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    Mayoral Candidates Share New York Moments

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }N.Y.C. Mayoral RaceWho’s Running?11 Candidates’ N.Y.C. MomentsA Look at the Race5 Takeaways From the DebateAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyNew York TodayMayoral Candidates Share New York MomentsFeb. 5, 2021, 5:15 a.m. ET [Want to get New York Today by email? Here’s the sign-up.]It’s Friday. [embedded content]Weather: Mix of rain and snow in the morning; cloudy later, with a high in the low 40s. Saturday: Sunny, high around 40. Sunday: Occasional snow, high in the mid-30s.Alternate-side parking: Suspended today and tomorrow for snow removal. What’s the best way to show that you’re a New Yorker? Perhaps it’s your bagel order. Or your accent. Or your determination to avoid to Times Square.The more than 30 candidates who have thrown their hat in the ring to become the city’s next mayor will inevitably face questions about their New Yorkiness.“The candidates are starting to go after each other a bit more and distinguish themselves over policy proposals and personal narratives,” said my colleague Emma Fitzsimmons, the City Hall bureau chief.[The race to become New York City’s next mayor may be one of the most consequential political contests in a generation. Here are some of the leading candidates.]“I think there are five front-runners among Democrats at this point: Eric Adams, Ray McGuire, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley and Andrew Yang,” Ms. Fitzsimmons said, naming them in alphabetical order.My colleague Corey Kilgannon recently talked with these front-runners and several other candidates about their New York pedigrees, specifically asking them about their favorite city moments. Here are a few of their responses, accompanied by illustrations from our Metropolitan Diary artist, Agnes Lee.You can also read all 11 responses here.Kathryn Garcia, former sanitation commissionerMs. Garcia was 14 when she and her friends decided to dress up and take the subway from Brooklyn into Manhattan to try getting into Studio 54.“Going into Manhattan was considered cool, and I loved to dance,” she said. She wore “candy red high heels” and stood outside the club, which, in 1984, was past its heyday but still highly selective.Shaun Donovan, former federal housing secretary“When you’re hugging people you never met before, you know something great has happened,” said Mr. Donovan, remembering how he cheered from a grandstand seat at Yankee Stadium the day Reggie Jackson hit three home runs to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 World Series.Carlos Menchaca, city councilman from BrooklynThree years after moving to New York from Texas, Mr. Menchaca was riding the F train to his Brooklyn apartment after having some beers with friends. He fell asleep and missed his stop. A subway worker woke him at the end of the line in Coney Island.Taking the train back, he fell asleep and missed his stop again. He got home at dawn.From The TimesLev Parnas, Giuliani Associate, Faces New Fraud AccusationsDid the Proud Boys Help Coordinate the Capitol Riot? Yes, U.S. Suggests3 Male Guards Charged in Attacks at Notorious Women’s PrisonThe Misogynistic ‘Dating Coach’ Who Was Charged in the Capitol RiotRoss Graham Dies at 93; Tenacious Fighter for New York CityWant more news? Check out our full coverage.The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.What we’re readingNew York restaurant industry leaders want Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to lift the 10 p.m. dining curfew before Super Bowl weekend. [New York Post]An anonymous note sent to some Long Island residents said, “Take your Christmas lights down! Its Valentines Day!!!!!!” — but one recipient had been busy with funeral arrangements. [NBC New York]What happened to Ample Hills Creamery, Brooklyn’s beloved ice cream company? [Marker]And finally: Your virtual social weekend The Times’s Melissa Guerrero writes:Although many performance spaces, museums and community centers are closed, people are finding creative ways to connect through virtual events and programs. Here are suggestions for maintaining a New York social life this weekend while keeping a safe distance from other people.John Lewis: A Pioneer for JusticeOn Friday at 7 p.m., listen to the actor Alton Fitzgerald White recite one of John Lewis’s speeches as part of Flushing Town Hall’s Black History Trilogy series. A discussion and Q. and A. will follow.R.S.V.P. for the free livestream on the event page.Corky Lee memorialJoin the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club on Friday at 7 p.m. to honor the life of the celebrated photographer Corky Lee.Register for the free livestream on the event page.‘Brown Baby’ book talkOn Saturday at noon, the authors Mira Jacob and Nikesh Shukla will discuss Mr. Shukla’s new memoir “Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family and Home.”R.S.V.P. for the free event on Zoom or watch the livestream on YouTube.It’s Friday — embrace it.Metropolitan Diary: Sketching Dear Diary:I was prone to forgetting at least one important thing — wallet, phone, keys — when I went out, but I always remembered to bring along a notebook and pen.On days when my headphones were what I had left behind, I shortened my long commute to my job as a nanny on the Upper West Side by sneakily sketching my fellow train passengers.Those who were asleep were ideal subjects; those who were awake would inevitably ruin the pose as soon as they become aware of what I was doing.Once, a few years ago, I was on the D train a when I noticed a young man who was sketching an older woman across from him as she snored.Having a clear view of his profile, I took out my supplies and started to draw the artist as he drew. I felt strangely guilty, as if I were violating his invisibility as a fellow train sketcher. Still, I couldn’t resist.With the train pulling into 34th Street, I scrambled to finish sketching his hair while he gathered his things before getting off. As he stepped out onto the platform, I tapped his shoulder and handed him the sketch.There was just enough time to watch him process what he was looking at: the frown from being touched by a stranger to the embarrassed laugh as he saw his face on the page.Then the doors closed, and we pulled away.— Lila EliasNew York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. Sign up here to get it by email. You can also find it at nytoday.com.What would you like to see more (or less) of? Email us: nytoday@nytimes.com.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    11 Mayoral Candidates Share Their Favorite New York Moments

