Good morning. It’s Thursday. Today we’ll look at how the mayoral candidates responded to a Times questionnaire about their policy plans. Also, here’s how to tune in to see them discuss these same issues at the mayoral debate tonight.
Affordability. Public safety. President Trump. Rats. These issues and more appear in a questionnaire we recently sent to Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, asking them how, if elected as mayor, they would handle the concerns that have defined the race to City Hall. My colleague Emma G. Fitzsimmons laid out their answers. Below is a sampling of the candidates’ plans to tackle some key issues that New Yorkers care about. The candidates’ answers have been condensed and lightly edited. Mamdani’s affordability planNew York’s politicians have been jockeying for the title of “affordability candidate” since the beginning of the year. Mamdani, a state assemblyman and democratic socialist, said he would freeze rents for residents of rent-stabilized apartment buildings. He added: “At the same time, I’d launch construction on 200,000 union-built, 100 percent affordable homes — fast-tracking public-sector-led developments over the next decade amid zoning and procedural reform to trigger a significant increase in housing supply across the board.” Cuomo’s ‘Job 1’ — public safetyCuomo, the former governor who is running as an independent, has criticized Mamdani’s approach to public safety, saying his opponent would return New York to the “bad old days” of crime and even suggesting that Mamdani would move to legalize prostitution. Here is Cuomo, on his own public-safety plans: “Public safety is Job 1. I’ll rebuild the N.Y.P.D. ranks with 5,000 new officers, including 1,500 for subways, using precision policing to target the specific people and places driving most crime. I’ll also invest $100 million in youth jobs and work force programs so young people have real alternatives to gangs and guns. Enforcement plus opportunity is how we make neighborhoods safe again.” Sliwa and sanctuary lawsNew York City’s sanctuary laws protect undocumented immigrants by preventing law enforcement officers from collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest people for entering the country illegally. President Trump has railed against sanctuary laws and even sued Mayor Adams and the city over them this summer. Here is Sliwa, the Republican nominee: “We need to change them. I will make sure New York remains a city of compassion, but also one where violent offenders are not shielded from deportation at the expense of our residents’ safety.” Cuomo, on TrumpPresident Trump has indicated an interest in reshaping New York City’s politics. Cuomo, who has billed himself and the president as “Queens boys” whose lives have been intertwined for decades, said he would stand up to Trump when needed. “I’ve known President Trump for decades and fought him many times — as governor during Covid, when he targeted immigrants and when he threatened to send troops into New York City. Each time, I pushed back and won. As mayor, I’ll defend New York from federal overreach and protect our values, while working across the aisle when it benefits New Yorkers. When he’s wrong, I’ll fight; when it helps New Yorkers, I’ll partner. New Yorkers always come first.” Mamdani on axing gifted programsNew York City enrolls a small number of kindergartners in a separate gifted and talented program that has been criticized for admitting few Black and Latino students. After we sent him our questionnaire, Mamdani publicly announced his intentions to phase out the program for kindergartners. Here’s what he told us: “The previous administration ended the practice of testing kindergartners for gifted and talented programming, which has been replaced by a new rubric and teacher nomination system under Eric Adams. I will return to the previous policy. Ultimately, my administration would aim to make sure that every child receives a high-quality early education that nurtures their curiosity and learning.” Sliwa’s push for outer-borough busesAsked to name a policy he would enact to improve transportation in the city, Sliwa indicated he would stand up for bus commuters who live outside the reach of the city’s transit hubs. He said: “I would expand express bus service with longer hours of operation, especially in Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. Not everyone lives near a subway line, and we need reliable alternatives for those communities. Transportation should not depend on your ZIP code.” Cuomo, on ratsIn his response to The Times, Cuomo called the city’s lessening but still rampant rat problem “a symptom of incompetence.” Here is how he would fix the city’s hygiene troubles: “I’ll launch a real sanitation strategy: more frequent pickups, sealed containers instead of bags on sidewalks and stronger enforcement against illegal dumping. Denial is not a life strategy; clean streets are public health, quality of life and basic respect for New Yorkers.” And now, how to watch tonight’s debateThese issues might just come up in the first mayoral debate, which happens tonight at 7 p.m. The first hour will air live on WNBC-TV (and in Spanish on WNJU-TV), and will also be streamed on the NBC New York, Telemundo 47 and Politico websites. After that, the debate broadcast moves off the air but will still be streamed digitally. WEATHER Expect sunny conditions with temperatures in the high 50s. Tonight will be clear with a low around 46. ALTERNATE-SIDE PARKING In effect until Monday (Diwali). The latest New York news
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Dear Diary: In the early 1990s, when I was 7 or so, my Uncle Jack came from Massachusetts to live in our basement in Kew Gardens, Queens. I didn’t know the circumstances of what brought him to our house and I still don’t, but I remember our weekends vividly. On Fridays after school, I would spread a subway map out on the kitchen table, and we would plan a Saturday adventure. It always started with us walking down to Jamaica Avenue to catch the J train. We usually ended up at an arcade in Coney Island. But how we got there, the in-between, was what I lived for. We called these outings “making tracks.” We would ride mostly in silence, me staring out the window, Uncle Jack sitting with his legs crossed at the knee, content, I think. On the way home, we would stop for pepperoni slices at Alfie’s Pizzeria in Richmond Hill. Uncle Jack died some years ago. He was not a social person, and I’m not sure anyone ever fully knew him. But he was loved, and he is missed. I wish I had made more of an effort to keep in touch after I left for college. But I will never forget those Saturdays, and I’d like to think Uncle Jack is still making tracks. — Julian Dayal Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Tell us your New York story here and read more Metropolitan Diary here. Glad we could get together here. — T.R. P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here. Davaughnia Wilson, Lauren Hard and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@nytimes.com. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.
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