By Bay Dotson
At LREI, we spend a significant amount of time debating current politics and expressing our beliefs and stances on pressing social justice issues. The New York City mayoral election, on November 7th, is the perfect opportunity for seniors who have turned eighteen to make a difference in the future of our city! Here is a brief overview of the principal candidates for mayor:
Bill De Blasio (Democrat) is the current Mayor of New York City, and has held his office since 2014. De Blasio originally ran on a platform of advocacy for the city’s homeless population, and focused on eradicating the Stop and Frisk Movement. Some of the De Blasio administration’s accomplishments have included the Criminal Justice Reform Act, which called for the closing of Rikers Island, introducing the Pre-K program to city public schools, and 300,000 new jobs added to the economy in his four-year term. De Blasio is often criticized for his “aggressive” actions towards ending New York’s housing crisis. He supported the unprecedented 2015 Rent Act, which froze rents for rent-controlled apartments across the city, and has encouraged the building of affordable housing in relatively gentrified neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs.
Nicole Malliotakis (Republican) is a current State Assemblywoman for parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Malliotakis is the major opposition for current Mayor De Blasio after winning the Republican nomination unopposed. Malliotakis is known for her hardline conservative politics: she has opposed gay marriage and increases in minimum wage. Her strongest stance, however, has been on immigration, an ever-present controversy in New York. She opposed De Blasio’s sanctuary city law which protects illegal immigrants from deportation when convicted of a crime, despite the fact that she herself is the daughter of two immigrants and is the first Hispanic woman elected to office in Staten Island. Senator Marco Rubio appointed Malliotakis as the New York State chair of his 2016 presidential campaign.
Bo Dietl (Independent) is a former NYPD Detective and media personality, appearing on the Fox News Network and others. He is also the founder and CEO of Beau Dietl & Associates and Beau Dietl Consulting Services. Dietl has had experience in politics: he was nominated for U.S. Congress in 1986 by the Republican and Conservative Parties of New York. In 1989, Dietl was appointed by President George H.W. Bush as co-chairman of the National Crime Commission. Dietl has posed himself as New York native who “understands the trouble facing our city, not because I read about it in a textbook, but because I lived it.” Although Dietl intended to run as Democrat opposing De Blasio, he changed his mind last minute and ran as an Independent candidate self-described as “socially liberal, fiscally conservative,” focused on opposing De Blasio’s handling of police-civilian relations.
Sal Albanese (Reform Party, formerly Democrat) and Mike Tolkin (Smart Cities, formerly Democrat) both lost to De Blasio in the Democratic primary and have continued in the race as candidates for parties that have historically received a relatively insignificant amount of votes.