    What’s your favorite pizza joint? How do you like your bagel? Do you ride the subway? Shop at bodegas? Mets or Yankees?

    Mayoral campaigns inevitably involve candidates facing questions about their New York pedigree.

    In that vein, we asked 11 mayoral candidates to describe a quintessential moment that shows they are New Yorkers rooted in the city they seek to lead. More

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    Who Wants to Be Mayor of New York City?

    Eric Adams

    , 60

    Dem

    Brooklyn borough president; former New York City police officer

    Mr. Adams is running as a blue-collar New Yorker with deep ties to the city and experience in government. As a police officer, he was an advocate for reform from within the force, and he is a sharp critic of police brutality but does not embrace the “defund the police” movement. He has proposed that schools be open year-round. His outspoken manner sometimes gets him into trouble, as it did last year when he told gentrifiers to “go back to Iowa.”

    Maya Wiley

    , 57

    Dem

    Former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio; former chairwoman of the Civilian Complaint Review Board; former MSNBC analyst

    Ms. Wiley says it is time for the city to elect its first mayor who is a Black woman. An expert on criminal justice issues and a favorite among progressives from her appearances on MSNBC, she wants to reform the Police Department and focus on inequality. She proposed a “New Deal” for New York that would create 100,000 jobs. Her work in the de Blasio administration may counter her image as an outsider.

    Andrew Yang

    , 46

    Dem

    Former presidential candidate; former nonprofit executive

    Mr. Yang has distinguished his campaign with bold, if unorthodox, ideas. He wants to give 500,000 low-income New Yorkers $2,000 per year — a version of his universal basic income proposal from the 2020 presidential race — and he has proposed building a casino on Governors Island. He has strong name recognition, but has faced scrutiny over moving his family out of the city during the pandemic and the workplace culture at his presidential campaign and businesses.

    Scott M. Stringer

    , 60

    Dem

    City comptroller; former Manhattan borough president

    Mr. Stringer has worked in government for years and has suggested that his brand of being a capable, experienced manager is what New York needs. He is a public school parent, focusing his campaign on affordable housing and early childhood education. He has secured endorsements from a diverse set of progressive leaders and is the only candidate who has won citywide office before, but he is also a white man at a time when many Black, Latino and female candidates have been elected in the New York area.

