Not only Democrats: what the Republican candidates for mayor of New York are proposing

Almost all candidates for mayor of New York are Democrats. They lead in polls, the media write about them, but for some reason everyone is silent about the Republicans. ForumDaily New York decided to figure out who is running for the mayor from the Republican Party and what they promise the city.

Republicans may be lagging far behind in polls right now, but their ideas are not out of the mainstream. Until 2020, not a single serious person even imagined that taking money from the police, or even completely eliminating this structure, could be a strategy for ensuring public safety. However, several Democratic mayoral candidates are pushing ideas so extreme that many voters dislike. Likewise, proposals to raise city taxes are nominated by Democratic candidates and covered by news organizations. But the city residents are again against it.

All of these people who do not like the Democratic agenda are likely to support the Republican nominee. However, it is not even easy to find out about them, because almost no attention is paid to them in the media. Since the media is almost entirely focused only on the Democratic primaries, Republicans will launch a general election campaign at a dire disadvantage.

Of course, New York City has far more Democrats than Republicans, and Republicans don't always run well-known candidates. But there are examples when the Republicans managed to take the post of mayor of the city. For example, Rudy Giuliani, he was supported by almost 60% of New Yorkers. Therefore, we decided to fill the information gap and highlight the ideas of the Republican candidates.

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Who Goes to Mayor of New York from the Republican Party

Fernando Mateo

• Age 63
• Job: businessman

Mateo, Dominican immigrant and entrepreneur. He founded a carpet company, which later became a contracting firm. He also established a vocational school and vocational training program on Rikers Island for people who have been imprisoned. Mateo says he wants to become mayor in order to reduce crime in the city, as well as to fight bureaucracy and high taxes. CNN.

As a city activist, Mateo was president of the New York State Taxi Drivers Federation and an advocate for bodega owners. In the past, he has supported both Democratic and Republican politicians.

Mateo opposes tax increases and believes there are other options to raise money and help New York. This is stated on the official his campaign website.

“There is currently a real estate glut in New York as workers stay at home due to the pandemic. Bloomberg reported that vacant sublease space rose 73% in lower Manhattan and 36% in downtown. If the offices remain empty, and large companies continue to seek to leave New York, there will be no one left to taxation, except for small businesses that are already suffering from draconian shutdowns due to the pandemic, ”the website says.

He promises to cut taxes and allocate resources to ease the tax burden.

Mateo also believes that money and resources should be allocated to build new vocational and medical schools to educate and train personnel for the hard work ahead.

On police reform, he believes the NYPD needs to be made "a strong department that respects people and inspires respect." He plans to hire more police officers to keep the city safe.

Curtis Sliva

• Age 67
• Job: activist and founder of the Guardian Angels

The political activist and radio show host has long been an outspoken critic of New York crime and has focused much of his campaign on bringing attention to its recent spike.

Plum, who founded the Guardian Angels, a group of volunteers patrolling subways in New York and dangerous locations across the country, says he wants to "get the police money back." His program also includes a tax plan that will reduce property taxes. Plum highlights the need for vocational education programs in New York City schools.

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“All budget cuts in the police department must be restored. It is necessary to reopen the closed anti-crime units, and give them the opportunity to do their job. The Police Department's budget must be increased to cope with the horrific spike in gun violence that threatens our communities, ”the official said. Plums campaign website.

"The main goal of Curtis Sliva's property tax reform plan is to provide New York City with a fair, efficient and transparent property tax system," the website says. "As the most daring tax proposal of any candidate for mayor in recent history, this plan will finally ensure tax equity and fairness."

He plans to collect taxes from wealthy private universities and landlords. And thus generate millions of dollars in new tax revenue that will offset police costs and provide economic assistance to low- and middle-income New Yorkers, while maintaining a balanced New York City budget.

The primaries will take place on Tuesday, June 22nd. And the final elections are on November 2.