2013 NYC Mayoral Election Discussion

[Grand Concourse]

He did a great job for the and he will make a great mayor. But as a republican? Hmmmmmm

 

Nothing wrong with that. The democratic field is always crowded and it is expedient to just pick the GOP since there's hardly anyone running in this city. Look at Bloomberg, a democrat who switched to the GOP so he wouldn't have to fight for the nomination.

[Shortline Bus]

Here we go again with another step down out of the MTA. As much as I know he wants to compete for 2013 Mayorship... But will there ever be an MTA Chairman who will stick with the Company for more then 3 Years+ and not drop out in less then 1 to 2 years??? (Aside from those who have stayed long in the way past..)

 

Lets see what happens with Mr. Prendergast as Chairman or who ever..

 

 

I say Mr. Predergast is the very early "clubhouse" leader to succed Lhota. I think Lhota has a good shot to win as he pick up Rudy support and his voters. Maybe even Cuomo endorsement as well. Being honest, alot of people dont want Quinn because mainly how close allied politically to Bloomberg. And Thompson and DeBlasio might be too liberal for a city that is not as liberal as the media and others think.

For starters the west coast i.e SF, LA and Portland are much more liberal and progressive than NYC.

 

Only negative for Lhota he does not have a great personality for the media and his press conferences are boring.

[Grand Concourse]

And that would probably be his downfall, he isn't exciting enough because people care more about the substance. I don't want Quinn not just because she's tied to Bloomberg, but the fact she would be even more overreaching with more power. Take a look at how she wanted to kick out chik fil a because of the anti gay stance from its president. God forbid anyone that doesn't share her political stance be allowed to have their own opinions and be ostracized for it.

[R10 2952]

Being honest, alot of people dont want Quinn because mainly how close allied politically to Bloomberg.

Only negative for Lhota he does not have a great personality for the media and his press conferences are boring.

 

 

And that would probably be his downfall, he isn't exciting enough because people care more about the substance. I don't want Quinn not just because she's tied to Bloomberg, but the fact she would be even more overreaching with more power. Take a look at how she wanted to kick out chik fil a because of the anti gay stance from its president. God forbid anyone that doesn't share her political stance be allowed to have their own opinions and be ostracized for it.

 

 

 

You two hit the nail right on the head. Quinn is Bloomberg's direct political heir. And as for Lhota's lack of personality, he's a career bureaucrat, what do you expect?

With candidates like this for the 2013 mayoral election, I'm gonna have to buy my popcorn in advance.

[RFC]

He was doing alright in the system but he wasn't here long.... what like half a year? I can't remember anyways,

Hopefully the next person to run in the MTA doesn't run it into the ground.... further like Jay Walder.

[Quill Depot]

I can't wait *sarcasm* to see how much more money NYC loses if Lhota becomes mayor. Lhota would invest all NYC's money into public transportation. Oh wait... NYC doesn't have any money, that's not possible.

[RollOver]

Joe is leaving?! Shaking my head........................

 

First Walder and now Lhota...............1-3 years ISN'T enough!

[Shortline Bus]

I can't wait for alan's aka brooklyn bus's reaction. In one of his recent blogs he indirectly predicted that Lhota might quit to run for mayor. And that what he did. I also agree with him, that there should be a penalty if you leave (other than for terminally ill health reasons like cancer, etc.)the post before the end of the contract.

 

 

And back to Lhota's lack of personality/being a good speaker in public, the only nyc mayor in my lifetime(though i was a baby when he was first elected)that was not a good speaker was Abe Beame. While much of the 1970's fiscal crisis was not his fault, if Beame had been a better speaker, it could have gotten him through arguably the big apple toughest era of the 20th Century.

[QM1to6Ave]

Wow, I really did not see that one coming. I can't se Lhota thinking he has a really good shot at winning. Before Sandy, most people barely even recognized his name (oustide of us railfans here lol). While people do know his name now, nobody knows much about him. I wonder if he is just sick of the MTA gig and sees this as a good opportunity to disappear from public office.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Wow, I really did not see that one coming. I can't se Lhota thinking he has a really good shot at winning. Before Sandy, most people barely even recognized his name (oustide of us railfans here lol). While people do know his name now, nobody knows much about him. I wonder if he is just sick of the MTA gig and sees this as a good opportunity to disappear from public office.

 

Actually most who were fond of Giuliani are familiar with him...

