N E W S NOVEMBER 10 L E H A V R E de Blasio de-feats Lhota Will be city’s fi rst Democratic mayor in two decades BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA Bill de Blasio, in a landslide victory, has been elected as the city’s fi rst Democratic mayor in two decades. With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, de Blasio won the November 5 race with 73 percent of the vote, according to unoffi cial results. His Republican opponent, Joe Lhota, had 24 percent. “Today, you spoke out loudly and clearly for a new direction for our city, united by a belief that our city should leave no New Yorker behind,” de Blasio said in his victory speech. “Tackling inequality isn’t easy; it never has been and it never will be. The challenges we face have been decades in the making, and the problems we set out to address will not be solved overnight,” he added. “But make no mistake: the people of this city have chosen a progressive path, and tonight we set forth on it, together, as one city.” As far back as late June, polls still showed de Blasio, the city’s public advocate, fi nishing fourth in the Democratic primary. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was the early frontrunner, but when former Congressmember Anthony Weiner entered the Democratic primary in May, her lead shrunk in the polls. Weiner, however, soon faced another sexting scandal, and he lost favorability with voters. In July, de Blasio started to gain in the polls, and took the lead away from Quinn the following month. De Blasio’s surge in the polls coincided with the release of a campaign ad starring his teenage son Dante, whose Afro took center stage. His momentum continued until the primary, where de Blasio beat second-place fi nisher, former City Comptroller Bill Thompson, by a signifi cant lead. 10 LEHAVRE COURIER | NOVEMBER 2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM But, with de Blasio still hovering around the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid an October 1 runoff, Thompson would not concede on primary night. Thompson dropped out of the race six days later, and in late September the Board of Elections certifi ed de Blasio the offi cial Democratic nominee with just over 40 percent. Lhota, the ex-MTA chairman and former deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani, easily secured the Republican nomination with 53 percent of the vote, topping grocery store mogul John Catsimatidis and Doe Fund founder George McDonald. But Lhota’s success within his own party could not be replicated in the general election. “We are fi ve boroughs, but we are one city. We are one people and we want our city to move forward, not backwards. And I do hope our mayor-elect understands this before it’s too late,” said Lhota, conceding the race. “It was a good fi ght and it was a fi ght worth having,” he added. With a heavy Democratic electorate in the city, early on polls showed de Blasio beating Lhota by a wide margin. The heated battle between the two and their different visions for the city were evident throughout the general election campaign and the three debates between the candidates, where they clashed on a range of issues, including taxes, education and crime. Though Lhota promised a safer city under his watch, suggesting crime would go up under a de Blasio administration, voters ultimately favored de Blasio’s progressive message and saw him as a break from the Bloomberg years. -With additional reporting by Meaghan McGoldrick James, Stringer slide into offi ce BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA The city has elected its new public advocate and comptroller— Letitia James and Scott Stringer. James’ win makes New York City history. As the next public advocate, she is the fi rst woman of color to hold citywide offi ce. “Yes, this is indeed historic because our government must be representative of all New Yorkers,” James said in her victory speech. “Although history is important and I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together, what I’m really proud of is of the fact that we ran a campaign centered on progressive ideals and a commitment to New York’s working families,” she added. James, who faced no Republican in the November 5 general election, won with 84 percent of the vote, with 99 percent of the precincts reporting, according to unoffi cial results. Tuesday’s election was the third time voters could cast their ballots for James in the public advocate race. James placed fi rst in the September Democratic primary with 36 percent of the vote, but it wasn’t enough to reach the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff. In the October 1 runoff, James, who represents percent of the precincts reporting, according to unoffi cial City Council District 35, faced off against fellow results. Brooklyn politician State Senator Daniel Squadron. “I want everyone in this city to know that I will be a She won with 59.4 percent of the vote. comptroller who serves our city with honesty and integrity. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer did A comptroller who listens to the voices of New Yorkers in have a Republican opponent in the comptroller all fi ve boroughs so that we can work together in shaping the race, John Burnett, a former Wall Street executive, future of this great city,” Stringer said in his victory speech. but easily won with 81 percent of the vote, with 99 Like James, his biggest challenge came in the primary. Stringer was looking at a guaranteed Democratic nomination until former governor Eliot Spitzer decided to enter the race in July. Though Spitzer had the stigma of a prostitution scandal that forced him to resign as governor in 2008, initial polls showed him ahead. But in the days before the election, they rightfully predicted a close race. Stringer defeated Spitzer with 52.1 percent of the vote. Photo by Lauren Epifanio Bill de Blasio is the first Democrat to be chosen as the city’s mayor since David Dinkins’ 1989 election. File photos Councilmember Letitia James has been elected as the city’s public advocate and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has won the comptroller’s race.
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