the huge amounts of truck
traffic that are coming in and out of the city and,
by the way, dramatically increasing our respiratory
infection rates. And I believe also as a grand --
building a grand design, for restoration of the
waterfront and transportation on the waterfront.
There was a time in the city that you had a ferry
service to connecting every location that was crucial
to the city.
MS. TONG: Thank you, Mr. Hevesi. Les Payne, your
question now for Peter Vallone.
MR. PAYNE: Mr. Vallone, the Secretary of State Collin
Powell announced that -- yesterday that he's not
going to go to the UN Global Conference on Racism
in Durban. And as a Mayor of one of the great international
cities of the world, would you at some level have
sent a delegation to this conference? Do you agree
with George Bush's administration's position? And
what is your specific position on reparation for
slavery in the United States?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: Yes, I would
think the mayor is second only to the president
in terms of world recognition. And it strikes me
that I would do whatever I can to understand how
serious the problem of racism is. But within the
jurisdiction that I have as mayor of the city of
New York, and one of the things that I've just done
is to try to get the truth of whether or not we
have such things as racial profiling existing in
the city of New York by passing a landmark disclosure
act which to which we will have our police, every
arrest that's made in this city, every single stop
and frisk that's made in this city. I want our police
to be ambassadors of goodwill. And I want -- I work
with representatives of every color, every corner,
every culture of the City. And I think I've proven
I can bring people together, not separate.
MS. TONG: Mr. Ferrer?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: The decision
by Secretary of State Powell said the Bush Administration,
in fact, has been asleep at the switch, for example,
on the Commission on Human Rights at the UN, letting
slave trading nations like Sudan be in the driver's
seat. I mean, we have a moral obligation as a nation
to speak up and speak out on human rights and civil
rights abuses all over the world. And the mayor,
even though we've got a lot of important things
to do and I know every mayor has a foreign policy,
should be stepping up to this one as well. Because
the sons and daughters of those countries live in
the five boroughs of this City. Let me say a word
about racial profiling. It is good to have a law
that counts numbers. It is better to have a law
banning it, that's what I proposed a month ago.
MS. TONG: Mr. Green?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: First, as to the Powell
decision, whether a convention in the Middle East
that was premised against bigoting statements against
African Americans, America shouldn't cooperate with
that because of that ugly precondition. And since
that conference has anti -- says that Zionism is
racist, which is absurd, and the United States had
a right to say, get rid of that and now let's talk
about racism. Second, Les' question had to do with
reparations. I don't know a greater evil in the
world than the slave trade in Africa and America.
I worry that 150 years later, reparations is an
unworkable and divisive way to cure it or to pay
down the debt. The way to do that is smaller class
sizes, more children on health insurance, since
it is black and Latino children and families that
are most discriminated.
MS. TONG: Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: My first speech as
controller day one on January 1, 1989 in the steps
of City Hall was a call to end any form of bigotry
in this City and to have zero tolerance for bigotry.
The U.S. should be participating in a conference
that deals with the issue of racism. And I know
Peter Vallone didn't intend to create a different
impression than he did when he said we have to find
out if there is racial profiling. There is, not
on the part of the department, not on the part of
any particular command, but in individual cases.
The question of reparations, I organized 900 financial
officers in the effort to obtain and succeeded in
obtaining restitution, which is different, from
European governments for holocaust victims. We provided
reparations as well to Japanese-Americans. Reparations
does not mean everybody gets a check.
MS. TONG: I'm sorry.
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: I'll have to be able
-- I'll do it in my next question.
MS. TONG: That sounds fine. Mr. Spitz, your turn.
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: I think I'm the
only candidate running for city-wide office who
takes a balance point of view toward the Mid-East.
I'm opposing the Israeli occupation policies; the
land confiscations; the collective punishments and
the assassinations. I'm proud that I'm an orthodox
jew, but I believe Palestinians have a right, have
a right to live. And I think that our policies,
U.S. policies, have been exacerbated by New York
City mayors and other New York City politicians
taking extremist stands on these issues.
MS. TONG: Thank you, Mr. Spitz. Okay. As they
say in baseball, we've gone around the horn and
we're back now to Fernando Ferrer. Brian Lehrer
has a question at this time.
MR. LEHRER: Mr. Ferrer, in recent years, we had
a temporary income tax surcharge in New York City
to pay for building of the police force. You've
proposed restoring that surcharge to pay for after-school
programs, Mr. Hevesi has proposed restoring it for
education. Would that be a pertinent tax hike? And
why is that a good idea in as heavily taxed a City
as this?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: Well, let
me help you with a bit of your question, Brian and
clarify it. It is one and a half points of a personal
income tax surcharge that would result in the daily
savings to the average working family of four pennies
a day. Since being mayor is about choice, here are
the choices I would make -- and these are tough
and sometimes controversial. But the choice I would
make is to give every working parent the guarantee
that their child by dismissal time is still in front
of adult supervision, out of harm's way and learning
more. After-school programs in all 200 of our middle
school. That's the choice I make. If it is between
ballparks and housing, I gladly make the choice
in affordable housing. If it's between a person
-- a trivial personal income tax surcharge tax cut
--
MS. TONG: I'm sorry.
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: -- and
after-school programs, I gladly make the choice.
