Gotham Gazette

Paul Massey, center, talks with Murphy (left) and Max.

Paul Massey says he won’t get personal or go negative in his campaign against Staten Island Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis for the Republican nomination for mayor. When it comes to Mayor de Blasio, however, the real-estate magnate seems less hesitant to go hard. In a Monday conversation with Max & Murphy, he said de Blasio is a “corrupt” and “reactive” “ideologue” and “extremist” who is nothing short of a “failed manager.”

Worst of all, he said, de Blasio doesn’t look like he’s having fun.

Asked what the practical impact of de Blasio’s management flaws has been—given that crime is down and job creation is up, facts the mayor’s allies might point to as evidence of good management—Massey pointed to the growing number of homeless New Yorkers on the mayor’s watch. He said of the mayor’s new homelessness plan, which calls for reducing shelter numbers by 2,500 over five years, “That’s the same thing as saying he’ll give up.” Massey’s plan for dealing with homelessness revolves around supportive housing, an important but expensive option that might not be right for homeless families whose struggles are mainly economic.

Massey vows to be a “servant-leader,” pointing often to his experience in business. As the for the charge the de Blasio is “corrupt,” Massey points to the finding by federal prosecutors of “several circumstances in which Mayor de Blasio and others acting on his behalf solicited donations from individuals who sought official favors from the city, after which the mayor made or directed inquiries to relevant city agencies on behalf of those donors.” Of course, the feds opted not to charge the mayor or any aides, and the mayor has denied doing anything unethical.

Massey says he’ll not take donations from anyone doing business with the city. But Massey’s personal financial power makes that an easier stance to take than it would be for de Blasio. The Republican has made $2.7 million in loans to his own campaign, $1.6 million of which remain outstanding.

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