    Raymond J. McGuire

    , 64

    Dem

    Former vice chairman at Citigroup

    Mr. McGuire was recruited to run by members of the city’s business community who feel they have not had a voice at City Hall since Michael R. Bloomberg was mayor from 2002 to 2013; they want someone with a financial background to guide the city’s fiscal recovery. His first major proposal during his campaign was to create 500,000 good-paying jobs, but progressive voters may be wary of any candidate linked to Wall Street.

    Shaun Donovan

    , 55

    Dem

    Former federal housing secretary; former White House budget director

    Mr. Donovan is a veteran of the Obama administration and the Bloomberg administration in New York City, and he has made his ties to the federal government a centerpiece of his campaign. He has released several policy proposals, including one to create “15-minute neighborhoods” to make sure every New Yorker has access to a good school, fresh food, transit and a park within 15 minutes of home.

    Carlos Menchaca

    , 40

    Dem

    City Council member in Brooklyn

    Mr. Menchaca is a progressive councilman who helped defeat a rezoning proposal to expand the Industry City complex in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He supports the “defund the police” movement, is an avid cyclist and has helped create the municipal identification cards known as IDNYC.

    Dianne Morales

    , 53

    Dem

    Former nonprofit executive

    Ms. Morales has focused her campaign on improving life for poor and working-class New Yorkers. She has called for providing many of those residents with a guaranteed minimum income; cutting half of the $6 billion annual police budget to fund social services; and desegregating public schools.

    Kathryn Garcia

    , 50

    Dem

    Former city sanitation commissioner

    Ms. Garcia is running as an experienced manager who can lead the city during a crisis. She oversaw the city’s huge trash operation and is respected among many in city government. As part of the de Blasio administration, she helped distribute millions of meals to hungry New Yorkers during the pandemic.

    Loree Sutton

    , 61

    Dem

    Retired Army brigadier general; former head of the city’s Department of Veterans’ Services

    Ms. Sutton is a centrist who has not run for office before. She says her leadership experience makes her the best person to help the city recover from the pandemic. She helped reduce homelessness among veterans and wants to address the city’s broader homelessness crisis.

    Paperboy Prince

    , 28

    Dem

    Former candidate for Congress; rapper

    Paperboy Prince, from Brooklyn, is running on a platform of creating a universal basic income, abolishing the police and canceling rent — a campaign to forgive unpaid rent for those who cannot afford it. Last year, the rapper ran to be the first nonbinary member of Congress, but lost to Representative Nydia Velazquez.

    Sara Tirschwell

    , 55

    Rep

    Former Wall Street executive

    She rose to high positions at financial firms like TCW, the giant asset-management company, and filed a prominent sexual harassment complaint against her boss. Ms. Tirschwell is running as a moderate and believes Democrats have moved too far to the left. She wants to reduce burdensome regulations and increase funding for the City University of New York.

    Barbara Kavovit

    , 55

    Dem

    Founder of a construction firm

    Ms. Kavovit is best known for her appearances on the television show “The Real Housewives of New York City.” She is more conservative than some Democrats in the race; she does not want to cut the police budget and has said that Michael R. Bloomberg was her favorite mayor.

    Fernando Mateo

    , 63

    Rep

    Restaurant operator; former leader of a trade group for cabdrivers

    Mr. Mateo has led groups representing livery drivers and bodega workers, and runs a restaurant in the Bronx. He was born in the Dominican Republic and has ties to the city’s Latino community. He has been involved in politics for years and was linked to a scandal over Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fund-raising, but was never charged.

    Isaac Wright Jr.

    , 59

    Dem

    Lawyer

    Mr. Wright was wrongfully convicted on drug charges in 1991. The ABC television show “For Life” is based on his story, and he is a producer on the show, along with the rapper 50 Cent. He is calling for city control of the subway and desegregating public schools.

    Art Chang

    , 57

    Dem

    Former managing director at JPMorgan Chase

    He ran a voter outreach program and wants to create universal daycare for all children from age 1, to serve “a city of people who primarily live on the edge.”

    Joycelyn Taylor

    , 54

    Dem

    Chief executive of a general contracting firm

    She is running as a working-class New Yorker who grew up in public housing. She wants to cancel rent for New Yorkers who cannot afford it and convert vacant office buildings into housing for the homeless.

