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By Josh Bolotsky & Justin Krebs
Note: the wifi at the Union Hall broke down from 5:55 to 6:30, so we're retroactively filling in that coverage now.
As promised earlier today, we're liveblogging from the Working Families Party's Mayoral Forum, at the Hotel Trades Council Union Hall in midtown Manhattan. We'll be joined by two leading Democratic candidates, Bill Thompson and Tony Avella, and the incumbent Michael Bloomberg. If you have any questions, comments or thoughts for us, please let us know in the comments, and we'll try to reflect those interests in our coverage.
You can also watch it live here.
6:45 First question about development. Unions love it; community organizers are wary. WFP is both. Avella is saying we need standards. "We are giving the developer a privilege" when we approve their projects. -jk
6:40 Council Member Tony Avella opens by saying this is the largest forum he's been at. Gets applause. "And thank you for letting me follow Mike Bloomberg...because that's exactly what I'd like to do at City Hall."
He's the long-shot Dem...but he also tends to be a bit edgier than Thompson, which could play here.
"I'm running for Mayor for one simple reason: I am fed up with how the system is running today." Getting more applause...like there's a contingent here trying to make clear that they take him seriously. -jk
6:36 Bloomberg finished right as wi-fi returns. Go for it, conspiracy theorists! His final answer had to do with the fact that "money doesn't buy elections," and he's not ashamed of the money he's spending.
He got some applause for it, and some jeers. WFP is having an internal debate.
His closing statement hits jobs -- calls for people being able to get healthcare, take days off when sick, etc. "You wouldn't want a Mayor you'd always agree with."
Closes with a mention of a swearing in ceremony for new citizens he attended this morning. One man in front stands up for an ovation as he leaves. Good amount of applause, but not total. -jk
6:36 Bloomberg finished right as wi-fi returns. Go for it, conspiracy theorists! His final answer had to do with the fact that "money doesn't buy elections," and he's not ashamed of the money he's spending.
He got some applause for it, and some jeers. WFP is having an internal debate.
His closing statement hits jobs -- calls for people being able to get healthcare, take days off when sick, etc. "You wouldn't want a Mayor you'd always agree with."
Closes with a mention of a swearing in ceremony for new citizens he attended this morning. One man in front stands up for an ovation as he leaves. Good amount of applause, but not total. -jk
6:35 We're back!
6:34 His answer on money in campaigns is by far the worst, on both substance and politics, of the evening. Instead of addressing the core question (as Justin mentioned, a running trend here), he's starts by talking about his election, and then talking about how there's no such thing as a truly, perfectly fair election. "Some people go to better schools, are luckier in their backgrounds..." This gets boos and murmurs. He then talked about how "The rich people don't always win," claiming if you look at elections with millionaire candidate, they only win in a small percentage - "You can't buy an election with money - people are too smart for that - you can use it to get a message out," and he's unabashed, he says, about using it to talk about his message. No one here is satisfied - imagine if instead of answering the question on green jobs, the full substance of his answer was, "Well, there's no such thing as a perfectly green economy..." I can't imagine who this answer helped him with. -jb
6:33 Dan Cantor asking about money in campaigns. Is it a valid concern that he spends so much? Why not agree to a level playing field in the spirit of fair play?
6:31 Points to Albany as an example of the need for non-partisan elections; but says he won't take it up again unless "there's a clear political road to get there." He got burned on this in 2003. By WFP, and others. He bankrolled a referendum, and lost. But he suggests that non-partisan elections would help WFP break free from having to choose between party candidates.
6:29 On question about spending in tough economic times, he gave an answer that led the woman behind me to murmur, "He didn't answer the question." A lot of that. Then again, there may be some of that all around.
(earlier commentary below the fold)
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