Primary voters Tuesday will choose candidates for one of the most momentous elections in this city’s history. As they do, we urge them to concentrate on two men who stand out for the harm their victories would mean for New York: Bill de Blasio and Eliot Spitzer.
Both men are Democrats campaigning on the promise to make war on the city’s sources of jobs and revenues. Of the two candidates, de Blasio is the more appealing. This is partly because he has an attractive family, including a charismatic son who has become the star of his father’s ads.
Make no mistake, however: Behind the smiling face is a self-defeating ideology. For example, de Blasio insists the answer to poor school performance is more spending — even though New York spends nearly $20,000 per student, among the highest in the nation. The great irony of de Blasio’s spending promises is that they require a city of more super-wealthy to pay for it all.
Then there’s Eliot Spitzer. If Spitzer were serious about fighting power, he’d promise to audit agencies from the Department of Buildings to the Economic Development Corp. to ensure dollars were going to improve the city’s qualify of life. Instead, he promises to “reinvent” the comptroller’s office — no doubt in a way that will allow him to pursue the personal vendettas and war on business he began as attorney general.
There are no races more critical this Tuesday than the Democratic primary contests for mayor and comptroller. We urge New Yorkers to come out and use their good sense to vote for a better future by rejecting two men — de Blasio and Spitzer — who will only take this city backward.