    Aaron Foldenauer

    , 45

    Dem

    Lawyer

    He previously ran for City Council in Lower Manhattan and has several ideas to improve the environment, including a “Bicycle Superhighway” that would run down Third Avenue in Manhattan.

    William Pepitone

    , 53

    Rep

    Former New York City police officer

    He wants to combat “anarchy” in the city by returning to the “broken windows” policing strategy that was first widely used in the 1990s, to target minor violations in an effort to prevent serious crimes. He is a nephew of Joe Pepitone, the colorful ex-New York Yankee.

    Christopher Krietchman

    , 40

    Ind

    Health and wellness leader

    A “futurist” and former bodybuilder, he once ran a meal delivery program. He wants to improve the city by combating greed and “white male privilege,” and allowing New Yorkers to “rent to own” a home.

    Quanda Francis

    , 40

    Dem

    Former New York City crime analyst

    She was a crime analyst for the New York Police Department who has talked about the struggles she faced when she dropped out of high school. She wants to focus on maternal health for women of color after she almost died in childbirth.

    Edward Cullen

    , 34

    Dem

    Entrepreneur

    A founder of the Harlem Tech Summit, he issued a 110-day plan to help the city rebound from the pandemic, with a focus on public-private partnerships. More

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    Yang’s Rivals in the Mayoral Race Co-opt His Signature Idea

