At Wednesday’s GOP mayoral debate, it was hard to tell whether the two contenders on stage had more scorn for city Democrats or for each other.
Curtis Sliwa, the controversial founder of the Guardian Angels, contemptuously called his rival Fernando Mateo “a de Blasio Republican,” saying Mateo had illegally raised campaign funds for the incumbent mayor.
Using a Trumpism, Mateo called the allegation “fake news.”
“You know what? I have enough dirt to cover your body 18 feet over!” Mateo exploded, going on to list scurrilous allegations against Sliwa. “People don’t want to hear all that.”
The tone of the debate, hosted by WABC, didn’t improve from there.
Sliwa made another inflammatory allegation against Mateo, claiming Mateo had privately told Staten Island Republicans a white candidate could never get elected. The Staten Island and Brooklyn Republican parties have endorsed Sliwa. Mateo, who said he is of Black and Latino heritage, has support from Republican parties in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.
“Why did you play racial politics on Staten Island?” Sliwa raged, prompting a refutation from Mateo.
“He’s full of lies,” Mateo fumed. “This man has nothing else to talk about than throwing dirt at me. I’m glad I’m 7 feet away from him because I would be freaking brown right now.”
There was a smattering of policy discussion between the verbal jabs.
Sliwa approved of legal cannabis, saying the measure, recently passed in Albany, had been inevitable. Mateo voiced support for what he called marijuana “decriminalization,” adding that bodega owners should be allowed to sell pot. Mateo, who operates a restaurant in the Bronx, previously led trade groups for bodega owners, along with livery drivers.
During a lighting round of questions, Mateo later said he opposed the state legislation on legalizing pot.
Both candidates also talked tough on crime, with Sliwa saying he rejected recently passed City Council legislation making it easier to sue cops for improper searches and excessive force. Mateo said he opposed the 2019 plan to eventually shut down the troubled jail complex on Rikers Island, adding that he’d boost vocational training for released inmates.
The end of the first half of the debate brought an interesting twist: the two men used to be friends, according to Mateo.
“We grew up in a rough neighborhood together. We were boys! We were friends!” Mateo said. “All of a sudden, I announce that I’m running and this guy comes down throwing bricks at me.”
After a break, Sliwa conceded a long acquaintance with Mateo.
Toward the end of the debate, the candidates were asked to say something positive about each other.
At first, they simply said the other should run for public advocate. Then Sliwa told Mateo, “I’ve gotta tell you, you haven’t aged.”
With that, they met halfway between their podiums and hugged, though they exchanged a few more broadsides before the end of the show.
De Blasio leaves office at the end of the year due to term limits. Mayoral primaries are scheduled for June 22. The winner of the Democratic primary is all but sure to win the general election in overwhelmingly Democratic New York City in November.
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