Blas ducks debate rival’s ethics jabs

Mayor de Blasio and challenger Sal Albanese fought a war of words over government corruption, a statue-removal commission and a burgeoning Boston Red Sox scandal during the second and final Democratic primary debate Wednesday night.

Hizzoner fended off criticism over several probes of his political fund-raising operation that didn’t yield indictments but prompted prosecutors to admonish him.

“We need a higher standard for mayor than not being indicted,” said Albanese.

De Blasio responded that he’s “proud of the ethical standards we set,” but then dodged a question on whether a mayor should be required by law to publicly report when political donors ask him or top administration officials for favors.

Thousands of e-mails the administration has released over the past year — in response to public-disclosure-law requests from the media — have shown donors repeatedly getting access to toplevel officials and often making requests for favors.

De Blasio has insisted that no special treatment was given and that all decisions by his administration are based on the merit.

“I think the laws we have right now make a lot of sense,” de Blasio said of a hypothetical new requirement to report all requests made from donors. “I’m very content with the system we have now.”

Albanese said he “absolutely” believes such a law should be passed.

The two also fielded questions about whether the Christopher Columbus statue should remain in Columbus Circle. In the wake of violence sparked by white nation- alists over statues of Confederate figures elsewhere, de Blasio has said he would set up a commission to review sculptures and monuments that might cause offense.

The mayor announced the commission weeks ago but has yet to appoint a single member, and on Wednesday repeatedly refused to provide his own opinion on whether Columbus should get the heave-ho.

“I don’t think it makes sense for me to opine on issue by issue,” he said. “We are setting up an objective and smart process.”

Albanese countered that the commission is not the answer.

“I don’t need a commission to tell me that the Christopher Columbus statue should not come down,” he said.

Albanese also slammed as “very divisive” the mayor’s launching of a citywide debate over the morality of historical figures, and jabbed him for withholding his own opinion on Columbus.

“Your ally [City Council Speaker] Melissa Mark-Viverito wants to take the statue down and you don’t have the guts to say no to her,” he said.

Albanese, who from 1983 to 1997 was a city councilman representing Bay Ridge, is considered a long shot in next Tuesday’s primary, which includes three other candidates.

He threw fewer punches than he did in a debate two weeks ago, and made more of an effort to introduce himself — including by dubbing his immigrant upbringing “the New York City story.”

But Albanese did hit de Blasio over the lack of trust the mayor has from police officers.

De Blasio was also asked what he would tell his son, Dante, today about how to interact with police.

Following the police-chokehold death of Eric Garner on Staten Island in 2014, the mayor angered NYPD-union officials by saying he had told his biracial son to take great care when dealing with officers.

“He’s an adult now. He makes his own decisions,” de Blasio said of Dante, who has completed his freshman year at Yale.

“What I would say is always respect the specific instructions of a police officer.”