Democratic candidates are pushing back on plans to have another online debate, saying New Yorkers “deserve and need to see the candidates debate in person.”
Baseball fans are back at Yankee Stadium. Workers are returning to offices in Manhattan. Vaccinated New Yorkers are abandoning their masks as summer weather arrives in the city.
But the second major Democratic debate for mayor will be virtual again.
The first major debate, on May 13, was virtual, a format that some candidates and viewers found too restrictive. Now six of the Democratic candidates in the New York City mayor’s race are pushing back, sending a letter to the city’s Campaign Finance Board on Wednesday to demand that their next debate be held in person.
It was signed by several front-runners, including Andrew Yang, the former presidential hopeful, and Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“New Yorkers face one of the most consequential elections in history, and they deserve and need to see the candidates debate in person,” the letter said.
The first major Republican debate, scheduled for next Wednesday, will be virtual; so will the second Democratic debate on June 2, which is being hosted by the local ABC station in New York.
The board said the Democratic debate could not be held in person because of health protocols at ABC’s studio. One challenge, it said, is that there are at least eight Democrats who qualified for the debate and it would be difficult to space them apart.
In the letter, the candidates said they care about safety as the city recovers from the pandemic, and there was a way to hold the debate safely in person, including social distancing, no studio audience and having the candidates get tested for Covid-19 within 48 hours before the debate.
A spokeswoman for the station, Elita Adjei, said it was looking for a way to accommodate the candidates’ request and would “review our options and report back.”
“The team here is working diligently to determine what’s possible for our station to ensure the safety of our employees and anyone entering the studio, which is always our number one priority,” she said.
The letter from the candidates was also signed by Scott Stringer, the city comptroller; Kathryn Garcia, the city’s former sanitation commissioner; Raymond J. McGuire, a former Wall Street executive; and Shaun Donovan, the former federal housing secretary.
Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, and Dianne Morales, a former nonprofit executive, did not sign the letter, though both of their campaigns expressed support for the idea of holding the debate in person. A spokesman for Mr. Adams, who is leading in the polls along with Mr. Yang, said Mr. Adams would prefer to debate in person, but supports whatever decision the Campaign Finance Board makes.
In the Republican race, the candidates were also frustrated. Fernando Mateo, a restaurant operator and advocate for livery drivers, said virtual debates were inferior.
“There’s nothing like being in the ring with your opponent,” he said.
Curtis Sliwa, a founder of the Guardian Angels group that patrols the subway to monitor crime, suggested holding the first Republican debate on the roof of Chelsea Market above NY1’s television studios.
“The fear, fright and hysteria over Covid-19 must end,” he said. “This may be the only issue that I and my Democratic opponents agree on.”
During the first major Democratic debate, the eight candidates appeared in a grid of boxes that were reminiscent of “The Brady Bunch.” They were able to joust a bit while seated in front of their computers, though one of the hosts threatened to mute them for speaking out of turn.
Most of the candidates are fully vaccinated, and they want to dive into the issues — and attack their rivals — in person after a long winter of Zoom forums when coronavirus cases were raging. Mr. Yang and Ms. Wiley in particular appear eager to use their experience appearing on cable news to try to outshine their opponents.
On Wednesday, New York lifted many capacity restrictions on businesses, and vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks, indoors or outdoors, in most circumstances.
Some have called for the debates to be held outdoors as a compromise, though that could present logistical challenges for the hosts if, for instance, it rained. The website Gothamist solicited ideas for locations on Twitter. New Yorkers had plenty: the plaza at Lincoln Center, Delacorte Theater in Central Park where Shakespeare in the Park is held; the Open Streets corridor on 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens; and Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat in his second term, said he liked the idea of an outdoor debate and called it a “clever solution.”
“I have the fondest memories as a proud Italian-American of being in the piazza in my grandfather’s hometown and many other places I’ve been in Italy and where there’s a real public square and people gather,” the mayor said on Wednesday.
For now, the Campaign Finance Board said its top priority was keeping the candidates and organizers safe and healthy ahead of the June 22 primary.
“A debate stage must accommodate all of the qualifying candidates (eight, so far) while adhering to safety guidelines,” Matt Sollars, a spokesman for the board, said in a statement. “The C.F.B. will do everything we can to support our partners in producing safe, engaging debates.”
At least one group is planning to hold a candidates’ forum in person, on June 7: the 92nd Street Y. Safety precautions will be in place, including requiring attendees to wear face masks and get a temperature check.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
