PHOTOS: Mayoral Candidates Attend COJO of Flatbush Breakfast

Bill de Blasio's War on Buggies

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio has pledged that one of his 'first acts' as the city's chief executive would be to get Central Park's carriage horses off the streets, David Seifman reports. 

"I would ban the horse carriages in Central Park within the first week on the job," de Blasio told a midtown forum Tuesday night sponsored by several Democratic progressive groups. "I think it's horrible what happens to the horses. I think it's unnecessary and doesn't do anything for our economy, much to the chagrin of the mayor who thinks it's at the center of our tourism economy." 

John Liu Goes Large In Suggesting 60% Hike For Minimum Wage

Last night at a mayoral forum about poverty, City comptroller and mayoral candidate John Liu suggested a dramatic 60% increase of the minimum wage. "In New York City, we need a minimum wage of 11.50 an hour," Liu said. Of course, the crowd gathered roared with approval, Dana Rubenstein reports.

"Let me tell you something," said Liu. "Nine dollars buys you a lot more in Buffalo than it does in Brooklyn or the Bronx." 

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.

Why Early Poll Numbers Should Not Get Us Emotionally Sure-Footed

Don't tell me you're convinced that the mayoral frontrunner is at this point will indeed emerge as the favorite once campaign kicks in full steam. Looking back at 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was coasting to a convincing victory, as a Quinnipiac University poll showed the mayor with a commanding 12-point lead over Bill Thompson, the Democratic challenger. A Marist College poll, released four days before the election, gave Bloomberg a 15-point advantage. But as the returns started streaming in on election night, the mayor’s lead evaporated, squeaking out at the end of the night a mere win of 4.6%.

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.

'Angry' Sal Albanese Wants To Redistribute Toll Prices Between V-Z and BK-MH Bridges

Here is what happens when a Mayoral hopeful is severely angry about toll hikes on Staten Island's V-Z bridge since he he is the one forced to pay it out from his own pocket on a daily basis. Democratic mayoral candidate Sal Albanese, in an attempt to appeal to Staten Island potential voters, tells SIlive he personally understands Staten Islanders' anger over the recent toll hike on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. 

Sal Albanese Discovers 'Out of Touch' Bloomberg

Long shot Democratic mayoral candidate, Sal Albanese, in response to Mayor Bloomberg's State of the City Speech, said the speech showed that Bloomberg is “still out of touch with average New Yorkers.” 

"Mayor Bloomberg's speech today was a mixed bag, just like his legacy will be,” said Albanese, a former Bay Ridge councilman who spoke out almost immediately after the speech ended, according to the Brooklyn Eagle. “He entirely ignored the city's middle class families, dismissed people who care about their neighborhoods as obstructionists, avoided the real issues facing our public schools, and glossed over our horrendous rate of income inequality,” Albanese said. 

“Political independence, the kind that I've made a core of my campaign, is the only way to ensure that the next mayor is free to focus on building a safer, smarter, and fairer New York," he said.

Some Snippets of the Mayoral Election NY1/Marist POll

Christine Quinn's support among Liberal Democrats is the highest with 43%, with de Blasio in second place with only 13%. 

Quinn's lead is bigger among Conservative Democrats with 38%, compared to only 33% among moderates. John Liu is in 2nd place with 16% of Conservative Democrats. Hence, 47% are still uncertain and might change their vote before election day. 

Bill Thompson has the support of less than a quarter of his strongest base:  African American voters, trailing Quinn's 29% of support. Only 32% have indicated they might change their preference before election day.

New Marist Poll: Quinn and Lhota Vaguely Lead In Mayoral Primaries

Chris Quinn and Joe Lhota, respectively lead in their party's mayoral primaries  a new NY1/Marist poll shows. In the Democratic primary  Quinn garners 37% of registered Democratic voters followed by former Comptroller Bill Thompson at 13%, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio at 12%, Comptroller John Liu at 9% and former Councilman Sal Albanese at 2%, with 26% of registered Democrats undecided. 

Poll Shows Thompson Lacking Minority Base Support

While conventional wisdom and political punditry would suggest that Bill Thompson is the favorite and destined to at least make it to the Democratic primary run-off, based on his appeal to black and minority voters, a poll analysis, shared with Chris Bragg for The Insider, indicates a drop so far in Mr. Thompson’s support among black and Latino voters compared to the same time in 2009. 

And a comparison between Thompson's current numbers and those of Fernando Ferrer at a similar point during his 2005 mayoral campaign shows Mr. Thompson a  50 points behind where Mr. Ferrer (who is Latino) was among Hispanics, and 13 points back among African-Americans.

Number Cruncher: Could A Minority Candidate Come Close Winning Democratic Primary?

Can a long shot candidate, who's not even looked at, emerge as a top tier candidate, or even enter the run-off? The possibility and the chance of anyone hoping for this outcome are very low, yet given the demographics of the NYC population, we might wake up one day rubbing our eyes out of surprise.

Design Experts: Mayoral Candidates' Logos 'Abysmal' - Not Connecting With Voters

Design experts are not too convinced by the majority of the 2013 mayoral candidates' logos. Both, the Democrats and Republicans, logos rely on clichéd symbols, tired fonts and a sloppy appeal to voters, according to a panel of design and branding experts consulted by DNAinfo.com. 

Albanese Wants to Redeem New York from Bloomberg Kingdom

Sal Albanese, running for mayor in the Democratic primary, blamed Mayor Bloomberg and his recent budget proposal for the city’s financial shape. “You can't manage a city like a kingdom or its workforce like serfs,” Albanese told Paula Katinas from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 

In Crowded Field, WSJ Barely Finds a Handful of Mayoral Candidates

Though most of the potential mayoral candidates havens officially declared their candidacy for mayor of NYC, the field has filled up on both sides of the aisle, with various candidates just waiting for the right timing to do so.

Following Bill de Blasio's official entry to the race on Sunday outside his home in Park Slope, the WSJ made note that the Democratic primary also included Christine Quinn and Bill Thompson, facing Joe Lhota from the Republican side. In an updated version, the WSJ with the help of AP listed City Comptroller John Liu who is also running for mayor, as a potential 'Republican' candidate.

Politicker Profiles Candidates in Wide open Mayoral Race

As they always do, Hunter Walker and Colin Campbell from The Observer had a little fun putting together the never-ending list of candidates vying to succeed Mayor Bloomberg. Who is the front-runner, who are the favorites, who are the inclusive underdogs, and what about the assortment of protest candidates and oddballs who bring more color to the race? Will the packed primary pull out a winner, or a runoff?  

To G-d the answers. 

Nonetheless, Walker and Campbell left the steamy office in Manhattan to tour the forest, and came back with lots of nuts to crack.