[Shortline Bus]

Actually most who were fond of Giuliani are familiar with him...

 

 

Actually VG8, QM1 is right. To the so called "bus/subwayfans" like us and local ny political junkies, Lhota is known. However to about 80% or majority of New Yorkers he is not. I bet if you lined up ten NYC residents right now, at best only of them knows who is Lhota?

[jgood6195]

Hope the person who recontrols the board isnt a Jay Walder

 

Unlikely, remember, he is working on Asian tranist systems now.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Actually VG8, QM1 is right. To the so called "bus/subwayfans" like us and local ny political junkies, Lhota is known. However to about 80% or majority of New Yorkers he is not. I bet if you lined up ten NYC residents right now, at best only of them knows who is Lhota?

 

It's not a question of right or wrong. I'm just saying that those who followed Giuliani and were fond of him know who Lhota is. He was his right hand man. As to how many people overall know who he is, that's another story. He will appeal however to Republican enclaves like Staten Island, parts of Southern Brooklyn (i.e. Dyker Heights, Bay Ridge, Mill Basin, Gerritsen Beach and perhaps Marine Park) and parts of Queens (Howard Beach and Whitestone come to mind) as well although the white population continues to dwindle there which means fewer Republicans. He is from the Bronx, and a moderate Republican, so he would be attractive to some areas like parts of Throggs Neck, Woodlawn, Morris Park, Country Club, Schulyverville and Pelham Bay who have Irish and/or Italian-American residents. I could also see him stealing votes in Riverdale which has a small but relevant Italian-American community, but still maintains a sizable Irish-American community in Northern Riverdale in particular.

[Grand Concourse]

Anyone but Quinn, and I can live with the decision. And please no to the carpetbagger Hilary Clinton. I don't buy what she says since she used NY as a stepping block to run for president. If people haven't learned their lesson, then there's no hope for them. Plus what would stop Hilary from bailing again to run for president in 2016?

[West End]

When did this become a Hillary discussion?

 

A Quinn-Lhota faceoff would be intense (kind of like a Christie-Booker faceoff in NJ). But on a strategical standpoint, how do you think Lhota would be portrayed in the media? Saying that you're the former chair of the MTA doesn't necessarily look good, and the upcoming fare hike in March won't help.

 

Riding Bloomberg's coattails can very well help you win an election. Riding Rudy's, especially after a decade of him being out of politics? Not so much.

[Grand Concourse]

Because there was a rumor that Bloomberg asked her to run for mayor, thus why I mentioned her.

Fare hikes is a necessary evil. If the cost of gas goes up, it's to be expected the cost applies to buses and the costs will be passed down to us especially if there's a greater demand for more service. Plus with everything subway and bus being a flat fare vs zoned fares, I think it's still a fair bargain. It's not the insane jump to $3.

[lilbluefoxie]

Anyone but Quinn, and I can live with the decision. And please no to the carpetbagger Hilary Clinton. I don't buy what she says since she used NY as a stepping block to run for president. If people haven't learned their lesson, then there's no hope for them. Plus what would stop Hilary from bailing again to run for president in 2016?

 

 

Hillary is steping down from Secretary of State and there is a lot of rumors that she will be trying another presidential run in 2016.

 

As for Lhota, I think he's a good guy. I liked Bloomberg, I think he really loves New York and did his best to build on the amazing job Giuliani did in cleaning up this city and the two of them brought New York city from a crime ridden cesspool to a world class city that visitors from all over can come here and feel safe. New York City for its sizes has a low crime rate compared to other big cities.

 

I expect Joe Lhota to continue the progress that his predecessors made in making this city a better place.

[qjtransitmaster]

Hillary is steping down from Secretary of State and there is a lot of rumors that she will be trying another presidential run in 2016.

 

As for Lhota, I think he's a good guy. I liked Bloomberg, I think he really loves New York and did his best to build on the amazing job Giuliani did in cleaning up this city and the two of them brought New York city from a crime ridden cesspool to a world class city that visitors from all over can come here and feel safe. New York City for its sizes has a low crime rate compared to other big cities.

 

I expect Joe Lhota to continue the progress that his predecessors made in making this city a better place.

 

hehe baltimore needs similar mayors and PG county. Back on topic I don't think its a good idea for republican mayoral run with all the bad press. However what makes other cities more progressive than NYC?

[traildriver]

Hope the person who recontrols the board isnt a Jay Walder

 

Bring David Gunn back to New York! I think he'd do as good a job as anyone to run the whole MTA......

