New Yorkers face very different choices for mayor
With the arduous campaign to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg in its final stage, New Yorkers now have their choices before them: stick with policies that have kept the city relatively safe and prosperous, or break from a past that some residents complain has nurtured income inequality and racial divisions.
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio became the undisputed Democratic nominee Monday after primary runner-up Bill Thompson withdrew and eliminated the need for a runoff election. Republican nominee Joseph Lhota quickly went on the attack and painted the Nov. 5 general election as a contest between two major-party opponents with vastly different visions of how the city should function after 12 years of Bloomberg.
“Bill de Blasio’s change is radical. My change is practical. It’s straightforward. It’s to be able to build upon what we have done, not tear down what has happened,” Lhota said at a news conference.