NYC Public Advocate Debate: 5 Big Takeaways

NEW YORK — The seven top contenders for public advocate squared off in their second televised debate Wednesday night, less than a week ahead of a little-known special election for a job with little power beyond the bully pulpit.

The debate lineup comprised just a fraction of the giant field of candidates for the city's No. 2 elected office. It included state Assemblyman Michael Blake, Assemblyman Ron Kim, City Councilman Rafael Espinal, Councilman Jumaane Williams, former Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, the activist and journalist Nomiki Konst, and former Obama administration staffer Dawn Smalls.

They're among more than a dozen candidates vying to fill state Attorney General Letitia James's former job in the Feb. 26 nonpartisan election.

While the public advocate is first in line to succeed the mayor, the post comes with little authority under the City Charter. The person who holds it can introduce legislation to the City Council, hold public hearings and conduct inquiries into city agencies. But the gig has also proven a stepping stone to higher offices.

The seven debaters qualified to appear at Borough of Manhattan Community College based on their campaign fundraising, spending and endorsements. The face-off featured some rhetorical jabs and granular disagreements, but also plenty of common ground among the so-called "leading candidates."

Here are five big takeaways from the debate to consider before casting your ballot.

Councilman In The Crosshairs

The candidates onstage largely had their bullseyes on Williams, suggesting he is the frontrunner in the race. The Brooklyn Democrat was the most frequent target during a round in which the debaters were allowed to grill one opponent.

He took pointed questions from Mark-Viverito, Konst and Smalls about accusations of sexual harassment against his allies; donations he's allegedly taken from the real estate industry; and his purported status as an "outsider" candidate.

Williams defended his history of activism and tenant organizing and noted that he won New York City in his unsuccessful statewide primary challenge last year to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.

"I have the figurative and literal scars of putting my body on the line and raising issues that nobody else would," he said. "When people told me I couldn't get it done, we got it done."

As for the harssment allegations, Williams said he has addressed them whenever he had "some kind of executive control."

Supporting Small Businesses, Not Amazon

All the debaters except Smalls had criticized the deal to bring Amazon to Long Island City, which the online retail colossus abruptly abandoned last week. Much of the opponents' ire was focused on the nearly $3 billion in tax breaks and grants offered to the company for its plan to create at least 25,000 jobs.

With the deal dead, the candidates were asked how else New York should attract jobs and revenue. After an extended discussion and some sniping, there was something of a consensus: The government should support small businesses instead of giant corporations.

"They are the backbone of our neighborhoods, they are the backbone of our communities and they are the main job creators," Mark-Viverito said.

Kim also took the opportunity to tout his new proposal for an interstate compact that would bar New York from using tailor-made subsidies to lure big companies.

Voting Rights For Immigrants

Offering driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants is a priority for Democratic lawmakers and immigrant-rights activists. But six of the debating candidates wanted to go further by giving them voting rights.

The City Council has reportedly considered allowing both documented and undocumented immigrants to cast ballots. But Mark-Viverito said advocates asked the Council to consider stopping a push to expand voting rights after President Donald Trump took office when she was the chamber's leader.

Smalls did not take a position on the voting rights issue, saying she had to examine it before doing so.

Housing Over Homeless Shelters

Several candidates used a question about supporting or fighting homeless shelters to slam landlords and the real estate industry. But there was general agreement that shelters should be equitably sprinkled throughout the city, not concentrated in certain communities.

"I agree that every community has an obligation to host homeless shelters, and that the goal of housing homeless is to make sure that people can stay within their communities," Smalls said.

Many candidates said the city must do more to prevent tenants from becoming homeless in the first place — including the addition of more affordable housing.

"I don't believe that building more homeless shelters is going to solve the situation," Espinal said.

Not Sold On De Blasio For President

Like many other New Yorkers, the candidates weren't enthusiastic about the idea of Mayor Bill de Blasio running for president.

Most of them agreed that the second-term Democrat had only two real qualifications for the job: He's a U.S. citizen who's older than 35. Some argued de Blasio hasn't done enough to tackle pressing local issues — such as the city's segregated schools, crumbling public housing and ailing public transit — to justify higher ambitions.

"If it's not his pet project, then he's not focused on it, and that's a disservice to the city of New York," Mark-Viverito said.

Smalls was a bit kinder, saying the mayor was "more than welcome" to join the already crowded presidential field but that he "would not be my candidate for president."