MS. TONG: Mr. Ferrer, thank you. Mr. Green, your
turn.
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: Brian, you're right.
We are a very high tax City which can hurt growth.
And the last moment, the worst moment we should
think on raising taxes is on the brink of a potential
softening of the economy or recession. I appeared
with Mayor David Dinkins last week. He was the creator
of the after-school program called Beacon School.
I want to increase them. It would cost $25 million,
which can be paid for by -- indefensible $300 million
over-time budget at the Police Department. I have
hundreds of millions of savings and productivity
gains and labor savings and E-government that can
and will be invested in smaller class sizes and
more after-school programs. If at the end of that
we need more revenue, I would invest it in our kids
even at the cost of increased taxed, but that's
the last not an eager first option.
MS. TONG: Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: You really have to
have [little] experience in dealing with budgets
to make the kind of commitment that we just heard
from Mark Green. The reality is that if the economy
goes sour, we're going to have to make some very
heavy choices and there will be real austerity.
The truth is it was in a recession that Peter Vallone
and David Dinkins did raise taxes, the 12 and a
half percent surcharge on the income tax, for policing.
And it worked. And my position is that while we
supported a whole range of tax cuts, including eight
business tax cuts, four of which we recommended
during the boom times, what I had said is if we
needed to, as a last resort, if the money from the
state and the campaign for fiscal equity case doesn't
come through, then a restoration of that same 12
and a half percent surcharge earmarked for education,
so we don't lose another generations of kids as
appropriate. And I want to violently disagree with
Mr. Spitz' assessment of the Middle East, so the
record doesn't think we ignored that.
MS. TONG: All right. We will go back to it. Mr.
Spitz?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: Before the war
-- and I lived here before the war, even worked
here before the war, this was a mean-spirited City
compared to today: mediocre restaurants and stores,
one percent sales tax, no income tax, built Queens
College, Brooklyn College, libraries were opened
until 9:00 every night, free tuition in the universities,
spanned park space 50 percent, go on and on. Today,
with a vibrant multi- cultural society, we have
-- and an eight and a quarter percent sales tax
and a huge income tax, we can't even pay our teachers
properly or police and fire properly. We pay them
less than Bridgeport or Newark.
MS. TONG: Mr. Spitz, thank you. The time is up.
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: The political culture
is out of control.
MS. TONG: I'm sorry. I must insist. Your time is
up. Mr. Vallone, please?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: Just to complete
the last question, we adopted the McBride principle,
the Sullivan principles, helped bring down Apartheid
in South Africa by using the billions of dollars
that we spent in our purchasing power, so we've
been very active in terms of the City Council international
issues. In terms of a surtax, I'm the one that instituted
the sur tax together with David Dinkins, as Alan
indicated, and I also promised I would give it back
in 1998. It would not raise one single tax since.
I kept that promise. We gave the money back. The
Mayor wanted to use it to move Yankee stadium from
the Bronx to Manhattan. I said absolutely not. I
haven't raised a single tax. I reduced occupancy
taxes and other obnoxious taxes in order to encourage
business in the City. The worst thing that we can
do now is when we have a one-billion dollar surplus,
is to chase good businesses out of the City by talking
about raising taxes again.
MS. TONG: All right. Jim Watkins, question for Mr.
Green, please.
MR. WATKINS: Mr. Green, Candidate Ferrer Monday
received the endorsement of the Reverend Al Sharpton,
an endorsement that according to Reverend Al Sharpton,
all of you would have liked to have had. While Reverend
Sharpton is perhaps the most prominent African-American
voice in the City, how do you balance any pluses
that he might be bringing to the Ferrer campaign,
with any baggage he might also be bringing specifically
the Tawana Brawley incident, which he has never
fully explained nor apologized?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: We all seek endorsements.
I'm very proud that I've been endorsed by Mayor
Dinkins, Assemblyman Farrell (phonetic), and Reverend
Calvin Butts, Abyssinian Baptist Church. But at
the end of the day, voters know so much about a
candidate for president or a candidate for mayor,
that they don't look to surrogates for this investment
of the free franchise that affects the quality of
their lives and their children's lives. I don't
have to balance Al Sharpton's career. He didn't
endorse me. And actually I don't even have to explain
the people who did endorse me. I'm proud that I
gotten it. At the end of the day, I've been to so
many communities of color, stood up to the Mayor
on racial profiling and ending the Brooklyn Museum.
Because of my leadership and courage over the years,
I'm very confident I'll do well in communities of
color independent of endorsement, which I love.
MS. TONG: Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: Well, I congratulate
Freddy Ferrer in the endorsement and therefore feel
obligated to point out I've been endorsed by 51
elected officials, 17 of them are African-American.
I believe those are substantially larger than any
of the candidates before you today. I've been endorsed
by the New York City Baptist Commission, commission
of 350 Baptist churches in the African-American
community, and the Guardians Association in the
Police Department and any number of other organizations
to indicate that no community is monolithic and
all of us will have support in every one of the
communities. What this election is about is substance.
This is a huge, large job and it requires someone
with a wide range of experiences that I hope to
define in the next round of questions.
MS. TONG: Mr. Spitz?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: Several years ago,
Percy Sutton asked me to meet with Al Sharpton and
I prepared Social Security papers for Al Sharpton.
