Greenfield Lashes Out at Weiner , Lhota and de Blasio; Lhota Responds

Councilman David Greenfield piled on Anthony Weiner tonight, on his weekly Thursday night radio show, suggesting he's only doing the Republicans a favor by joining the Democratic primary and splitting the vote. Public advocate Bill de Blasio also got his share of the blame for not firing his staffer who tweeted racial and anti-semitic comments, letting him to resign out of his own will.

In 1999 Profile, Joe Lhota Is Described as 'Calm, Easy Going and Quirky' In City Hall

While Mayor Giuliani was known for his temper, Joe Lhota, who served as his deputy mayor and is now a Republican candidate for mayor of NYC, was described in a NY Times profile in 1999 "as the most easygoing member of the Mayor's tightly knit, tightly wound inner circle. While he can bluster as expertly as any other Giuliani aide, Mr. Lhota is better known for what sets him apart: his willingness to talk openly and his insouciant humor, which make him one of the quirkiest personalities in City Hall."

Unlike his Democratic counterpart, City Council speaker Christine Quinn, who was described in an extensive NY times piece by Mike Grynbaum and David Chen this week as "controlling, temperamental and surprisingly volatile," Joe Lhota's work at City Hall was described as totally the opposite: A calm voice for a combative mayor.

Short of Money, Mayoral Hopeful McDonald Drops Oppo Memo Against Lhota

While Catsimatidis is touting on his Democratic background as an electability argument against Joe Lhota in the Republican primary, Goerge McDonald, who is running low in campaign funds, is doing the opposite. In an internal six-page memo leaked to the WSJ (intentionally?), the McDonald campaign has decided the path to victory is by going on offense to explain Republican voters why Joe Lhota is "simply unelectable." 

"The paradoxical challenge of Lhota's campaign strategy is that to win the primary he must closely identify with Mayor Giuliani but in doing so he creates a political environment that is simply insurmountable in the general election," according to the March 25 memo sent to the McDonald campaign's finance-committee members.

McDonald Vows Standing Strong Despite Weak Position

"Oh Right, that's because we are in court and the judge hasn't ruled yet," mayoral candidate George McDonald's response was as I approached him in the spin room over his poor showing in the latest financial disclosure. According to the Daily News, McDonald, who's been accepting over-limit donations while fighting the giving laws, raised a mere $21,204 between Jan. 12 and March 13th.

The Angry Old Guy That Stole The Show At the Mayoral Debate

The star of the night at the 92Y was neither of the candidates running for mayor, but a 89 year old guy who complained about too many express vs. too little local buses. 

Mayoral Panel Discussed Who Should, Would, Could Be The Next Mayor Of NYC

At a panel discussing the mayoral race, the uncertainty in the volatile race seemed to be the only issue that had a broad understanding between the panelists at the table. The insightful discussion called “Who Should Be the Next Mayor of New York” was moderated by Fred Siegel, St. Francis College’s Scholar in Residence, at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. Panelists included Harry Siegel (The Daily Beast), as well as John Avlon (CNN), Michael Powell (New York Times), Maggie Haberman (Politico), and Michael Meyers (New York Civil Rights Coalition).

Adolfo Carrion Losing Last Hope for GOP Primary Entry

As we reported last week, Joe Lhota has picked up the endorsement of another county committee  thus dealing a severe blow to the candidacy of Adolfo Carrion, now losing his magic entry to participate in the Republican primary. 

On the same day that he received the endorsement of the city's council members, Joe Lhota has racked up the endorsement of Bronx County GOP Chairman Jay Savino, the Daily Politics blog has learned. 

Running for Mayor? Tweet or Die!

You gotta sympathize with Joe Lhota, if you're a fellow tweep. Prior to launching his mayoral bid in January   former MTA chairman Joe Lhota was an extremely prolific Twitter user. Since hitting the campaign trail, Mr. Lhota has made far fewer posts on the social media site and stopped tweeting the witticisms he was previously known for. 

When Hunter Walker from Politicker saw Mr. Lhota at lunch yesterday, he asked him why he reduced his Twitter presence. Mr. Lhota attributed his lower Twitter profile to instructions from his campaign press team, specifically, his spokeswoman Susan Del Percio. “I eventually will get back. You know I get handled by my press people,” said Mr. Lhota. “Susan, she threatened me, so I have to be careful.” 

