WEBVTT - NYC Mayoral Candidate Whitney Tilson Talks Key Issues 

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news for.

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<v Speaker 2>All of you nationwide. We are transfixed in New York

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<v Speaker 2>City by a mayoral race. There is an election in November,

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<v Speaker 2>which months ago was like no big deal because there's

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<v Speaker 2>twelve Republicans in New York City. But all of a sudden,

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<v Speaker 2>it's like, Okay, this could be a really interesting election

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<v Speaker 2>because this candidate is an independent. This one's an independent.

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<v Speaker 2>There'll be four even five people on the ballot. Governor

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<v Speaker 2>Cromo was in the other day. As a disclaimer, I

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<v Speaker 2>want to make clear that he's received the endorsement of

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<v Speaker 2>mister Bloomberg. Michael Bloomberg is the owner of various Sundry

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<v Speaker 2>Bloomberg events, including Bloomberg LP in, Bloomberg Television, in radio.

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<v Speaker 2>Whitney Tilson joins us right now after surviving the race.

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<v Speaker 2>Is mister Krome said, Whitney Tilson is a financial guy

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<v Speaker 2>in a hedge fund community and such, and has gone

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<v Speaker 2>through the public process of being a candidate. This word

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<v Speaker 2>cross indors in rank voting. Can you cross endorse Governor

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<v Speaker 2>Cuomo this morning?

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, And it's not a cross endorsement because I haven't

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<v Speaker 3>asked for his endorsement. In return, but at the on

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<v Speaker 3>the mayoral stage. At the last debate on Thursday night,

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<v Speaker 3>when asked, I was the only candidate who was willing

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<v Speaker 3>to say who I would vote, No, just that, why

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<v Speaker 3>are you.

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<v Speaker 2>The only candidate just lining up buying Cuomo Jessica did

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<v Speaker 2>in the Queens. I believe it was as.

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<v Speaker 3>Well because the rest of the candidates are more progressive

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<v Speaker 3>lefty types, and Cuomo and I are the only two

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<v Speaker 3>people in the moderate lane. So I'm happy to throw

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<v Speaker 3>my support behind him and just say, don't rank zero

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<v Speaker 3>on Mom Dannie, who's the far lefty thirty three year

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<v Speaker 3>old inexperienced Democratic socialists.

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<v Speaker 4>Whitney crime, homelessness. If you ask I think the average

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<v Speaker 4>New Yorker, those two topics would be at or near

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<v Speaker 4>the top of their list of concerns.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, second only to housingford ability.

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<v Speaker 1>Yep, how do you deal with that issue? Brobably tied together. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a tough one.

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<v Speaker 3>There's no quick solution, but a bunch of legislation passed

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<v Speaker 3>five years ago that effectively decriminalized all low level crime.

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<v Speaker 3>Not surprisingly, shocker, you had a huge increase and New

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<v Speaker 3>Yorker has got upset and we're in the process slowly,

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<v Speaker 3>too slowly rolling some of that back, but it demoralized

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<v Speaker 3>police and we've were down to a thirty four year

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<v Speaker 3>low in the number of police officers. The good news, however,

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<v Speaker 3>is that on his fourth attempt, is fourth police commissioner

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<v Speaker 3>in three years.

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<v Speaker 1>Eric Adams, our.

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<v Speaker 3>Current mayor, was sort of forced to hire a competent person,

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<v Speaker 3>Jessica Tish, who has came in in November. She's done

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<v Speaker 3>a great job, got more police out in the streets

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<v Speaker 3>started and forcing quality of life stuff. The murder rate

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<v Speaker 3>is down twenty eight percent year to date, shootings are

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<v Speaker 3>down twenty one percent. Almost every type of crime is

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<v Speaker 3>down smaller amounts, So I'm hopeful that we're going in

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<v Speaker 3>the right direction for the first time in five years.

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<v Speaker 4>Housing affordability top of the list. I've been in this

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<v Speaker 4>city for a long time. It's always been an issue.

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<v Speaker 4>Everybody wants to come to New York and we know why.

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<v Speaker 4>I don't care what's going on in the world or

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<v Speaker 4>what's going on with the city. People keep flooding into

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<v Speaker 4>the city. You see him every single day. How do

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<v Speaker 4>we house these folks?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I should say one more just got added to

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<v Speaker 3>that list yesterday. My youngest daughter graduated from college in

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<v Speaker 3>Minnesota on Saturday, and she has already.

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<v Speaker 1>Accepted a job back in New York.

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<v Speaker 3>My third daughter, all three of them are now back

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<v Speaker 3>in New York working building their lives here. It's the

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<v Speaker 3>greatest city in the world, but housing is key. My

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<v Speaker 3>youngest daughter is going to be living at home because

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<v Speaker 3>she can't afford on a teacher's salary to live in

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<v Speaker 3>New York.

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<v Speaker 1>So what do you have to do to do about it?

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<v Speaker 1>Four words?

