Third-party candidates voice themselves

Five third-party New York City mayoral candidates (who are running against current Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Comptroller Bill Thompson) spoke at the Puck Building last night. The event was part of the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service's year-long series "Poverty in the United States: A Plurality of Perspectives."

Those five candidates were Jimmy McMillan, Rev. Billy Talen, Frances Villar, Joseph Dobrian and Tyrrell Eiland:

Jimmy McMillan (Rent is Too Damn High Party)

"There is a new sheriff in town and his name is Jimmy McMillan," McMillan, a Vietnam War veteran, said to last night's crowd. He said much of his political inspiration comes from "seeing his veteran brothers on the streets."

During the event, McMillan rolled a peppermint up and down a table to illustrate his point of "rolling back rents."

His white beard contrasted his black ensemble — tight bandanna, sunglasses and a T-shirt with the phrase "Rent is Too Damn High."

The Rent is Too Damn High party has three core values: "a roof over your head, food on the table and money in your pocket," he said.

Rev. Billy Talen (Green Party)

Talen, the reverend of The Church of Life After Shopping, said he wants to get rid of the consumerism that plagues the city.

Always the showman, Talen attended the panel dressed in his signature electric-blue suit.

At the event, Talen likened public school lunches to poisons; he said he hopes schools can offer more natural, healthier foods.

Talen also expressed obvious distaste for Bloomberg and former mayor Rudy Guiliani.

Frances Villar (Socialist-Liberation Party)

Villar stands out as the first Dominican woman to run for mayor of New York City.

As a member of the Socialist-Liberation Party, Villar believes the impoverished people of the city should control the government and that education should be a free right.

Villar is confident in her bid for mayor and believes a socialist reformation is not only possible but is the only effective way to run the city.

"We can do this," she said.

Joseph Dobrian (Libertarian Party)

Dressed in a slim, conservative suit, Dobrian — the only candidate who used note cards to make his points — seemed out of place compared to some of the more colorful candidates.

But his politics are more radical. In response to a question that asked if increased unionization in the social sector is positive, he shouted, "You shouldn't be forced to join a union to make your living."