NYC Mayoral Race

Early voting for the NYC Mayoral race started this week and now it’s time to get serious. I’ve watched the two Democratic Mayoral debates and part of the Republican debate but as any New Yorker knows, it’s the Democratic one that’s important, especially considering this year’s GOP candidates. I mean Curtis Sliwa? Give me a break!

I don’t normally cover a lot of local politics so I was fairly unfamiliar with some of the candidates as I am sure most voters are, but I had certain opinions on some of them, a couple of which I have already mentioned in previous blogs. Suffice it to say I was surprised by a couple of the candidates and a number of my opinions changed significantly by watching the debate.

Errol Lewis-The host

The Candidates:

Maya Wiley, Eric Adams, Scott Stringer, Dianne Morales, Andrew Yang, Kathryn Garcia, Ray McGuire, Shaun Donovan

All these people are pretty functional. Each has a background of some kind that points to them as having some kind of success. That’s better than most Presidential campaigns. But which one understands what problems are solvable and how to solve them must be decided before we decide who will win the race.

A discussion in the first debate was interesting because it started out about crime and the police. Sure we have crime in the city. Every city in the nation has some crime but as big cities go, New York is really pretty good. I understand that in the last couple of years we have had rises in gun use, but we are still one of the lowest in the nation in that field.  Everyone on the panel spoke about mental illness as a propagator of crime but no one had even a suggestion of what we should do differently. The problem with mental health as it relates to crime is that no one wants to deal with the real problem.

We have put together a web of laws and regulations aimed at protecting the rights of the mentally ill. The problem is, that same web of rules which protects them is also, in many cases, keeping them from being treated for their illness. This situation has kept both the mentally ill and the general public vulnerable to the violence that sometimes emanates from their condition. We often find someone in need of help but we are prevented from treating that person unless they agree to be treated. That’s ridiculous. If they had the mental acuity to know they needed treatment they probably wouldn’t need it. We have people wandering the streets who any layman can see need help because they are a danger to themselves and others but we do nothing about it because our legal system keeps us from infringing on their rights without any regard of the rights of those around them. No one on the panel seemed to have anything to say about this, so far, insoluble problem.

Otherwise how did each do? Well for me, for various reasons, McGuire, Donovan and Garcia stood out.

Garcia has maybe the best background in city government and has maybe the best city connections. She is also someone that other candidates have indicated they would try to hire. So that makes me think maybe the voters should hire her first. Donovan has  a great record of getting things done at a federal level but he kept telling us how great he was and I found that very off-putting. It struck me as kind of Trumpian. McGuire has the background in business leadership that Bloomberg demonstrated was really important, and he looks and talks like a leader. That said, it is still very early and we need to see a lot more of each candidate.

So I tuned in again and caught the second debate. This time opinions started to solidify. I watched as Dianne Gonzalez, a very smart lady made a very big mistake. She bragged about not being a politician. Why? We need a politician as Mayor! This city can’t abide an amateur in Gracie Mansion. It’s far too complicated for an amateur to run.

The next one to shoot herself down was Maya Wylie, a lady for whom I usually have great respect.  This time she decided to take the Trump route, interrupting others and running over her allotted time slot. She did this so much that she had to be told to shut up. It shows a complete lack of discipline and we already had a president like that, we surely don’t need a mayor who can’t control herself.

In the same vein, Eric Adams, who I do not favor, did a great job of controlling himself and looking very mayoral. To me Adam’s problem is that he has been a professional cop in a department that has had big problems. If I were looking for a Commissioner he would certainly be someone to consider but we need a mayor with a broader outlook.

I have found myself favoring Katherine Garcia. She seems to know what the problems are and if she doesn’t have a solution to all of them yet, she seems to know where to look for one. She’s experienced and functional and she knows how to explain her positions without putting her foot in her mouth. Besides, she probably knows where all the bodies are buried, a very powerful asset when you want to get something done.

Ray McGuire looks and acts like Bloomberg. I disagreed with a lot of what Mike said and did, but he was the best mayor of New York in my long lifetime. I think McGuire could be a real winner but he doesn’t have the background in NYC politics and that leaves him pretty much on his own, which isn’t a good place to be in this Machiavellian city.

Donavan has the experience and the track record but he displays little charisma and not much leadership. He’d probably be a great Deputy Mayor but I don’t see him for the top job and as I have stated before, Scott Stringer just doesn’t project the strength needed to do this job. He probably has the best background for it and he was great at his past jobs but this is the second biggest political job in the country and he just doesn’t appear to be ready for it.

That leaves Andrew Yang. He’s done a lot of things right to get where he is but he also has some very impractical ideas, on which this city can’t afford to waste time. I particularly don’t like his ideas on giving away money without any need for accountability.  I absolutely understand the need to help those that need help, but I think assistance should be accompanied by a requirement that those who receive aide, do something to earn it The WPA and the CCC worked beautifully to help drag us out of the depression.

I am one who thinks that the additional bonus that was given to those collecting unemployment was a good thing but that it should already have been cut off because it is causing certain people to stay home and not look for work.

I like Yang. I think he could do a lot for this city. I just think there are people running who can do more. From this writer’s point of view, the best connected, most functional, most promising one is Katherine Garcia.