One standout
Wednesday’s final mayoral debate on Channel 4 was billed as a “leading contenders” faceoff, intended to focus on those with a real shot at winning. But due to stupid rules set in March by the city Campaign Finance Board, all eight candidates cleared the bar, resulting in another chopped-up conversation, albeit a fairly substantive one.
All polls show there’s a final four with any chance to grab the brass ring: Eric Adams, Kathryn Garcia, Maya Wiley and Andrew Yang. Each day that passes, it’s clearer that Garcia, our pick, is best. In our endorsement, we made the case for the former sanitation commissioner, an expert manager with a refreshing willingness to resist political pressure and embrace pragmatic solutions.
Her rivals all come up short.
Adams, our second choice, has too many questionable entanglements with donors who want something from the government he seeks to lead. He hasn’t given straight answers on his ownership of a Brooklyn property, and didn’t declare rental income on several recent years’ tax returns. He’s also shown a depressing penchant for excusing the inadequate secular education at some ultra-Orthodox yeshivas.
Yang has buckled for the yeshivas, too. He’s also never voted for mayor, and has a kiddie-pool-shallow understanding of far too many of the city’s biggest problems. Spitballing, he suggested putting a casino on Governors Island, which is barred by a federal deed restriction. He suggested creating domestic violence shelters, which already exist. When pitching municipal takeover of the MTA, he failed to demonstrate even the foggiest understanding of how the authority works. His billion-dollar Universal Basic Income proposal, to offer cash relief to a half-million New Yorkers, is a sketch at best with funding streams TBD.
As for Wiley, the only main candidate who’s running on the proposition that Bill de Blasio was insufficiently progressive, she wants to dial back police presence in neighborhoods and subways when violent crime is surging. She dodged in the debate when asked what she’d do to tackle crime, right now.
It’s Garcia, whether by elimination or acclamation.