Lhota Warns: 'Fragile' City Situation Could Regress in a Democratic Administration

"Many of you don't look old enough to remember what the city was like 20 years ago," Mayoral candidate Joe Lhota told a small gathering of young Brooklyn Republicans on Sunday. "The changes that have been made since then in quality of life, in reduction in crime and what's happened all throughout the city have been nothing short of spectacular."

Pataki Rightman Fundraising for Lhota Ahead of March Report Deadline

Republican mayoral hopeful Joe Lhota is getting a fundraising assist from ex-Gov. George Pataki just hours before the CFB deadline - March 13th, Celeste Katz reports.

"Joe is a dedicated public servant and a successful private sector executive. He served as Mayor Rudy Giuliani's Deputy Mayor and has worked tirelessly for all New Yorkers," John Cahill, who served as Pataki's senior advisor and COS, wrote in an email invite for the Manhattan fundraiser benefiting Lhota. "I know we can elect Joe as our next Mayor and win this race.But more importantly, we must win this race so New York continues to flourish," Cahill continued.

Catsimatidis Touts Jewish Friendship and Religious Freedom Protectionism

“God has been good to us. New York City has been good to us. That’s why I want to give back," Mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis told The Jewish Voice in an interview published this week. "I think every successful citizen should give back. Remember what John Kennedy said – ‘Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.’ People don’t believe that anymore. I want to give back [because] in the end I don’t need any money, I don’t need anything. Bloomberg works for a dollar – I’m going to work for 99 cents."

Joe Lhota Disdains Debate Moderator for Calling Giuliani a 'Jerk'

Joe Lhota may have won the first GOP debate by a single shot. Newt Gingrich's John King moment in the SC primary debate has turned into a tactical  game changer for candidates seeking the spotlight. The most memorable moment of the Wednesday morning forum, sponsored by Crain's New York Business, came ahead of the closing statements, when Crain's columnist Greg David, in a question posed to Mr. Lhota, called former Mayor Rudy Giuliani a "jerk."

Republican Mayoral Candidates Debate Winning Formula in D-Dominated City

What happens when a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent and a Liberal enter a room together? It's a Republican mayoral debate. At least that was the impression of the first GOP mayoral debate hosted by Crains New York business in Manhattan Wednesday morning.

Three of the five candidates participating at the candidate forum are former Democrats who are seeking the Republican nomination; the other describes himself as a 'Clinton Democrat' or rather a 'Republicat' in short. Joe Lhota was the only pure Republican in the room; thus that was heart of the discussion - whether a pure Republican can win a mayoral contest in NYC.

Interview with Sal Albanese - The Outsider Who Wants to Be Seen Inside

Before I even managed to utter a word, Democratic mayoral candidate Sal Albanese smiled and asked me: "So, you are going to ask me about the Quinnipiac poll?" which, honestly, was my intention to ask in the first place. Despite the media exposure he has received over the years in public office, Albanese, who is running for mayor for the third time, was excluded from the Quinnipiac's polling question in a poll released today on the Democratic mayoral primary. In the latest Marist poll released two weeks ago, Albanese pulled in a mere 2 percent of support, falling short from the 21% he got in the 1997 primary. "I am only 7 points behind John Liu," he laughed.

Quinnipiac Poll Shows Quinn with Commanding Lead Over Opponents

Christine Quinn has not yet officially announced her candidacy for Mayor on NYC, but her lead over her opponents is only growing and almost reaching the threshold of 40% to avoid run-off, according to the latest Quinnipiac poll published Wednesday morning. 

In the Democratic primary for mayor, Quinn leads with 37 percent, more than the three other serious candidates combined, according to the poll. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio has 14 percent, with 11 percent for 2009 Democratic mayoral candidate William Thompson and 9 percent for Comptroller John Liu. Another 27 percent are undecided.

Will Catsimatidis's Fortune Dignify His Candidacy?

