After Yang Flubs, De Blasio Stresses 'Experience' For Next Mayor

New York City NY

21 May, 2021

12:29 PM

Description

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio has scrupulously avoided weighing in on the race to be his successor, much less endorsing a candidate. But de Blasio on Friday gave voters advice that, arguably, signals he's less than enthusiastic about Democratic candidate and front runner Andrew Yang. Yang this week engaged in a spate of high-profile stumbles that his opponents and critics argued shows he lacks basic knowledge of city governance. "I think every voter should look at the experience and the connection between the experience and the platform and see if it rings true," de Blasio told WNYC's Brian Lehrer. "I think that's that's the right way to do it because the next mayor is going to actually navigate a very challenging environment and they better damn well understand how New York City works." On Thursday, Yang appeared at a forum on homelessness issues and said the city should have "specific" shelters for victims of domestic violence. The issue: New York City has such shelters for decades, as the forum's moderator NY1 reporter Courtney Gross almost immediately pointed out. Yang quickly said he knew they existed but needed to expand, but the stumble fueled criticism that he doesn't know basic facts about the city he hopes to govern. The criticism only mounted after Yang appeared unaware of a police transparency law — 50-a — that was at the forefront of protests and reforms last year, according to a New York Post report. City Comptroller Scott Stringer, one of Yang's opponents in the crowded race for mayor, quickly piled onto the criticism. Stringer tied it into another flub in which Yang appeared to suggest — but also clarified after the fact — the A train goes up to the Bronx. "Andrew Yang's ignorance of critical issues facing our city isn't just insulting — it's dangerous," Stringer said in a statement. "Taking the A train to the Bronx might be funny, but not knowing basic facts about public transit, police reform, and domestic violence is no laughing matter." De Blasio, while avoiding mentioning names, told Lehrer that voters need to compare mayoral candidates' platforms to their histories solving problems.