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<v Speaker 3>If I were to summarize unleash the private sector, all

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<v Speaker 3>the candidates have their various proposals because voters are screaming

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<v Speaker 3>about this issue. I'm the only one who said there's

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<v Speaker 3>not primarily a governmental solution.

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<v Speaker 1>Trust me.

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<v Speaker 3>The private sector wants to invest in the richest city

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<v Speaker 3>in the world with a sixty year low vacancy rate.

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<v Speaker 3>But we've just put up so much the zoning ranks,

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<v Speaker 3>environmental ranks, the city bureaucracy where they have to hire

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<v Speaker 3>expediters to try and navigate the city bureaucracy. We've got

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<v Speaker 3>to clear that out and shorten what's a four year

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<v Speaker 3>process on average down to a two year process, which

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<v Speaker 3>is what it was under Mike Bloomberg, and the difference

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<v Speaker 3>in two years and four years to project start to

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<v Speaker 3>finish in a higher interest rate environment like today, is

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<v Speaker 3>a viable project or a non viable project?

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<v Speaker 2>I look at it. I brought this up with Governor

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<v Speaker 2>Cuomo the election to ed coch One, where Mario Cuomo,

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<v Speaker 2>Governor Cuomo's father took Staten Island, and I believe Brooklyn

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<v Speaker 2>I can't remember, but Doo took Bronx. You know, Bella

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<v Speaker 2>Abzug took Manhattan, but ed cotch One. With this Democratic primary,

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<v Speaker 2>how does Whitney Tilson frame the first Tuesday of November

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<v Speaker 2>all of a sudd sudden. It's complex.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, it's particularly complex is we have the primary coming

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<v Speaker 3>up in eight days and it's ranked choice, so voters

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<v Speaker 3>can rank up to five candidates. The way the polling

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<v Speaker 3>looks right now is whatever round of ranked choice, as

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<v Speaker 3>other candidates are eliminated, it's going to come down to

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<v Speaker 3>Andrew Cuomo, the former governor, and Zoron Mamdanni, the thirty

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<v Speaker 3>three year old sort of phenom who's run a great

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<v Speaker 3>campaign but is very dangerously in experience, has radical views.

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<v Speaker 3>I'll just point your listeners read the new York Times

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<v Speaker 3>editorial today. New York Times, the liberal lefty paper of record,

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<v Speaker 3>just destroyed Zoron Mamdanni and their editorial today said he's

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<v Speaker 3>completely unqualified, his ideas are extremists, would be the ruin

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<v Speaker 3>of this city is effectively what they just said. So

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<v Speaker 3>they said, don't rank Mom Donnie. And then they said,

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<v Speaker 3>whatever your feelings are about Cuomo, rank him somewhere. They

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<v Speaker 3>had a mixed view of Cuomo. And then they said

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<v Speaker 3>Whitney Tilson is the heir to Mike Bloomberg, and if

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<v Speaker 3>you're a moderate, vote for him. So that I was

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<v Speaker 3>thrilled by that.

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<v Speaker 2>What are we going to see in November? If Whitney

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<v Speaker 2>Tilson doesn't get traction.

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<v Speaker 1>Well I will.

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<v Speaker 3>I am only running in the Democratic primary, and realistically,

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<v Speaker 3>with eight days left, there's a very narrow path for

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<v Speaker 3>me to win the primary.

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<v Speaker 1>If I don't win the primary, I will not be

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<v Speaker 1>there in November. November.

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<v Speaker 3>What's interesting is is both Mom Donnie and Cuomo, regardless

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<v Speaker 3>of which one wins and loses, is likely to be

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<v Speaker 3>in November. And then you have the current mayor, Eric Adams,

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<v Speaker 3>Curtis Sliwa on the Republican side. In all likelihood, and

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<v Speaker 3>it's not ranked choice, So you could have a scenario

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<v Speaker 3>where someone gets forty percent and becomes.

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<v Speaker 1>Mayor with only a minority of the.

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<v Speaker 3>Vote because three or four other candidates could split the

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<v Speaker 3>remaining sixty.

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<v Speaker 4>We've seen some very troubling images for many people coming

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<v Speaker 4>out of Los Angeles as the deportation a plan with

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<v Speaker 4>President Trump ramps up. What's your view and how New

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<v Speaker 4>York should deal with it? How how would you deal

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<v Speaker 4>with that?

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<v Speaker 2>This is great, Paul, thank you for bringing us up.

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<v Speaker 2>Whitney Tilson, one of our staff had a close friend's

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<v Speaker 2>husband picked up this weekend in New York City.

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<v Speaker 3>H Yeah, I strongly support New York status as a

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<v Speaker 3>sanctuary city. I do not think we should be cooperating

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<v Speaker 3>anyway with the Trump administrations lawless, I would argue campaign

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<v Speaker 3>of terror against our immigrant communities. We though, as Democrats,

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<v Speaker 3>need to be smart and not lose the narrative and

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<v Speaker 3>not appear to be or in reality be protecting the

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<v Speaker 3>very small number of people who are here illegally, who

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<v Speaker 3>have joined gangs and are making our city less safe.

