WORKING FAMILIES, EL DIARIO, AMSTERDAM NEWS INVITE MAYORAL CANDIDATES TO DEBATE “ISSUES THAT MATTER TO WORKING PEOPLE”
Debate in May will inform progressive party’s endorsement decision
New York City – Today, El Diario-La Prensa and the Amsterdam News carried front-page stories announcing a partnership with the Working Families Party to sponsor a major mayoral debate focused on often-ignored issues facing New York City’s diverse working-class communities.
The debate will take place at some point in the next month, in order to inform the Working Families Party’s endorsement decision in late May. Invitations have been sent to the campaigns of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Comptroller Bill Thompson and City Councilman Tony Avella, all of whom are seeking the WFP ballot line. The letters asked candidates to respond about their intent to participate within a week.
“I can’t think of any better way to evaluate the candidates than this debate,” said Dan Cantor, Working Families Party Executive Director. “Middle class, working class and poor New Yorkers need this chance to see firsthand how the candidates stack up.”
WFP affiliate leaders expressed their support for the debate as well. “With thousands of New Yorkers at risk of losing their jobs, their homes, and their way of life, this debate is about making sure the next Mayor will tackle the problems facing New York’s working families,” said Bob Master, Political Director of CWA.
Mike McGuire, Political Director of MTDC, emphasized the importance of the forum to New York’s union voters. “As the WFP is the party of organized labor in New York City, I would hope that all the mayoral candidates would participate in this important debate to put the issues of working people first.”
Pamela Bennett, Director of Citizen Action of New York City and the Coalition for After-School Funding, said, “This debate is an incredible opportunity for the mayoral candidates to focus on the struggles of New Yorkers in the midst of these perilous economic times, and to let us know how they will work on our behalf to confront these challenges.”
The Amsterdam News’ article today noted that Black and Latino voters made up more than 43% of the electorate in New York City’s 2005 mayoral election.“This is really a unique chance for the candidates to reach out to communities of color that are such a vital part of our city and will play a decisive role in the upcoming election,” said Amsterdam News Editor in Chief and Publisher Elinor Tatum.
“The joint invitation reflects constituencies that leaders too often take for granted—Latino and African American families working to make ends meet,” editorialized El Diario-La Prensa. Executive Editor Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush added, “Our readers want and deserve this opportunity to cut through the rhetoric and thirty-second sound bites and engage directly with mayoral aspirants about our values, our concerns and our hopes.”
The exact time and place of the debate will be determined in consultation with the mayoral candidates.
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