I've written articles on Social Security. I will
forgive Al Sharpton for not endorsing me if he will
tell the truth about that $701 million, tell the
country when he goes around the country running
for president about the $701 million pension fund
hit that New York City pension fund is taking and
we're having to port into the tax payer's ever having
to pay over the next five years. Al, tell them,
don't put Social Security trust funds in the stock
market. Look what happened to New York City.
MS. TONG: Okay, Mr. Vallone?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: George, I don't
think Reverend Sharpton is ready to start collecting
Social Security yet, but you never know.
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: I am.
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: In terms of
endorsements, while they're very, very important,
I think I was very gratified this week to receive
the endorsements of divergent newspapers such as
the Daily News, and the New York Post and Cranes,
as well as Citizens Union. I think that they reflect
the fact that I've had the experience and the opportunity
to help make this City much better today than it
was before. They also reflect the fact that I'm
the only one talking about actually funding a health
plan for every child in the City. So that no child
-- we have over a million children that do not now
have adequate health insurance. I can make that
free and accessible, as well as prescription coverage
for senior citizens who have to choose between prescriptions
and food. I think that's an outrage, and I think
we can handle that.
MS. TONG: Mr. Ferrer?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: I'm glad
to have the help in this campaign of distinguished
New Yorkers like Senator Monighan, Reverend Al Sharpton,
Geraldine Ferraro, Congressman Charlie Rangel, and
so many others. Let me tell you about an endorsement
which isn't so high profile, her name is Reba Perry,
she's a parent in Southeast Queens. She and 200
of her neighbors of her friends waited on the sidewalk
three cold days, three cold nights to get their
children enrolled in an excellent public school.
Now, she understands that ground zero of the education
debate was not in Milwaukee over a voucher scheme,
it was right on that sidewalk. And in a budget of
$40 billion, we've got to do better for Reba Perry,
her neighbors, and everybody else who sends their
kids to New York City schools.
MS. TONG: Thank you, Mr. Ferrer,. Les Payne now
has a question for Alan Hevesi.
MR. PAYNE: Mr. Hevesi, your current squabbling with
Mayor Giuliani over ethical issues seems to be giving
you so much needed distance from this term limited
mayor, who may still have a sting in his tail. Is
this a calculated risk at the advice of your political
advisors? And do you run the risk of having Giuliani's
friends and supporters and backers
maybe even
Ray Harding, lose their enthusiasm for you to the
extent that they may profit?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: What a complex question.
The suggestion that this is a calculation is a very
wrong- headed suggestion. The dispute I'm having
with the Mayor right now is triggered by the Mayor
in his attempt to smear me because I revealed corruption
in the Maximus and in the Hannock and in the Hughes
Services contract investigation. And again revealed
this week that there was a cover up by the Mayor,
a cover up of information that it would have changed
the court decision relevant to the Maximus case.
So there is no calculation there. As a matter of
fact, the kinds of exchanges I've having with the
Mayor do not deal with the issues they should. I
really do want to talk about how I have, I believe,
the best record to reform the public schools and
that I've been endorsed by the United Federation
of Teachers, and about affordable housing, and about
how we build this economy to deal with the recession
that may be coming.
MS. TONG: Your rebuttal, Mr. Spitz?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: Alan Hevesi provided
a service when he exposed the Hannock contract and
the Maximus contracts, not that they were improperly
bid, that they were useless. And they're part of
a $500 million package of useless contracts. Some
of that money went to a Citizens Union Board member,
by the way. We have Scam City. The money that could
be spent for schools, housing, playgrounds, all
goes into these contracts. No bid contracts which
the Feering Commission said we shouldn't have recommended,
and nobody has done anything about it.
MS. TONG: Thank you, Mr. Spitz. Mr. Vallone?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: Far be it from
me to advise my good friend Alan, but I think the
less talk we have about that, the better off this
City will be. The people out there are more interested
in what kind of vision do you have for the future
of this City. I think it is very, very important
that they look at the qualifications for each of
the candidates and. What separates me, actually,
is the fact that I worked alongside three different
mayors in all of the matters that we're discussing
today. There is no chance whatsoever I will ever
let this become an unsafe city. And I think you
have to make bold decisions like people did 100
years ago when they built our subway system. A bold
decision is to make sure not one city child is without
health insurance, and that not one senior citizen
has to make choices between prescription coverage
and food. We can do that. There is enough money
in our budget to set aside -- which I've identified
-- to help the people who are most vulnerable and
need that help. That's what we should be talking
about.
MS. TONG: Mr. Ferrer?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: You know,
reading some of the newspapers, it would seem that
this is a crisis in this City. I think the real
crisis in New York is not dis -- charging county
charge, but too many New Yorkers being priced out
of affordability in their own City. 1.1 million
school kids who are treated like a political football
every day of their lives, while a bunch of politicians
argue about blowing up the Board of Education or
vouchers or privatization. We are not for New Yorkers
who do not have health insurance; no reliable access
for health care for themselves or their children.
They got to wait on long lines for long hours in
hospital emergency rooms. And to divide between
the people and their own police department, while
too many suggest that racial profiling is either
a perception or doesn't even exist.
MS. TONG: Mr. Green.
