De Blasio Done Answering Questions About Aide Noerdlinger, Boyfriend
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio has shut down continuing questions about Rachel Noerdlinger -- the chief of staff for First Lady Chirlane McCray –- and Noerdlinger's new boyfriend.
But as CBS 2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported Monday, the controversy has begun to take a political toll.
Last week, audio was released from inside a courtroom where Noerdlinger's boyfriend -- Hassaun McFarlan, a.k.a Hassaun Ackles, was contesting a parking ticket issued to Noerdlinger's white Mercedes-Benz.
McFarlan can be heard on the recording letting the judge know the car belongs to the first lady's chief of staff.
The judge then says, "I don't care about that."
McFarlan is also heard on the recording complaining that the NYPD is targeting him for parking violations because he is black.
"Is it evidence into consideration that the police be lying because I'm black and drive a nice car?" McFarlan says on the recordings. "Being a black woman, I don't know if you have some understanding that a man who drives nice cars are a little bit, you know, uh, what's the word ... detailed or prioritized or profiled. So I mean my ticket, this is ridiculous."
But Kramer reported Monday that Mayor de Blasio is just plain tired of questions about Noerdlinger and McFarlan, who has served time for manslaughter and drugs and has let his anti-police feelings spill out on his Facebook page.
"I've said everything I'm going to say, and this is a guy who does not work for us, and I'm just not going to speak to what her boyfriend does," de Blasio said.
De Blasio also had few comments about McFarlan pointing out that he was driving a car that belonged to McCray's chief of staff.
"He's on his own time and he shouldn't have done that," de Blasio said, "and that's all I have to say about it."
Kramer reported the mayor believes questions about McFarlan have nothing to do with Noerdlinger's job. He also dismissed questions about Noerdlinger's failure to disclose her relationship with a felon and her non-payment of taxes, E-ZPass bills, and tickets.
But experts said the Noerdlinger issue is hurting the mayor.
"The longer this stays front and center -- the longer that this is the story of the de Blasio administration rather than the policy initiatives that he wants to talk about – that, then yes, it becomes a problem," said analyst David Birdsell of Baruch College.
The parking judge dismissed McFarlan's claims of racism on the part of the parking ticket officers, pointing out that officers do not know the race or nationality of the owner of a car when giving out tickets.
The tickets were for offenses such as parking near fire hydrants and in a crosswalk, and having an expired meter.
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