Blaz & foe’s 2nd debate is gadfly’s last chance to sting
VOTERS WILL have one more shot to watch Mayor de Blasio square off with Democratic challenger Sal Albanese on Wednesday before next Tuesday’s primary election.
The duo will take the stage at the second and final Campaign Finance Board debate of the primary season at 7 p.m. It will air on CBS2 News, sponsored in part by the Daily News.
It’s a final opportunity for Albanese, the long-shot candidate and former city councilman, to introduce himself to voters beside the sitting mayor.
Albanese, who came out swinging at de Blasio in round one, said he’ll focus a little more on himself this time.
“One of the things I want to do is talk a little bit more about my vision for our city and my proposals,” he said, adding that he’ll emphasize education.
Albanese, who immigrated from Italy at age 8 and served in the City Council in the 1980s and ’90s, said he’ll also look to talk a little bit more about his own back story.
“I think I gotta get that out, because people want to size you up and know what’s your experience,” he said. “And I don’t think I did enough of that job in the first debate.”
Albanese’s plans lined up with what political science experts said he’d have to do in the contest.
Christina Greer, a professor of political science at Fordham University, said Albanese was almost like a “Greek chorus of New York” in the last debate — asking the mayor what he’d do to fix things but not offering up his own solutions.
“I didn’t necessarily see him as a mayoral candidate, I saw him as the voice of New Yorkers to raise questions about what the mayor has done and what the mayor plans to do,” she said.
Doug Muzzio, professor of public affairs at Baruch College, said even with a good performance, Albanese’s candidacy was unlikely to affect the mayoral race much.
“If he polls 25%, that would be a miracle,” Muzzio said. “In fact, there doesn’t seem to be much of a rationale for Albanese’s race other than a gadfly. And a gadfly needs a sting — and he doesn’t have any.”
As for the mayor, his camp said he’d likely approach the second debate as he did the first — pushing back on Albanese but focusing mainly on touting his own record.
“The mayor is taking this debate very seriously, and he’s happy for an opportunity to talk about his record of results making New York City stronger, fairer and more affordable for all,” campaign spokesman Dan Levitan said in an email.