The race for the office of Mayor of New York City, in the wake of the Trump presidency and the ongoing pandemic, is a litmus test for both the will for meaningful progress and the resiliency of old ideas. New York is a traditionally blue state, and its namesake city is the largest in the United States, with a population of over eight million people, of which three million of which are of foreign birth (1).

The office of Mayor is an active one politically and with regard to day-to-day administration. The Mayor heads the executive branch of the city government and is responsible for public property and services, including Police and Fire Departments, and enforcement of local and state codes within the bounds of the city (2).

The primaries will be held on June 22nd, followed by an election on November 2nd. For the first time, the primaries will employ a ranked-choice system rather than the traditional plurality vote.

This article is intended to provide a thumbnail guide to the personalities and issues, with quick links to further information, along with some of our opinions.

THE CANDIDATE

It is perhaps a sign of the times that the Democratic ticket lists thirteen candidates, while only two Republicans feature. New York is a solidly blue city, as there have been only seven Republican Mayors since 1900 (3, 4). The primary coordinating sources for the following information are the Wikipedia page for the election as a whole (5) and Rolling Stone's roundup (6).

DEMOCRATS

The Democrats range from a borough-president and ex-senator, experienced serving politicians and lawyers, to a businessman and, low in the stakes, a local rapper. Nine potentials failed to qualify for the ballot, nine more withdrew, and a further nine were declined. The eight leading candidates, those who participated in the primary debates between February and June, are as follows:

Kathryn Garcia. Sourced from: City & State New York.

KATHRYN GARCIA
Endorsements: 14
Platform: Climate resilience, renewable energy, Green New Deal

**Our number one choice for NYC!

Former Commissioner of the NYC Sanitation Department (2014-2020), 51-year-old Kathryn Garcia holds a Bachelor's Degree in economics and history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Garcia spearheaded efforts to rebuild the city's water and sewage systems damaged by Hurricane Sandy, and has championed recycling and efficiency, and a pioneering agenda of zero waste to landfills. From October 2018 Garcia was the senior adviser to the NYC Housing Authority with regard to the lead paint scandal, and during the pandemic, Garcia was named Food Czar, directing the program which delivered up to 140, 000 meals per day to the aged, home-bound, and vulnerable. She has proven that she can make important decisions for the city, take care of the people, and has progressive and fresh ideas that will move us forward.

Maya Wiley. Sourced from: The Riverdale Press.

MAYA WILEY
Endorsements: 38
Platform: “New York New Deal,” universal community care

57-year-old Maya Wiley, daughter of civil rights leader George Wiley, holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Columbia Law School and is a campaigner on progressive issues. She worked with both the NAACP and the ACLU, and served as counsel to NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. Since 2018 she has been a legal analyst for MSNBC. Jejune personally loves Wiley, but feels she might need a little more experience. We will be ranking her #2.

ANDREW YANG
Endorsements: 36
Platform: Universal Basic Income

At 46, Andrew Yang is the youngest of the candidate pool. Of Taiwanese heritage, Yang holds degrees in economics and political science from Brown University and Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. He is an advocate of universal basic income as a means to offset poverty and participated in the Presidential race of 2020. Yang also has a special place in our hearts, but like Maya, we worry about his lack of experience.

Shaun Donovan. Photo Credit: Eli Meir Kaplan.

SHAUN DONOVAN
Endorsements: 12
Platform: “Equity Bonds” to close the racial wealth gap

At 55, Donovan served as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (2004-2009) under Obama, then United States Secretary of Housing and Development from 2009 to 2014 (current during each of Obama's terms) before becoming Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Of Irish-Jewish heritage, Donovan holds six degrees, four from Harvard. Donovan seems like a nice guy, but just isn’t currently getting the traction he needs to win.

Dianne Morales. Photo Credit: Hallie Easey.

DIANNE MORALES
Endorsements: 7
Platform: Guaranteed income, desegregation, funding social services

Dianne Morales, of Puerto Rican heritage, holds degrees from Stony Brook, Harvard, and Columbia Universities. She has long served the NYC Education department and is associated with social programs and neighborhood organizations that combat poverty. Morales has passion and wonderful ideas, but we worry that she will butt heads too much with the NYPD.

Scott Stringer. Sourced from: New York City Comptroller.

SCOTT STRINGER
Endorsements: 28
Platform: Affordable housing and education, economic recovery

A career politician from a political family, 61-year-old Scott Stringer entered politics in 1983 as a legislative assistant to Jerry Nadler. Stringer took over Nadler's seat in the New York State Assembly nine years later, which he occupied until 2005 when he became 26th President of the Borough of Manhattan. Since 2014 he has served as the 44th Comptroller of New York City. Stringer is of Jewish heritage and holds a BA from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. His policies have included promoting food quality and accessibility as a health issue, provision of bike lanes to promote alternative transport, and he stands against fracking. Stringer's campaign suffered due to allegations of sexual misconduct, causing some shuffling and withdrawal of endorsements, and Stringer to lag in polls.

Raymond McGuire. Photo Credit: Earl Gibson III.

RAYMOND MCGUIRE
Endorsements: 22
Platform: Economic revitalization through salary subsidy

64-year-old Raymond McGuire, of Dayton, Ohio, is a Harvard man with a background in finance with First Boston, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup. He has no prior political experience.

Eric Adams. Sourced from: The New York Times.

ERIC ADAMS
Endorsements: 82
Platform: The economy, public safety, anti-crime, Police reform

61-year-old Eric Adams would appear the front runner. Ex-captain of the NYPD, Adams spent the years 2007-2013 as a member of the New York State Senate, and from 2014 to the present time has been the 18th president of the Borough of Brooklyn. He brings a lifetime of experience in both law and politics (he was a Republican until 2001 (6), and has campaigned against both police brutality and racial profiling. However, Eric has a long list of questionable actions over the years, like saying he will bring a firearm into the place of worship, not being clear about where he lives, not supporting tenants, etc.

REPUBLICANS

On the Republican side, four candidates failed to obtain ballot access, one withdrew and seven potentials were declined, while the balloted candidates comprise. Jejune will be voting democrat, but for your information:

FERNANDO MATEO
Endorsements: 1
Platform: Jobs and safety

Fernando Mateo, a businessman and activist of Dominican-American heritage, founded the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers. His political experience is peripheral to the Republican Party, having never run for nor held any previous office. His successes include campaigning for the installation of bullet-proof partitions in city cabs and efforts to reduce gun violence. Mateo's name is involved with both illegal political donations and the La Marina scandal, and his political loyalties appear divided—he has both materially supported the Democratic position and supports ex-President Trump.

Curtis Sliwa. Sourced from: The Epoch Times.

CURTIS SLIWA
Endorsements: 6
Platform: Education

Curtis Sliwa, 67 years of age, is of Polish-Italian background and founded the “Guardian Angels” anti-crime organization in the 1970s. He has a long career as a radio broadcaster, but became active politically as recently as 2016, and is a vocal opponent of ex-President Trump.

P.S.:
Neither candidate in the Republican camp has been especially forthcoming with the specifics of their agenda, and the following platforms can be gleaned from their websites.

In conclusion, our city needs big changes from someone who has experience, and we personally feel that Kathryn Garcia is our best shot. After the past few fails of having a woman as president, it certainly would be nice to see NYC leading that change and, finally, for the first time ever, having a female major!

The 2021 New York Mayoral Race