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: Those are
the crises facing New York.
MS. TONG: Mr. Green.
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: Rudy Giuliani is not
on the ballot. And it is essential now not to look
back and spat with him, but focus on the future
and what are our ideas to make this great City even
greater. That's why I released 100 ideas for New
York Century in the CD ROM I sent people. And if
you want to let me hear that you want it by calling
-- by e-mailing me at markgreen.com, you will get
it. There are eight talks I've given on every large
subject. People have a right to know not only my
record, which they have over the years, but my vision
for this City. That's the tie breaker. Ideas for
a 311 dedicated line so 911 is not overloaded; we
have one portal for all hotlines; a tech pipeline
to train workers in the new economy; more housing
rather than more stadiums. This campaign, if I have
anything to do about it, is about the future, not
yesterday.
MS. TONG: Brian Lehrer now with a question for George
Spitz.
MR. LEHRER: Mr. Spitz, a two-part question. Part
one: Who are you and why are you here? Part two:
If there is time, and for the rest of you, how will
you grade Chancellor Levy's job performance so far
from A to F?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: I had 20 years
of government experience, I'm a retired state auditor.
I'm here because I went to Mark Green and Freddy
-- Sal Alberny (phonetic) withdrew from the race,
and I went to Freddy Ferrer and Mark Green and I
said, "You take my issues, I'll get out of the race
and back you." We have scams. The City today is
run worst than in the heydays of Tammeny Hall. $2.8
billion in contracts, a lot of them useless, under
David Dinkins have gone up to $5.8 billion under
Giuliani. You've heard some of these contracts.
These contracts, which could be used to pay, equalize
the salaries of teachers, police, fire.
MS. TONG: I'm sorry.
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: They are used for
political payoff.
MS. TONG: I hate to interrupt you, Mr. Spitz, I'm
sorry, but your time is up.
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: I said enough.
MS. TONG: Mr. Vallone, your turn.
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: You didn't ask
me, I would have told you. I think that you can't
really grade Harold Levy yet. Because he came in
for the business expertise that was necessary, but
he's not really an educator. And we have serious
problems now because the Chancellor is saying that
he may have to make serious cuts in the classrooms
next week when school opens. And I think that's
terrible. And I've been trying to mediate the dispute
between both the Mayor and his own necessity to
make. All that I've ever asked from the Chancellor
is accountability for the money that he says is
cut, which has not been cut. We will put money into
the classroom, but we will not put money into the
bureaucracy. It is absurd that you could lose $2
billion in a month. I don't want these kids hurt
whatsoever. We can do things to help kids by reducing
their tuition in half if they get a B average or
better and go to public university. I put that in
the budget and it is working right now.
MS. TONG: Mr. Ferrer?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: I will
tell you who I am. I am a guy who grew up in a five-story
walk-up on Fox Street, didn't always have heat and
hot water in the wintertime. That's what we could
afford. When I talk about affordable housing, it
is the from that vantage point. I'm the guy who
wouldn't even be here for this broadcast if I didn't
have the good education. It is made all the difference
in my life. I wouldn't have survived the tough street
I grew on, grew up on if it were not for an after-
school program called the PLA two blocks away on
Kelly Street. Those are the New Yorkers I want to
talk for. Those are the New Yorkers who deserve
a voice at this table.
MS. TONG: Mr. Green?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: I'm not an expert on
who George Spitz is, so I leave that to him. I want
to talk about the education aspect, Brian, of your
question. I give Harold Levy a B plus. He has done
well in an impossible situation. First, as mayor,
I want to lobby Albany to end the Board of Education
as we know it. We give mayors say and I control
over public safety, why not public education? I
disagree with the Controller Hevesi who seems to
think we should improve the Board of Education by
expanding the bureaucracy and adding people on the
Board. I think that's wrong. Second, I'll create
a class size coalition of business, labor and parent
leaders to find the will and the wallet to shrink
class size K to 3. That's when kids get the best
education and test. And finally, more technology
in the classrooms is the way that our kids can be
healthy, smart and safe.
MS. TONG: Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: I would love to respond
to the emphasis Mark Green places on governance.
In the absence of a real reform program, it doesn't
matter what the governance unless the governance
has some special program to fix the schools. But
having said that, in our last debate, I had the
occasion to ask Speaker Vallone whether he would
move a particular piece of legislation dealing with
clinic access along. Now I'd like to take this opportunity
to encourage him to find a vehicle for repairing
the damage from the decision that was made by the
Mayor and by the Speaker and the Council to take
$120 million out of the operating budget of a school
system that is opening next week.
MS. TONG: Jim Watkins, your question now, please,
for Peter Vallone.
MR. WATKINS: Mr. Vallone, it has been written and
said in recent weeks that Candidate Green, who has
a solid lead in the polls, is essentially coasting
toward his place in the run-offs or perhaps as the
outright primary winner, showing few signs, some
believe, of the combative and progressivenessthat
have made him a prominent political figure in the
first place in this City. Do you agree with this
assessment of his campaign and what would you like
to say or do right now to shake up this alleged
complacency?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: I would like
to see him keep coasting right down the line, as
we move toward a finish line in only another 11
or 12 days. But first let me say, Alan knows better
to say we cut the budget by $120 million, because
we didn't. But I will not concern myself with Alan's
misinterpretation of the budget process. But going
back to what I think we should be doing. I think
people are going to start paying attention now to
who they're really -- who is going to be your next
mayor in the City of New York. Which of these people
that are sitting here, including myself, have had
the experience of working and governing this City.
