EVERY local candidate that Mayor Bloomberg has endorsed in the upcoming election is running away from his call to raise property taxes six months earlier than scheduled.
“I have enormous respect for Mayor Bloomberg‘s fiscal acumen and was proud to work with him to bring the city out of the 2001 downturn, but without much more information, I can’t support raising taxes in the city at this time,” said City Councilman Mike McMahon.
Bloomberg is supporting McMahon, a Democrat heavily favored over Republican Bob Straniere for the Staten Island congressional seat now held by Vito Fossella.
Straniere has been hammering McMahon for voting to raise property taxes by 18.5 percent in 2002.
“He has obviously gotten permission to vote no [this time] because he’s running for Congress,” charged Straniere.
GOP state Sen. Serphin Maltese is slamming his challenger in a tight Queens race, Democratic City Councilman Joseph Addabbo, for also lining up with the mayor on the property-tax hike six years ago.
“That tax increase is still costing the taxpayers of New York City,” Maltese declared in a mailing.
That’s awfully awkward for Bloomberg, who has repeatedly praised the “courage” of the 41 council members who approved higher taxes in 2002 to stave off financial calamity after 9/11.
“We obviously do not agree with Senator Maltese on this one,” said Stu Loeser, the mayor’s spokesman, a gentle swipe at Bloomberg’s own candidate in a race critical to GOP control of the state Senate.
Another Republican Queens legislator who has the mayor’s backing, state Sen. Frank Padavan, puts himself squarely in the no-tax column as he tries to fend off Democratic Councilman Jim Gennaro.
“No, I’m not pleased with it,” Padavan said of the mayor’s proposal to hike the property tax by 7 percent as of Jan. 1 instead of July 1.
Not surprising, Gennaro and Addabbo said they could be counted as “no” votes when the mayor asks for the hike, undoubtedly after the Nov. 4 election.