NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Candidates on the campaign trail for New York City mayor are zeroing in on crime and affordability, as a new accusation against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo bubbles to the surface.
“What we see in the city is that 4% of our blocks are responsible for the overwhelming majority of our gun violence, and many of those blocks happen to be predominantly Black,” said state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a Democratic candidate for mayor. “We don’t solve shootings in the city, and I want to invest the resources, and the detective bureau focus on solving those shootings.”
Myrie laid out his priorities for Black New Yorkers Monday morning, less than three months before the June primary. Exclusive PIX11 polling has identified crime and housing as the top issues in the race for mayor. Myrie and others are making their pitch against the backdrop of Cuomo consolidating support specifically among top Black leaders in Brooklyn and Queens.
Cuomo has promised to make the city more affordable and more safe, which sparked a response Monday from Mayor Eric Adams, who pointed to falling crime numbers under his leadership.
“Everyone is Eric-like,” Adams said. “You don’t have to have ‘Eric-like’ when you have Eric. My policies are now being changed by others trying to rebrand them.”
Meanwhile, a longtime political foe of Cuomo, the former mayor of Syracuse, Stephanie Miner, is out with a new book. She alleges vengeful behavior on the part of the former governor. Miner mentions two unwanted kisses, claiming they were meant to bully her — she does not allege sexual harassment.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is also running for mayor and has repeatedly highlighted these concerns over Cuomo. He has repeatedly demanded Cuomo return the $60 million he is using to defend himself against various allegations.
“He was an abusive governor,” Lander said. “He would be an abusive mayor. He’s unacceptable for New York City or any city.”
A spokesman for Cuomo punched back at Lander:
“New York City is in crisis - a crisis of affordability, public safety, and leadership and Andrew Cuomo is the only person running with decades of proven experience to get the job done. Anti-Israel, pro-defund the police Brad Lander may think New Yorkers are stupid with these silly attacks, but we give them more credit. While he continues to stand on street corners holding press conferences about kissing someone on the cheek in greeting, Andrew Cuomo is focused on making New York City safer and more affordable for working families and future generations.”
The former governor himself was off the campaign trail Monday, but he did get some positive news out of federal court.
A second lawsuit that accused him of mishandling nursing homes during the pandemic was dismissed by a federal judge. The first was dismissed several months ago.
Cuomo and his team have painted those investigations into the pandemic as politically motivated.