I've worked alongside three different mayors for
12 years. There isn't been a decision that's made
in the City, for good or bad, that I haven't been
involved with. I have a record of service, and I
have a vision for the future. I think the judgment
that has to be made for Mark Green or any one of
us is going to be made by or on September 11th.
MS. TONG: Mr. Ferrer?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: You know,
I can't account truly and sincerely for what Mark
or any of my other friends are doing in this campaign.
I can only tell you why I'm running. And it seems
to me that people who are viewing this broadcast
must be wondering, Why are we talking above everyone's
issues? People are being priced out of being able
to live in their own city. That's a problem. 1.1
million school kids are consigned to under-funded
and overcrowded schools. That's a huge problem.
We rob their futures when we do that. We are not
talking in serious terms about after-school programs.
We are not keeping them out of harm's way and offering
them more educational involvement. No. I'm taking
this campaign in neighborhoods across this City
to let them know, I want to talk for them.
MS. TONG: Mr. Green?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: If you want me to be
feisty, I can yell at you for asking that question
and answer it. But if I'm coasting, why doesn't
my wife see me until ten o'clock every night? I
think I'm doing well because I've managed two city-wide
offices, Department of Consumer Affairs and now
Elected Public Advocate, managed to put both on
the map. The places that got real results: I got
rid of cigarette vending machines because they were
addicting our kids; I exposed police misconduct
five years ago; I got Accessory to pick up our parents
and grandparents on time by going to Washington
and filing a legal action. I didn't just coast.
I took initiative, legislative and in terms of litigation.
That is elections, like battles, are won not in
the last week of an election, but over years of
service.
MS. TONG: Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: I think it is a very
appropriate question because there are real distinctions
between the candidates. Mark Green, my good friend,
is admirable when it comes to press conferences
and press and asking questions and even bringing
lawsuits. But being mayor of the City of New York
requires experience in the global economy. It requires
experience as a manager, not running an agency of
40 people. It requires legislative experience. I
have voted, for example, 50,000 times as a member
of a legislature on every single contentious issue
that affects people's life. Mark Green has not done
any of that. And so when the voters finally focus
on the credentials of the candidates, the candidates
and their potential, I think you will see a different
result.
MS. TONG: Mr. Spitz?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: Yeah. We have a
terrible infrastructure. Just look at our roads
and streets and compare it to virtually every city.
A lot of this is due to the fact that patronage
and the contracting process, and the humiliation
that the professional engineers were supervised
by people from political clubhouses. Now, Alan has
a very good engineer in this staff, Roger Lieworth
(phonetic). I don't know of any engineer on the,
Mark's staff, but we need, the City needs engineers,
and they should not be supervised by people from
political clubs. And that's what's going on in New
York City today. I intend to appoint a deputy mayor
for infrastructure who is a professional engineer,
and will straighten the whole mess of traffic and
all these other things out by --
MS. TONG: Mr. Spitz, thank you. Now, we are almost
out of time, Gentlemen, so this is going to be the
last go-around. And that question goes to Les Payne
for Fernando Ferrer.
MR. PAYNE: Mr. Ferrer, you have promised to raise
the salary of city teachers by 30 percent across
the board in the projected economic climate which
is downward. How do you specifically plan to finance
this, especially given the fact that other unions,
police, fire, are going to line up? Also, how do
you feel that after making this generous overture
to the teachers, the UFT endorsed Hevesi?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: Go figure,
Les. But let me tell you exactly what I've been
proposing. First, a bold and very large raise for
teachers. I want to treat teachers as the professionals
they are, but I also want to demand more from the
profession, more accountability; the ability to
remove an unfit or unqualified teacher promptly
now; and year-round training and teaching for teachers.
And I've shown time and time again how I pay for
that within the budget, within savings in the Board
of Education. But apart from that, in a $40 billion
budget, people who are viewing this debate must
be scratching their head going, Why can't I have
a clinic in my neighborhood? Why can't my teacher
be the best we can afford? Why can't we have after-school
programs? Why can't we have decent and affordable
housing in every corner of this City?
MS. TONG: Mr. Green?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: Because test scores
have been flat for a decade, half the kids who enter
ninth grade don't graduate on time, there is no
more important challenge to the 108th mayor than
to fix our broken school system. My mom was a teacher.
I visited 50 schools one-by-one myself to learn
what works and what doesn't. And what I heard from
teachers and principals is we need a big deal with
our teachers: Pay more, especially bonuses for improved
performance, if they go into a lower performance
school, if they tutor younger colleagues; more professional
development, like Anthony Alvarado did in district
two; investing in teachers so they don't sink and
swim; smaller class sizes. They really want that.
It is good for kids, it is good for them. In exchange
for more performance. Tax payers demand it, parents
demand it, and I'll get it if I'm mayor.
MS. TONG: Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: I'm proud I have the
endorsement of the United Federation of Teachers.