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }N.Y.C. Mayoral RaceA Look at the RaceAndrew Yang’s Candidacy5 TakeawaysWho’s Running?AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyYang’s Rivals in the Mayoral Race Co-opt His Signature IdeaAndrew Yang favors a modified version of universal basic income that would provide payments of about $2,000 to a half million of the poorest New Yorkers. Andrew Yang officially announced his bid for mayor of New York City on Wednesday.Credit…James Estrin/The New York TimesJan. 14, 2021Updated 9:50 p.m. ETUniversal basic income was Andrew Yang’s signature issue in his 2020 presidential run, and it will be a centerpiece of his New York City mayoral campaign, which he officially began Wednesday night with a launch video.But during the months Mr. Yang spent contemplating a run for mayor, his competitors preemptively made his issue their own.Carlos Menchaca, a progressive city councilman, is planning to introduce legislation that would create a targeted universal basic income program in New York City. Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s more centrist borough president, wants to explore universal basic income, too. So does Dianne Morales, a former nonprofit executive running to the far left.In a race of more than a dozen Democratic candidates, with many trying to out-progressive one another, pushing for a guaranteed income program could be viewed as a form of virtue signaling to the left.But it also shows how an issue that was Mr. Yang’s signature talking point on the 2020 campaign trail has gained enough acceptance to be co-opted by other candidates — a development that threatens to undermine Mr. Yang’s central argument for running.The candidates’ embrace of guaranteed income doesn’t mean that a broad-based program is a particularly viable idea for New York City, given the battering its economy has taken in the pandemic, its yawning budgetary needs and the amount of money needed to guarantee income to the city’s adult population of roughly 6.6 million.Mr. Yang acknowledged as much in his campaign rollout. His proposal for the “largest basic income program in the country” is by no means universal. He would target annual cash payments of about $2,000 to a half million of the poorest New Yorkers, in a city of 8.4 million.Mr. Yang said his proposal would cost the city $1 billion a year — a daunting sum given that the city faces budget deficits in the billions of dollars in coming years. He says further expansion of the program would be dependent upon “more funding from public and philanthropic organizations, with the vision of eventually ending poverty in New York City altogether.”His plan for the country was more far-reaching: He had envisioned giving every American citizen over 18 years of age $1,000 a month in guaranteed federal income, or $12,000 a year, a no-strings-attached dispensation he said was made necessary by the increasingly widespread automation of jobs.“I’m identified with universal basic income for a reason,” he said in a recent interview. “I think it’s the most direct and effective thing we could do to improve the lives of tens of millions of Americans who are struggling right now, and anything I do in public life will be advancing the goal of eradicating poverty in our society.”In the interview, Mr. Yang swatted away the notion that his future opponents were trying to steal his signature issue from him. He adopted a more-the-merrier posture.“Frankly, any mayoral candidate who is not making it part of their platform is missing the boat,” Mr. Yang said.Critics argue that a guaranteed income could discourage people from working. Still, the fact that several of the candidates vying to run the economic and cultural capital of the United States are exploring the notion of a guaranteed income does suggest that the concept has gained some momentum.There are now guaranteed income demonstration projects underway in Jackson, Miss.; Santa Clara County, Calif.; and St. Paul, Minn. The terms “universal basic income” and “guaranteed income” are sometimes used interchangeably, but they differ. Many pilot programs are not universal but, like Mr. Yang’s proposal, instead would supply income only to the poorest members of society. Unlike many existing social assistance programs, they would not dictate how recipients spend the money.Natalie Foster, a co-chair of the Economic Security Project, which advocates a guaranteed income, said she has had conversations with more than one New York City mayoral candidate on the topic.“It’s exciting to see it being an issue in the race and not surprising at all, given the momentum across the country,” Ms. Foster said.As a presidential candidate, Mr. Yang advocated giving people a guaranteed basic income of $1,000 a month.Credit…Pete Marovich for The New York TimesThe other candidates touting universal basic income in the mayoral race are largely doing so in less specific terms.Mr. Menchaca said he hopes to include a pilot program in this year’s budget that targets cash grants to low-income New Yorkers. The details of that program have yet to be hammered out.In a recent radio interview, Ms. Morales called for a “universal basic income for people who need it,” and like Mr. Menchaca, suggested the question of how to fund it was something of a red herring, one that often gets asked “when we start talking about prioritizing the needs of the neediest New Yorkers.”She said she would take a look at some of the city’s budgetary “bloating,” including at the New York Police Department, and expressed hope for state aid. In a subsequent email, her spokesman said Ms. Morales thinks a “local basic income” should be funded through a wealth and luxury tax on the “superrich that phases out and does not sacrifice the safety net.”At a recent mayoral forum, Mr. Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, said universal basic income could be an important tool “to get people over this very difficult time, particularly low-income New Yorkers.”Asked for specifics, a spokesman declined to provide further details.Other candidates, including Scott M. Stringer, the city’s comptroller, and Kathryn Garcia, its former sanitation commissioner, said they would prefer to see some version of the idea implemented at the federal level instead.Mr. Yang quit the presidential race in February after failing to gain ground in the New Hampshire primary, but he succeeded in making himself a political celebrity — and casting a klieg light on universal basic income. In various forms, the concept has been implemented in small pilot programs around the country, one of which his nonprofit organization, Humanity Forward, is helping to fund in the Columbia County city of Hudson, N.Y.The general idea of a guaranteed income goes back centuries. Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent, and early, proponent of the idea in the 20th century, and his son, Martin Luther King III, has continued pushing for it in his father’s stead.“It’s really immoral for us to have people living on the streets in the United States,” said Mr. King, the co-chair of Mr. Yang’s campaign.A new group, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, is pushing for a federal guaranteed income and counts more than two dozen mayors as members, including Ras Baraka of Newark, N.J., Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles and Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta.By Ms. Foster’s count, there are more than 10 pieces of legislation in Congress that would guarantee an income for families until the current economic crisis is over.“And that is political warp speed,” she said.One of the most prominent universal basic income pilots in the United States — the first program spearheaded by a mayor — is now wrapping up in Stockton, Calif. Since February 2019, the privately funded program has given 125 Stockton residents $500 a month. Recipients like Tomas Vargas Jr. will receive their last payments on Jan. 15.Before he joined the program, Mr. Vargas was working as a U.P.S. supervisor. The monthly checks gave him enough financial security and confidence to start looking for a better job. Now he works as a case manager at a Stockton nonprofit. Instead of living paycheck to paycheck and constantly looking for additional ways to make ends meet, he has time to read stories to his young children at bedtime.The no-strings-attached approach is “the beauty” of the program, he said. “It treats you like a human.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More