NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – Two Democratic candidates for mayor took shots at each other Thursday ahead of a veto override vote of two controversial NYPD oversight bills.
As WCBS 880’s Alex Silverman reported, the word hypocrite was flying back and forth outside City Hall.
The gloves were off as Bill de Blasio and Christine Quinn each held events Thursday and attacked each other.
“Speaker Quinn is simply trying to have it both ways,” said de Blasio.
“This isn’t the first time that Bill de Blasio has spoken out of both sides of his mouth,” Quinn countered at her own press conference outside City Hall. “Call out Bill de Blasio for his hypocrisy on the issue of stop-and-frisk.”
“She’s going to vote the wrong way on racial profiling and then stand for the photo ops and smile because there was an override vote,” de Blasio said.
The council voted to create an inspector general for the police department and make it easier for people to sue for discrimination. Bloomberg vetoed the bills but council members overrode the vetoes in a vote late Thursday afternoon.
The candidates pounced over the racial profiling provision.
“Based on a prior law the City Council passed, racial profiling is illegal in New York City, as it should be,” said Quinn.
De Blasio criticized that measure.
“The existing law, Local Law 30, has literally no enforcement mechanism,” he said. “We need an enforceable ban on racial profiling in this city. And not just for the first time but for the second time, Speaker Quinn will vote against it and will vote to sustain Mayor Bloomberg’s veto.”
“Bill de Blasio was a council member for eight years. So he knows a law…he should know a law is a law,” said Quinn.
She also labeled her opponent “nothing more than a say anything, do nothing politician.”
During a debate Wednesday night, the Democratic candidates laid out their positions.
Quinn opposes the lawsuit provision but supports the inspector general.
De Blasio supports both an inspector general and lawsuits against the police department.
Bill Thompson stands with Bloomberg, opposing an inspector general and lawsuits.
John Liu has called for stop-and-frisk to be abolished completely while Anthony Weiner wants to reform stop-and-frisk and have cops wear cameras.
Ex-councilman Sal Albanese and the Rev. Erick Salgado also took part in Wednesday’s debate.
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