The formula for good education -- by the way, some
superb schools in this City of New York, as well
as schools that are in desperate condition. But
the formula is simple: smaller classes, it is geometrically
better to have 18 kids than 25 or 30 in a class;
a qualified, certified teacher in every class; parents
trained to help their kids learn and save schools;
and nothing more critical than having a certified,
qualified teacher in every class. And the school
system is growing by seven, eight, 10,000 students
a year, and there are 85,000 kids without classroom
right now. And Freddy is right, we have to have
a closing of the gap in salaries between the teachers
in this City and the surrounding suburbs. The differential
is 25 percent right now.
MS. TONG: Mr. Spitz, you have 45 seconds.
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: My local school
board, 65 patronage jobs in a luxurious school house,
until recently until we moved to Hartford, the husband
of a former borough president, $79,000 a year as
director of external affairs. What kind of morale
can the teachers and have parents have when you
have a situation like that? You have a crumbling
school at 91st and First right at the shadow of
Gracie Mansion where the Mayor would send his kids
if they don't go to private schools. We have enough
money to aid the salaries of everybody if we cut
the patronage, the contracting out of all our systems.
MS. TONG: Mr. Vallone?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: Yeah. I think
it's time that we understand to get rid of the Board
of Education as it exists; the politics of the Board
of Education is interfering not only with the education
of the kids, but many other things including the
monies that have to go into the classroom. What
we have to do is -- I have a plan, a realistic plan
which would give $500 million more a year to our
school system, together with the one billion dollars
that is now owed to us by the state on an annual
basis, together with the reform that must take place
to give control of the destiny of our children to
the people of the City of New York. When that happens,
not only will we be able to get adequate salaries,
but we will be able to go back to an excellent public
education system which I think is not only possible
and doable, but does exist in at least one third
of our schools today in spite of a nonfunctioning
Board of Education.
MS. TONG: Thank you, Gentlemen. I'm afraid we are
out of time. That concludes our question-and-answer
portion. Now each candidate will get one minute
to deliver a closing statement. We'll begin with
Fernando Ferrer. Mr. Ferrer?
BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER: Thank you.
I'm running for Mayor because I want New York to
work for every New Yorker. For the 1.1 million school
kids who too many of them are trapped in schools
that are under- funded and over crowded. Look, education
meant everything to me. I want to make a difference
for those kids. For the working parents who can't
be home when their kids come home from school, I
want to keep 200 middle schools in this City open
so our kids are out of harm's way and learning more.
For those parents who don't have health insurance
and can't get decent health care for their kids,
I want to have clinics in every neighborhood. In
the context of a $40 billion budget we do so much
better. And for New Yorkers who want a mayor to
confront rather than ignore the real gulf that exists
between people and their own police, I'll be the
mayor that signs a law that bans racial profiling.
There are some who think things are fine, just fine.
Well, I don't. I think we need bold change in this
City, and that's the mayor I want to be, the one
that forges bold change.
MS. TONG: Mr. Green?
PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN: With 200 different ethnicities
and nationalities, living under one roof called
New York, boy, are we an uncommon city, yet with
common dreams. Irrespective of your language or
origin, all parents want to better educate their
children, better protect their families. Well, how
do we get there? First, by focusing on the future
rather than the past. If other candidates want to
bicker among themselves or about the current Mayor,
let them. I am relentlessly focused on positive,
substantive, innovative ideas. Let's have community
improvement districts like we have business improvement
districts. That's one out of so many. Second, we
need a mayor who can be a bridge between and among
all the groups in New York City. I believe in the
math of addition, not division. If you think I've
gotten results and have energy, if you think I'm
able to cross racial devise to bring us together,
if you think I've been a fighter on your side for
30 years, be on mine in two weeks. Thanks for listening.
MS. TONG: Mr. Hevesi?
CITY CONTROLLER ALAN HEVESI: There are differences
between the candidates. Three of my opponents, not
including Mr. Spitz, have 37 years of experience
in government prior to 1994. And if they take credit
for the good things that have occurred since 1994,
we will also have to enter into the debate the questions
of what they were doing when we had 2200 murders
and lost 320,000 jobs, and we had squeagy men, and
we had graffiti, and we had fare jumping, and all
the ills that now we are repairing. I bring to this
campaign a breadth of experience that I don't think
any of the other candidates have. I've been the
representative of the City in the global economy;
I'm the fiscal monitor under the budget, I have
to certify the City's budget is in balance; I have
22 years of legislative experience making policy;
108 laws are authored by myself, a number have saved
lives; I'm the manager of managers, our 800-person
agency is the auditor for all other city agencies.
And education is the key issue and I am the educator
with the Ph.D. and the experience of 27 years in
the classroom.
MS. TONG: Mr. Spitz?
FORMER NYC AUDITOR GEORGE SPITZ: Wayne Barrett and
Jack Newfield (phonetic) wrote a book in 1988, "City
for Sale." I want to take down that "city for sale"
sign in front of City Hall and replace it with "Keep
off the grass." I am the only vegetarian, road runner,
senior citizen, veteran of World War II, civil servant,
24 points of accounting, the only advocate of free
tuition, restoration of free tuition. I'm the only
one that doesn't have any political endorsements,
so I can take, cancel all these contracts, oppose
the $1.1 billion give away to Wall Street, and put
the money into equalizing teacher, police, fire
salaries, etcetera. You have nothing to lose by
casting a vote for me on the first ballot. You'll
have another chance two weeks for now to vote for
one of these other esteemed gentleman, but if you
want to protest, vote for me on the 11th.
