Mayor De Blasio Touts His Accomplishments Ahead Of Election Day
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The candidates for mayor in New York City are making their final campaign pushes ahead of Election Day.
Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed business and civic leaders Monday morning at a breakfast hosted by the Association for a Better New York.
He touted his accomplishments in his first four years, saying keeping crime down, creating more affordable housing, and advancing education was all about making this a livable city, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported.
"The notion underlying all of it is to keep New York, New York," de Blasio said.
The mayor also attacked the Republican tax proposal declaring it takes "dead aim" at New York, claiming it will mean a tax increase for more than 700,000 New York City families.
"President Trump's tax plan will hurt nowhere more than his own hometown and that is a sad commentary," de Blasio said. "I think it's fair to say he understands life in this city and think it's strange that he would come up with a plan that would undermine us so deeply."
Deafening silence greeted the mayor when he labeled himself a truth-teller and then told the well heeled crowd, "I don't think a $1.5 trillion tax cut for wealthy Americans and corporations is the best way to move this country forward," WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
If -- as de Blasio put it -- New Yorkers renew his employment contract, fixing the city's property tax system will be one of his most difficult tasks. It's up there with homelessness.
"If they choose me, we're going to get to work on this on a very big and focused manner," he said.
As CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported, Republican challenger Nicole Malliotakis has been endorsed by former Governor George Pataki.
"Today is the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage. In New York we have never had a woman mayor, hopefully after tomorrow we will. It will be Nicole," he said.
Malliotakis pointed out that she and Pataki share the same political hero, Teddy Roosevelt.
"We try to carry out the moral compass of Teddy Roosevelt, someone who stood up to his own party," she said, "Stood up against Tammany Hall as well."
Malliotakis made stops at a bakery and diner in Queens, two public schools, Federal Hall and a celebration of the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in New York.
Independent Bo Dietl held up a picture of the mayor with Arab activist Linda Sarsour and tried to win the Jewish vote by pointing out that his daughter and grandson are Jewish.
The mayor said readjusting property taxes will require city and state legislation and could take as long as two years to solve.
He also offered another caveat. He's not going to do anything to reduce the income New York City gets from the tax, so it could mean re-arranging who pays and how much.
