NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- With Election Day just around the corner, this Wednesday the city will get to see mayoral candidates Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa face off in a debate about the issues that matter to most New Yorkers.
In an exclusive interview with 1010 WINS, Republican candidate Sliwa spoke of the stark contrast between him and his opponent.
Using the issue of gun control as proof, he said, "As a role model, I have never carried a gun, nor will I carry a gun - even though I'm the only candidate that was shot five times by members of the Gambino crime family. Eric Adams talks about a desire to carry a gun, even as a Mayor. That separates us."
"I don't believe in guns," he added.
When asked about remediation for crimes as small as carrying a gun, Sliwa said, "You can't remediation at that particular point. You have to do incarceration." He also blamed bail reform for complicating the issue.
Republican nominee for the 2021 New York City mayoral election Curtis Sliwa attends the "Hometown Heroes" Ticker Tape Parade on July 07, 2021 in New York, New York. Healthcare Workers, first responders and essential workers were honored in Manhattan's Canyon of Heroes for their service during the Covid-19 pandemic.(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
"I'm not saying that there should be no bail...Why didn't we follow the New Jersey model that has had few, if any, problems along the way?" he asked. "They established their 'no bail' positions in Trenton two years ago before, but Cuomo and the state legislature decided they were omnipotent, they were pretentious, they could do it better than New Jersey. If we're going to have no bail, it should be the way it is in Jersey where the judge has the final choice of remanding you to jail with bail."
On the issue of whether or not children need a vaccine to go to school, Sliwa praised De Blasio's stance on the issue and joked, "For the second time in 8 years I [agree] with him."
Having three children himself, Sliwa said he takes Adams' stance that children should be vaccinated to attend personally.
"We need to educate these children," he said. "We need to give the same alternative to teachers and healthcare workers that cops and firefighters do if they're not vaccinated...Why are we firing teachers and health care workers, who were the heroes at the beginning of the lockdown and pandemic?...How unfair is that?"
In the interview, he also compared the current Mayor to Al Pacino's character in 'The Godfather', for the way he's ending his final term. "De Blasio on his way out is like Michael Corleone, deciding to settle all scores." He explains that the reason he feels this way is because of the Mayor's decision to pull the plug on the city's Gifted and Talented Schools Program.
"It's a ruse," Sliwa says, before adding that the city, "[needs] more opportunities to achieve academic excellence. We don't just wipe it out like Bill De Blasio wants to do on his way out. Thank God he's on his way out."