MS. TONG: Okay. Thank you, Mr. Spitz. Mr. Vallone?
CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE: I've worked
alongside three different mayors in the last 12
years. That's why all my colleagues agree that I'm
the best Speaker in the history of the City of New
York, since I'm the only Speaker in the history
of the City of New York. I come from the neighborhoods,
and I know what it was like to not have a cop on
the street; I know what it was like to live in an
unsafe city. And that is why I came up with a plan
to earmark a portion of our income taxes in order
to make this City a safe city. I know what it is
like not to have an education system that's working
because I still live a block away from Public School
122, the school that I attended for eight years.
I know what it is like not to have affordable housing,
because I have three sons, none of whom could afford
to buy a home in the same community that I live
in. And I know what it's like for senior citizens
not to be able to pay for prescriptions that had
to pay thousands of dollars out of their own pockets
for, for prescriptions to prevent illnesses from
coming. I have a 96-year-old man. I know what it
is like to be on Medicare and to find out that you
can't afford to stay healthy. And I know what it
is like to see children, one million of them, who
don't have adequate health insurance. I can take
care of that. A good mayor knows how to handle more
than one problem at one time.
MS. TONG: This has been most interesting. I want
to thank you gentlemen very much, Fernando Ferrer,
Mark Green, Alan Hevesi, George Spitz and Peter
Vallone. You are all terrific. And also my panelists,
Jim Watkins, Les Payne, and Brian Lehrer for being
here. That concludes the 2001 New York City Democratic
Mayoral Primary Debate. We hope you will get out
and vote. Election day, as you know, is September
11th.
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What is this?
Gotham Gazette's Searchlight on Campaign 2001 offers a comprehensive
look at what is being called New York City's most significant
campaign season in modern history. (See the left-hand column
for an explanation).
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Districts of the Week
District
1 -- Lower Manhattan
Whoever wins the election in district 1 will represent immigrant
Chinese garment workers, as well as Wall Street traders living
in Battery Park City. There are several candidates hoping
to be the council's firsts -- the first Asian-American man,
the first Asian-American woman, the first gay Rhodes Scholar,
the first dot-com guru -- running against some politically
well connected opponents. Endorsements and fundraising will
play a big role in this race. But voter turnout could be the
main determinant of who will next represent district 1 on
the council. The key question is how many voters from each
community will come out on Election Day.
District
7 -- Washington Heights, Manhattan
The northern tip of Manhattan has become one of the most popular
places for new immigrants to call home. The northern tip of
Manhattan is a place that today's new immigrants call home.
The majority have come from the Dominican Republic, but also
from countries in South America, Eastern Europe, and Asia.
But it is not just new immigrants that are moving in. Students,
artists, and other Manhattanites looking for less expensive
rents and larger apartments have also moved north. Ten Democratic
candidates are competing for the 15,000 voters expected on
primary day. The winner who emerges from a crowded field of
candidates will have to balance the needs of the newcomers
with those who have lived there for years.
District
16 -- Highbridge, Bronx
The neighborhoods of district 16 are the city's poorest, with
the highest rate of unemployment and the lowest median household
income. But those who live there also point out that much
is positive and stable about the area, thanks in large part
to local organizations, not-for-profit agencies, and houses
of worship that help hold the neighborhoods together. Each
candidate for City Council believes that through his or her
connections to churches and local organizations, they can
help empower the community toward a better life. Helen Foster,
the current council member daughter, will face Michael Benjamin,
who has worked as an aide to several government officials
and Anthony Curry, a Bronx neighborhood activist.
District
20 -- Northeast Flushing, Queens
This year district 20 may elect the first Asian-American ever
to the City Council to an area which now has the second highest
number of immigrants from Korea and Taiwan in the city. There
are three Asian candidates in the Democratic race who have
each drawn big endorsements. Council Speaker Peter Vallone
enndorsed Terence Park, City Comptroller Alan Hevesi endorsed
John Liu, and the New York Times recently endorsed Ethel Chen
The campaign has also drawn national and international press
coverage
District
25 -- Jackson Heights, Queens
Thirty-seventh Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens is one of
the most diverse streets in the world. Little India quickly
blends into Little Colombia, with vendors selling Latin American
food to Colombians, Peruvians, Ecuadorians, Mexicans, and
Uruguayans. And each summer, the Queens Pride Parade fills
the same street with rainbow banners. So it is no surprise
that this election year the district produced a diverse field
of candidates. A number of them, however, found out that getting
on the ballot is not an easy task, especially when the Queens
Democratic organization sends teams of lawyers to challenge
petitions. But five Democratic candidates survived and will
face off on September 11.
District
31 -- South East Queens
When a heavy rain hits southeast Queens, many residents in
neighborhoods like Springfield Gardens, Laurelton and Rosedale
head to the basement with a bucket in hand. And it has been
that way for the last 50 years. In the rush to build housing
in the area after World War II, developers overlooked the
need for storm drains in hopes that the city would eventually
build a city-wide sewer system. The plan never materialized
and the area has experienced "100-year rains" three times
in the last decade. The eight Democrats -- all with little
experience overseeing massive infrastructure projects--will
try to convince voters that they can finally solve the flooding
problems.
