In the New York City race for mayor, Democrat Bill de Blasio captured 40 percent of the vote–and the city’s imagination with his progressive platform and multi-racial family. It’s still not clear whether he’ll avoid a run-off against Bill Thompson, second with 26 percent, as the Board of Elections counts paper ballots. But de Blasio’s commanding lead means something. And most pundits believe he can beat the primary’s Republican winner, Joseph Lhota.
Is de Blasio good for us? It seems so. He was endorsed by PSC CUNY, which represents 25,000 CUNY staffers and faculty. Here’s what the union says about him:
“We support Bill de Blasio because he stands for an alternative to the politics of austerity that have dominated New York for too long,” said Pres. Barbara Bowen in a statement released to the media. “De Blasio understands the strategic importance of CUNY and has a vision of its place in a city where opportunity is not limited to the richest 1%. New York must not continue to be the most unequal city in the country. We believe that de Blasio can win and can be part of making the change this city needs.”
He also fought against CUNY’s ill-informed decision to pay disgraced General David Petraeus $150,000 to teach a weekly course at Macaulay Honors college when most adjuncts make $3,000 a course. De Blasio wrestled his salary down to $1.
As the paper ballots are counted over the next few days, keep in mind that Thompson isn’t a bad choice for mayor either. Earlier this week, he proposed that New York City students with a B average or better, attend the first year of CUNY for free.