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<v Speaker 3>So there needs to be limited cooperation there. But you know,

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<v Speaker 3>I was asked on the debate stage. What would you do,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, if Los Angeles, you know, protests came here

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<v Speaker 3>and I'd be like, I'd get out in front. I'd

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<v Speaker 3>be out there protesting as well what the Trump administration

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<v Speaker 3>is doing, but.

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<v Speaker 1>Critically in a peaceful way.

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<v Speaker 3>And the flags we should be waving shouldn't be Mexican

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<v Speaker 3>or Palestinian flags. We should be waving American flags. We

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<v Speaker 3>are patriots fighting for our country, for our democracy against

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<v Speaker 3>an authoritarian power grab, which is what I think is

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<v Speaker 3>going on here.

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<v Speaker 4>What's the biggest issue from your perspective that you want

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<v Speaker 4>to get across when you go out and meet New

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<v Speaker 4>Yorkers on the street.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, I was one of the founders of Teach for

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<v Speaker 3>America thirty six years ago, my first job out of

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<v Speaker 3>college a few blocks from here.

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<v Speaker 1>I've been on the board of KIP Charter School.

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<v Speaker 3>So I've been trying to elevate the issue of education reform,

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<v Speaker 3>improving our public schools where we spend more and get

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<v Speaker 3>less than any city or state in the country. It

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<v Speaker 3>just hasn't been a big issue, honestly, and it always

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<v Speaker 3>comes back to, you know, housing slash affordability and crime and.

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<v Speaker 1>Safety and so but I do my best.

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<v Speaker 3>To elevate an issue that I care about a lot.

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<v Speaker 3>Is by far the single biggest part of our city budget.

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<v Speaker 3>Forty billion dollars of one hundred and fifteen billion dollar

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<v Speaker 3>budget goes into the DOE, and it's not well spent.

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<v Speaker 2>Waiting until soon. I want to ask a delicate question

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<v Speaker 2>here in that there's such a distrust of Governor Cuomo.

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<v Speaker 2>There are those that support them. You know, we all

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<v Speaker 2>know the debate here in New York, and I think

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<v Speaker 2>frankly nationwide people know the debate. If we have Mayor Cuomo,

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<v Speaker 2>how does he move on from the baggage that was

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<v Speaker 2>in Albany. Are you optimistic that he can if he's mayor,

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<v Speaker 2>that he can move on from the train wreck that

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<v Speaker 2>was his term in Albany?

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, And I would not characterize his years in Albany

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<v Speaker 3>as a train wreck.

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<v Speaker 1>He's got a lot, he got a lot of study on.

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<v Speaker 2>Politically I'm talking about and I'm on the cover of

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<v Speaker 2>the New York Post.

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<v Speaker 3>I know how I know how it ended. But I

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<v Speaker 3>have had some interactions with him over the years. Back

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<v Speaker 3>when he was governor, he was a strong supporter of

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<v Speaker 3>charter schools, and at the end of the day. He's experienced, competent,

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<v Speaker 3>and can get things done. And to those who you know,

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<v Speaker 3>he's referred to as a vindictive followed by an expletive

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<v Speaker 3>by many people. And my argument back to them is

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<v Speaker 3>is there's a lot to be said for someone with

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<v Speaker 3>a fearsome reputation trying to get things done here in

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<v Speaker 3>a very fractious city where you've got to deal not

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<v Speaker 3>only with the city council but with Albany and now

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<v Speaker 3>with the federal government is going to be a real

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<v Speaker 3>challenge as well. We need I think we need someone

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<v Speaker 3>like Cuomo, and I'm optimistic he'd be up to the job.

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<v Speaker 4>I guess as a relates to the federal government, can

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<v Speaker 4>he work with the Trump administration, because perhaps that's maybe

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<v Speaker 4>one of the things the city needs someone to work

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<v Speaker 4>with the Trump administration on behalf of New York's interests.

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<v Speaker 4>Is that's something you think he could do.

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<v Speaker 3>I think Trump is a bully and he respects other

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<v Speaker 3>bullies and people who will stand up to him, and

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<v Speaker 3>I think Governor Cuomo fits that bill. They've known each

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<v Speaker 3>other for a long period of time, and I think Cuomo,

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<v Speaker 3>I would hope, would be smart in standing up to Trump.

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<v Speaker 3>But not needlessly provoking him. And when the alternative for

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<v Speaker 3>us is a thirty three year old socialist, I think

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<v Speaker 3>he would just get destroyed by city politics, would get

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<v Speaker 3>destroyed and all, but it would be destroyed by Trump.

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<v Speaker 3>And so you know, that's an easy decision between those two.

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<v Speaker 2>Winny Tilson, thank you so much for joining us today,

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<v Speaker 2>whatever our political persuasions, and thank you for your public

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<v Speaker 2>service of running for office.

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<v Speaker 1>I accept your condolence stetting out there and running.

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<v Speaker 2>I hope it is RESTful as time moves out