[Interested Rider]

I too think that Joe Lhota will make a great mayor and I wish him the best of luck in terms of the primaries and the general election. It seems that there are other factors at work here and from my perspective, the field of candidates did not excite me until now. Joe Lhota may be to some a "bureaucrat" but to others like myself, he may be a person who knows the job well and therefore do a better job as compared with someone who has already been elected to another office and is running for mayor.

 

It is my opinion that there may be people in both parties that are dissatisfied with the current group of candidates and many may hold positions in state and local government at this time. Even if Joe Lhota is running as a Republican in a Democratic city, it is my view that he is being looked upon as a candidate that can win just like Rudy Giuliani was able to achieve in his election and re-election. I think that what is being looked at in the mayoral race is not whether the candidate has a personality that the media likes but a person that will be an effective administrator in this extremely important job.

 

In terms of the next MTA chairman, this position is the governor's call and it is my opinion that Governor Cuomo will choose someone similar to Joe Lhota for the position. From the time the agency was created in 1967, many of the persons chosen had political connections including William Ronan, Richard Ravitch, Virgil Conway among others. This can be seen in the fact that when the chairman and the governor worked together, things got done for the betterment of the system and Joe Lhota was just one example of what cooperation could achieve for the agency. I do not think that Governor Cuomo will choose a person for this position that will not live up to the high standards set by Joe Lhota as if the appointee looks good in the eyes of the public, it helps the governor as well.

[N4 Via Merrick Rd]

Well, With Lhota in place improvements came into play. I just hope the next Chairman keeps going on the same trail as Lhota.

[QM1to6Ave]

@VG8, I was old enough to follow the politics during Guiliani's term and I don't even remember Lhota's name. He's going to have to do a big job of getting his past history out there to get votes.

[checkmatechamp13]

It's not a question of right or wrong. I'm just saying that those who followed Giuliani and were fond of him know who Lhota is. He was his right hand man. As to how many people overall know who he is, that's another story. He will appeal however to Republican enclaves like Staten Island, parts of Southern Brooklyn (i.e. Dyker Heights, Bay Ridge, Mill Basin, Gerritsen Beach and perhaps Marine Park) and parts of Queens (Howard Beach and Whitestone come to mind) as well although the white population continues to dwindle there which means fewer Republicans. He is from the Bronx, and a moderate Republican, so he would be attractive to some areas like parts of Throggs Neck, Woodlawn, Morris Park, Country Club, Schulyverville and Pelham Bay who have Irish and/or Italian-American residents. I could also see him stealing votes in Riverdale which has a small but relevant Italian-American community, but still maintains a sizable Irish-American community in Northern Riverdale in particular.

 

 

It’s not as simple as “Republican enclaves”. You have areas that vote Democrat for one candidate, and Republican for another. The UES & UWS voted heavily Democrat for the past presidential & city council elections, but heavily Republican in the past mayoral election. It all depends on how well he markets himself.

 

http://elections.nytimes.com/2009/results/index.html

 

Not to mention that more White people doesn't always mean more Republicans. Asians & Hispanics often vote Republican on social issues like abortion and things like that.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

It’s not as simple as “Republican enclaves”. You have areas that vote Democrat for one candidate, and Republican for another. The UES & UWS voted heavily Democrat for the past presidential & city council elections, but heavily Republican in the past mayoral election. It all depends on how well he markets himself.

 

http://elections.nyt...ults/index.html

 

Not to mention that more White people doesn't always mean more Republicans. Asians & Hispanics often vote Republican on social issues like abortion and things like that.

 

Unless you're a complete idiot it is no secret that New York City is HEAVILY Democratic. Yet again you bring up something that is a moot point. I didn't mention anything about Democrats. I spoke with regards to his Republican base. Obviously he's going to have to get Democratic votes to win because he can't just win with Republican votes.

 

And as far as the UES and UWS voting "Republican" in the last mayoral election... Please... Bloomberg for most of his life has been a Democrat and that is no secret. He only switched to the Republican field because of the amount of Democratic politicians running. Once he made a name for himself, he eventually ran as an Independent, but he is far from a Republican.

 

Even Giuliani isn't a true Republican, nor is Lhota. They're both moderate Republicans.

[Grand Concourse]

Which is why the party labels are useless and everyone should be without a label and run on their plans/issues than party lines.