How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
Last night, New York City's mayoral candidates engaged in a heated debate for the first time. Michael Bloomberg, current mayor of New York City, and Comptroller William Thompson met at El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem for a conversation moderated by Dominic Carter of NY1 News.
The debate was disrupted before it even began. As Bloomberg was about to make his opening statement, an audience member shouted, "Mike! What are you doing here? Term limits!"
The outburst set the tone for the evening: Term limits was the most popular issue during the debate and was one of Thompson's primary criticisms of Bloomberg's campaign.
In October 2008, the City Council voted to extend term limits, allowing Bloomberg to run for a third term. But Thompson, who is running as a Democrat, accused Bloomberg of "undermining democracy" and going "around the people" by accepting a third term.
"Can the richest man in New York City play by his own set of rules and the rest of us play by another?" he said. "Mike Bloomberg lied to the people of New York."
However, Bloomberg, who is running as a Republican and an Independent, responded that his candidacy gives voters "more choices."
The candidates also discussed education; Thompson said he is pleased with his record as president of the New York City Board of Education. But Bloomberg dismissed Thompson's work as "rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic." Bloomberg said standardized test scores have increased during his time in office.
One of the most unexpected moments of the debate came when panelist Juan Manuel Benítez, the host of NY1 Noticias' Pura Política, a weekly Spanish language political talk show, asked Bloomberg about diversity in his office. When Bloomberg replied in broken Spanish, many audience members chuckled.
During the debate, panelist Brian Lehrer, host of "The Brian Lehrer Show," asked the candidates whether President Barack Obama has done enough for gay rights. Bloomberg replied "no," while Thompson said, "He's been there nine months. Yes."
Bloomberg also addressed his changing party affiliations, arguing that "the mayor shouldn't be partisan."
In his concluding remarks, Bloomberg said, "the best days of New York are ahead."
Thompson ended on a familiar note: He called Election Day an opportunity for voters to protest term limit extensions.
"The people of New York are not for sale," he said.
