Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Park Slope resident, this week rolled out a parade of Brooklyn endorsements from elected officials as well as public support of several important political club.
Meanwhile, presumptive Republican mayoral candidate Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Bay Ridge, Staten Island) took a jab at de Blasio’s patronage hiring, and did a cross political endorsement with Ray Denaro the Republican City Council Candidate running against City Council Member Mark Tryeger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend)
According to a release from de Blasio’s campaign office his supporters included: Congress Members Yvette Clarke and Nydia Velazquez; State Senators Martin Malavé Dilan, Velmanette Montgomery, Roxanne Persaud and Kevin Parker; Assembly memebers Joseph Lentol, Jo Anne Simon, Rodneyse Bichotte, Felix Ortiz, Latrice Walker, Tremaine Wright, N. Nick Perry, Walter Mosley, Erik Dilan, Bobby Carroll, Martiza Davila, Jaime Williams, Helene Weinstein and Steven Cymbrowitz; and City Council members Alan Maisel, Brad Lander, Laurie Cumbo, Robert Cornegy, Stephen Levin, Rafael Espinal and Carlos Menchaca.
Political clubs endorsing de Blasio included Independent Neighborhood Democrats, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, Bay Ridge Democrats, Stars and Stripes Democratic Club, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Progressive Democrats Political Association, New Era Democrats, and Vanguard Independent Democrats Association.
The release noted that from lowering crime in Brooklyn to expanding affordable housing throughout the borough to turning Prospect Park West Drive car-free, the Mayor continues to fight for working and middle-class families in Brooklyn each day.
“Four years ago on 11th St., I promised to make this your city—not just a city for wealthy. Together, we’ve launched universal Pre-K, built and preserved record affordable housing units, and made the city safer for our residents. Here in Brooklyn, we’ve funded major improvements in city parks, purchased the last site needed to complete Bushwick Inlet Park, and expanded ferry services to neighborhoods in need of better transit,” said de Blasio. “As a proud Brooklynite, I’m honored to received your endorsements. Together, we can keep up the fight for a fairer, stronger city for all New Yorkers.”
Malliotakis on Tuesday showed up at the David Dinkins Municipal Building across the street from City Hall to blast de Blasio about his city hiring practices and its effect on the fiscal well-being of the city.
“Over the course of Bill de Blasio’s first term in office we’ve seen a huge spike in the number of employees in the New York City municipal workforce. He’s swelled the ranks by nearly 31,000, to 328,400 employees, a disturbing and expensive trend that has created a municipal workforce in New York City that is larger than the entire population of the City of St. Louis, Missouri,” said Malliotakis.
“Somehow, the Bloomberg administration managed to get by with 109 ‘Special Assistants.’ Under Bill de Blasio that number sky-rocketed to 264. He has also increased City Hall staff from 569 to 656. That’s just one small part of an unprecedented hiring binge that by next year is estimated to cost $6.8 billion from the city’s budget according to the Citizens Budget Commission,” she added.
While many expect de Blasio to face off against Malliotakis in the November general election, he must first get past several Democratic opponents in the primary including former Bay Ridge City Council Member Sal Albanese in the Sept 12 primary.