Republican mayoral candidate has not yet hired a pollster, although its in the makings according to his campaign manager, but he was fast enough to dismiss the latest poll showing him with a mere 5% of support among NYC Republican voters. 

“I love when they underestimate me,” he told The Daily News. “People have been underestimating me from a little Greek island to 135th St to top of American industry.” 

Republican Mayoral Candidates Introduce Themselves to BK Conservative Party

Three of the potential Republican mayoral candidates met a welcoming crowd at the first Brooklyn Young Conservative Club' Presidents Day dinner Thursday night. Joe Lhota, George McDonald and Adolfo Carrion, who came with an Independence party slot in pocket addressed the crowd in acknowledging the significance of the Conservative party's growing base in Southern Brooklyn.

Former MTA chief and the favorite candidate in the Republican party, Joe Lhota introduced his candidacy by quipping: "I am Joe Lhota, and I am running for Mayor of NYC."

Channeling Jimmy McMillan's gubernatorial run in 2010 theme, Lhota reminded the crowd of the rent is too damn high slogan, saying "I will be the candidate who will say over and over: "The government is too damn expensive."

 

"The job is too complicated for on the job training," Lhota said while touting his experience in the private and public sector as the best equipped for the job and challenges "on day one."

"We are going to have an interesting race," Lhota said while pointing out the presence of Adolfo Carrion, presenting him as a third party candidate. "I think it is going to be very interesting to see how one can win this race," he added. Lhota's  confidence lays in the belief, as he expressed later on in a private conversation that Carrion's candidacy will do more harm to the potential Democratic nominee.

Adolfo Carrion, who spoke right after him, briefly introduced himself as the one that could bring New Yorkers together. Adding that he's looking forward "to a robust discussion of the future of our city."

George McDonald also addressed the crowd by touting his experience in providing help for the homeless, "not by going to Bain Capital, but to main capital."

McDonald was approached by the Observer's Colin Campbell who asked him whether he is also Jewish,  seen that every Republican candidate has somehow found some Jewish connection to their personal life. Shockingly, McDonald revealed that his wife is Jewish. 

Catsimatidis: "Don't Underestimate This Kid That Came From A Little Greek Island."

John Catsimatidis plans to deploy some of his massive personal fortune to improve his standing, setting up his campaign as the ultimate test of how much credibility money can buy, according to Hunter Walker, who wrote up a Politicker profile. “Right now, you know, we’re budgeting a million dollars a month,” said Mr. Catsimatidis. “We’ll see where we go.” 

FYI: Lhota Does Return Every Phone Call to His Cellphone

In a WNYC interview this morning, Joe Lhota  addressed the recent controversy where Staten Island powerbroker Guy Molinari very publicly withdrew his support from Mr. Lhota in response to unreturned phone calls. Mr. Lhota said he was “surprised” by the communications mishap, but Mr. Molinari should have called him personally to resolve it, according to the conversation and reported by Colin Campbell. 

The Forward Selects Viability of Candidates to Claim No Jew is Running for Mayor

NY and LA will both pick mayors this year, but while LA is likely to pick a Jewish mayor, NYC who has lost a great Jewish Mayor (Ed Koch) and has had a Jewish mayor over the past 12 years, will likely remain without a Jewish mayor, Josh Nathan-Kazis writes in the Jewish Forward. 

Nearly every mayoral race in recent memory has included a Jewish candidate. Yet in 2013, not a single one of the handful of front-runners vying to replace Bloomberg is Jewish. 

“That there is no Jewish candidate in this particular race is more a consequence of personal behavior on the part of the potential Jewish candidate than anything else,” quipped Flora Davidson, a professor of political science and urban studies at Barnard College, referring to Weiner, who resigned by disgrace..

Oh, remembers Nathan-Kazis, "there actually is one Jew in the New York City mayoral race. Tom Allon, a newspaper publisher, is running for mayor as a Republican, though his lack of name recognition makes him a long shot." 

Joe Lhota, who is actually the favorite on the Republican side is also Jewish by law, as earlier reported.

What the forward is doing , is basically selecting the viability of the candidates to justify their claim (after all you need something to write a story) that No Jew is running this year for mayor. Its up to the voters, Mr. Josh Nathan-Kazis.