Residents of the 64th Assembly District (Bay Ridge, Staten Island) will soon have final chance in their imminent decision to remain a Republican outpost or send a Democrat to Albany.
Brandon Patterson (D) challenged his opponent Michael Tannousis (R) to a series of televised debates Tuesday.
“We’re just a few weeks away from Election Day and this district hasn’t heard anything of substance from my opponent. It’s time that they hear what he actually stands for, or doesn’t,” said Patterson.
“Since day one of this campaign, I have proposed new ways to raise revenue, cut taxes, bring in more jobs, protect our front line workers, and keep our students and teachers safe during the school year. Residents of the 64th District deserve to hear from the candidates first hand,” he added.
Tannousis expressed openness to the challenge. “For over a year, I have been speaking to voters of the district about the issues that have been affecting them in their everyday lives. Most prominent amongst these issues are public safety and the shutdown orders that are crippling our local economy,” he said.
“I will absolutely consider any invitation from a local community or non-partisan group that is looking to put together a candidate forum where I have the opportunity to inform the voters about the differences between me and my progressive opponent,” he added.
Two active civic groups on the Bay Ridge side of the district that have hosted debates before are the Bay Ridge Community Council and the Dyker Heights Civic Association. Neither organization could be reached at post time about hosting a possible debate between the two political gladiators.
The seat is currently held by Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R), but she is giving up the position to run for congress against incumbent U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island)