District
35 -- Central Brooklyn
The residents in council district 35 have some of the highest
incomes in Brooklyn and some of the lowest. They can play
in a famous park and a beautiful botanical garden, and live
in the city's most crumbling public housing. They can attend
one of the four institutions of higher learning in the district,
and the worst-scoring high schools in the city. Such juxtapositions
are a way of life for a district that includes the Brooklyn
Academy of Music, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Brooklyn Botanical
Gardens; mid dle-class African-American communities near Prospect
Park; immigrant communities from Haiti, Sierra Leon, Nigeria,
and Trinidad, and in Crown Heights, a mix of Hasidic Jews
and African-Americans. Seven Democratic candidates are campaigning
in hopes that they can bring some kind of unity, and attention,
to the area. Their backgrounds are as diverse as the neighborhoods
themselves.
District
39 -- Park Slope/Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
The candidates in district 39 include a chief of staff for
an Assemblywoman, the husband of a member of U.S. Congress,
a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society, an attorney and president
of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Senator Hillary
Clinton's campaign manager, the district manager of Community
Board 6, and a labor organizer. This is the race to watch
this year. The group of high-profile Democrats have raised
a lot of money, almost $1.4 million combined.
District
45 -- East Flatbush
In no place in the city are the effects of campaign finance
reform and term limits being felt more than in East Flatbush.
The seven Democratic candidates seeking to represent this
largely West Indian district come from a number of Caribbean
nations. Many have been working on politicians' staffs and
serving with community groups, clearly hoping someday to win
their own elected office. Term limits has presented them with
that opportunity, and they want to make the most of it. But
this race that usually draws only about 8,000 voters could
be decided by just a few votes. The candidates are attempting
to come up with anything that will separate them from the
pack.
District
49 -- North Shore, Staten Island
Staten Island has always been somewhat of a suburban stepchild
to New York City. When a 1998 survey asked New Yorkers why
they go to Staten Island, the top two responses were ''visiting
friends and relatives" and ''passing through.'' But in many
ways, the north shore has more in common with areas of Manhattan
and Brooklyn than with the rest of the Staten Island. The
top priority for all the candidates -- Jon Del Giorno, an
administrative manager for the Board of Elections, Mike McMahon,
an attorney and counsel to current Councilmember Jerome O'Donovan,
and Debi Rose, an administrator at the College of Staten Island
and the first African-American candidate in Staten Island
politics -- is to make sure that the island becomes more than
just a turn-around-point for the over one million tourists
who ride the free ferry from Manhattan each year.
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Abbreviations
for Party Affiliation
American
Dream Party (AMD)
Better Schools Party (BES)
Communist (Com)
Conservative (Con)
Constitution (CST)
Democratic (Dem)
Friends United Party (FUN)
Fusion Party (FUS)
Green (Gre)
Harmony Party (HAR)
Independence (Ind)
Liberal (Lib)
Libertarian (LBT)
Marijuana Reform Party (POT)
Natural Law Party (NLP)
Party of Ethics and Traditions (PET)
Reform Party (Ref)
Republican (Rep)
Right to Life (RTL)
School Choice Party (Sch)
Socialist Workers Party (SWP)
Working Families (Wor)
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2001 Election
Calendar
June
1 -- Deadline for candidates to join the Campaign Finance
program, qualifying for the four-to-one match of contributions.
June
5 - First day for candidates from the eight major parties
(Democratic, Republican, Indpendence, Conservative, Liberal,
Green, Working Families, and Right to Life) to circulate
petitions. Candidates running for City Council must collect
the signatures of at least 900 people living in the district
for which they are running in order to appear on the Primary
ballot. Candidates not running under these eight major parties
do not appear on the Primary ballot and have a separate
set of deadlines.
July 12 - Deadline for major party candidates to
file petitions.
July 10 - First day for unaffiliated candidates to
circulate petitions, in order to appear on the ballot in
the General Election. They must collect the number of signatures
equal to five percent of the total enrolled in that party.
August 7 - Board of Elections announces candidates
appearing on the Primary ballot.
August 17 - Last day for non-absentee voters to register
to vote in the Primary Election.
August 21 - Deadline for non-major party candidates
to file petitions to be included on the General Election
ballot.
September 4 - Last day to postmark application for
absentee voting in the Primary
September 10 - Last day to personally deliver application
for absentee voting in the Primary Last day to postmark
absentee ballot for Primary
September 11 - Primary election; Polls open at 6:00a.m.
and close at 9:00p.m.; Absentee ballots must be hand-delivered
by 9:00 p.m.
September 25 - Runoff Primary election for Mayor,
Comptroller and Public Advocate, if needed
October 12 - Last day to for non-absentee voters
to register to vote in the General Election
October 30 - Last day to postmark application for
absentee voting in the General Election
November 5 - Last day to hand-deliver an application
for absentee voting, or to postmark an absentee ballot for
the General Election.
November 6 - General Election; polls open at 6:00a.m.
and close at 9:00p.m. in NYC; Absentee ballots must be hand-delivered
by 9:00 p.m.
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