Countdown to the Election
Republican Michael Bloomberg and Democrat Mark Green clashed sharply over the personal and the political in their final mayoral debate last night, with each questioning the other's ability to lead a city in crisis. "My opponent has not had any experience in managing a large organization, in leading a large number of people, in setting a large budget, in actually doing things," the media-mogul GOP hopeful said. Green repeatedly bashed his billionaire opponent as "out of touch" with the concerns of everyday New Yorkers. The televised confrontation marked the last time voters could compare the City Hall suitors side-by-side before Tuesday's election. Bloomberg said Green, the two-term public advocate, has made a career out of identifying problems, while he himself is focused on solving them. He charged that Green's ombudsman's agency is overwhelmingly white at the top. Green, who testily disputed Bloomberg's account of the racial composition of his office, contrasted his rival's former membership in all-white clubs with his own one-time editorship of a civil-rights law review at Harvard. One of the few attempts at levity came when Green criticized Bloomberg for switching from Democrat to Republican to run for mayor. Reciting the title of his opponent's autobiography, "Bloomberg by Bloomberg," Green paused and said jokingly, "And they call me arrogant." Bloomberg responded tartly: "I think a lot of people would agree with your characterization of yourself." The candidates sparred over raises for police officers and firefighters, bilingual classes for new immigrants and how best to reconstitute the rubble-strewn downtown financial district: Bloomberg said public schools should put learning English at the top of educational goals for new immigrants. "The most important thing for a child is to speak and read English," he said. Green favored the current practice of immersion, in which children receive instruction in their native tongues while learning English. The Democrat touted the importance of computers in classrooms, saying all children should know how to use the Internet by sixth grade. Bloomberg, whose business is information technology, countered that the value of early computer literacy is overstated, and teaching the basics is the way to go. Rebuilding lower Manhattan since the terrorist bombing was also a point of sharp disagreement. Bloomberg said the "city should be responsible for its own destiny" and not give up decision-making to a new public authority favored by Green. As financial businesses may flee, Bloomberg also said, the city should concentrate on cultivating new industries in the financial district, such as fashion and biotechnology. Green contended, however, that the Wall Street area can remain a financial hub, adding, "It's going to be hard to get new industries down there." He ridiculed the notion that the city can go it alone, without state assistance. When asked about any plans for pay raises for police and firefighters, Bloomberg said he thinks the city's ability is going to be severely limited. "It is true that particularly police and firefighters have phenomenally dangerous jobs, and we have to get them more money, and we don't have it," said Bloomberg. Green, who has the backing of the police and fire unions, said, "Of course they'll get a raise." The candidates differed as well on how the city's looming budget deficit would affect one of Green's main platforms, reducing class sizes. "We don't have the classrooms and we don't have the money," said Bloomberg. Green said class sizes could be trimmed but probably not immediately. Likewise, Green came out for building a cross-harbor freight tunnel to help reduce traffic and cut business delivery costs, while Bloomberg said the idea is "80 years old," too expensive for these times, and would require too much security in a new era. Staff writer Jessica Kowal contributed to this story. |