The following are two reports on tonight’s debate between Mike Bloomberg & Bill Thompson.
First is the WCBSTV report, and then is the NY1 report. Following that is a statment by the Bloomberg campaign.
WCBSTV REPORT: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg kept his Democratic opponent on the defensive during their final debate before Election Day. And the Democrat struggled to define himself.
Bloomberg has outspent William Thompson Jr. $85.2 million to $6 million so far and remains comfortably ahead in the polls.
With a week to go until the election, the debate was Thompson’s last big chance to land a major punch on Bloomberg. He also had to cast himself as a potential mayor rather than just a Bloomberg opponent.
But Thompson did not take advantage of several opportunities he had during the televised debate to advertise himself.
At one point, when asked for specifics on why he’d be a better mayor than Bloomberg, Thompson answered by saying Bloomberg has squeezed middle class New Yorkers out of the city.
A Quinnipiac University poll has Mayor Mike ahead by 18 percentage points, 53 to 35, and with the polls seemingly going his way, the mayor spent Monday laying out his vision of what he will accomplish in the next four years.
Thompson on Monday picked up the endorsement of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a Bloomberg ally who was pressured to support the Democrat in the race.
_______
NY1 REPORT: With one week to go before election day, candidates for mayor Mike Bloomberg and Bill Thompson faced off in their second and final debate Tuesday night where they sparred over several topics including the city’s financial future.
During the hour-long debate hosted by WABC, both candidates clashed over taxes and whether the mayor’s policies are pushing the middle class out of the city.
For his part, the mayor accused Thompson of proposing spending that will require the city to raise taxes that he said would push jobs out of the city.
“I think that this city is going in the wrong direction. I think that if we look at, and I talked about the affordability gap before, middle class and working New Yorkers are being pushed out of the City of New York by the policies of this administration,” Thompson said.
“He said he wants a broad base tax. At one time he said a millionaire’s tax, he’s said so many things, I can’t keep straight who he wants to tax, but he’s going to tax somebody, Bloomberg said.
Both men also sparred over education, with the mayor saying Thompson failed students as head of the board of education.
Thompson defended his record and compared Bloomberg’s Department of Education to Enron.
Bloomberg also defended himself against charges that he is out of touch with the average New Yorkers.
“I started a small business. I know what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, I know what it’s like to create jobs,” Bloomberg said. “To come here it’s not easy. You worry every night you go home, you worry whether you can make ends meet the next day.”
“Everybody realizes that the mayor is out of touch with the people that he represents,” Thompson said.
Tuesday night’s debate was incredibly important for Thompson. He is being vastly outspent and is behind in the polls by double digits.
__________
The following is a statement released by the Bloomberg Campaign following the debate:
Tonight Mike met his opponent for the final debate of this campaign. Once again Mike clearly won the debate by articulating his bold vision for the next four years – a growing economy, even better schools, and an even safer city. Meanwhile, Bill Thompson spent the debate lobbing grenades and running from his own record.
The contrasts between the Mayor and his opponent were apparent:
While test scores and graduation rates have steadily risen under Mike’s bold leadership, our city’s schools continually failed our children when Bill Thompson was President of the Board of Education.
Crime has fallen to record lows in Mike’s administration, while Bill Thompson would fire Ray Kelly as Police Commissioner.
Mike highlighted the incredible progress this city has made in affordable housing, public health and quality of life, while Bill Thompson refused to take responsibility for his performance at the Board of Education and as Comptroller.
Mike’s record of delivering real results for New York and his uncompromising vision for our city’s future were on full display tonight. When voters go to the polls next week to choose our city’s Mayor for the next four years, they will have a choice between an independent, visionary leader who will continue New York’s progress, or a politician who will only deliver empty promises.
Tonight that choice couldn’t have been more clear.
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
I must say Mr. Maya, not a bad performance.
But, it would be nice if you would offer school vouchers for all school age children no matter what their income, cut taxes and spending, and really crack down on bag ladies and squeegee men like your predecessor.