“If she falls short, she certainly has to be careful of taking positions that could be unpopular in other races down the road.”
Malliotakis and Dietl Pounce on School Stabbing
“The Republican nominee for mayor, State Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, said the Bronx school where the stabbing occurred should have had metal detectors. She said retired police officers, who are armed, should be stationed in the city’s most dangerous schools. ‘There’s a mentality now in the school system that students can do whatever they want, and they can bully others, they can punch teachers in the face, they can bring marijuana into the classroom, and they’re going to face absolutely no penalty,’ Malliotakis said. … Bo Dietl, an independent running for mayor, said the city’s school safety numbers are not to be trusted. State data has actually shown violence in city schools to be on the rise in recent years.”
Lawmakers Take a Knee in Support of NFL Protests
“During his speech, [Councilmember Jumaane] Williams argued against the notion that the act of kneeling during the anthem was unpatriotic. ‘This was not about patriotism,’ said Williams. ‘This was about pushing back against a system of supremacy, a system of oppressive policies that have been around in the country for a very long time.’ Williams also pointed out the support he’s received from U.S. war veterans since he took up this cause, dispelling Trump’s claim that the protests are disrespectful to the American military. ‘We had a press conference last time with veterans,’ said Williams, ‘one of whom received an award, who had a bullet in his knee. He said that every time he hears someone say that [the protestors are unpatriotic], he thinks about the bullet in his knee, and that he took it to fight for people to do that.'”
Malliotakis Must Strike a Delicate Balance in Long-Shot Campaign
“To beat Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Staten Island Assemblywoman will need to convince large swaths of city Democrats that she’s not a Republican in the mold of President Donald Trump. But, should she fail to win the mayor’s, Malliotakis will then be up for re-election next year in a relatively conservative Staten Island district, where Trump is still held in high esteem. That predicament has turned what was supposed to be a low-stakes, profile-building race into a delicate balancing act.”
Bo Dietl’s Growing List of Mayoral Promises
“In the end, Dietl and Malliotakis may be competing for the same pool of voters, and risk splitting the anti-de Blasio vote. Dietl has run a Trump-like campaign, complete with a bombastic media personality, a prolific use of Twitter, and calling his opponents nicknames. But despite the similarities in style and tone, Dietl actually does not promise to bring Trump-like policies to New York, for the most part. While he has adopted a largely tough-on-crime stance when it comes to policing and criminal justice, he has also adopted centrist or even liberal views on some other issues such as transit.”
Intensifying Debate Over Pros and Cons of the ConCon
“Voters going to the polls on Nov. 7 will be asked whether to hold such a convention. If the majority of them answer ‘Yes’ to the ballot referendum, New Yorkers would then select 204 delegates next year. In 2019, those delegates would gather to consider updating the state constitution, and then those amendments would go back to voters for approval. The process is mandated by the constitution itself: every 20 years, voters must get a chance to convene and overhaul state law, rather than relying on the governor and legislature to do it. Opponents and supporters of the ConCon are vowing a full-court press in the coming weeks to capture the attention of a mostly-indifferent public. A recent Siena University poll found only one in five New Yorkers has read or heard anything about the upcoming referendum.”
